Ohio State Football: What Luke Fickell Must Do to Become Full-Time Head Coach

The 2011 college football season is still two months away, yet there could not be a more scrutinized individual than Luke Fickell, interim head coach of football for The Ohio State University. 

The Columbus, Ohio native and former assistant head coach takes over a program that could lose current and future scholarship athletes in spades.  He is also charged with, for the remainder of 2011 at the very least, making sure no more players currently on scholarship become subject(s) of ongoing NCAA investigations. 

And as if all that wasn't enough, he must deal with the expectations of Buckeye Nation, who have come to expect at least 10 wins and a BCS bowl appearance on an annual basis.

Nevertheless, if he wants to become the full-time head coach of these Ohio State Buckeyes, there are several things that Luke Fickell must do to make his resume stand out.

Obviously, off the field he must take a zero tolerance stance with his players, something that was just assumed (mistakenly, of course) of his predecessor, Jim Tressel.  It goes without saying that even if they don't retain Fickell, they (Gene Smith and Gordon Gee) will look for the same type of integrity in whomever they hire to be the next head coach.

On the field, Coach Fickell will need to do more than merely win games.  It has been said that Ohio State will be fine this season with Fickell at the helm, as he has the supporting cast around him to continue a philosophy started by Mr. Tressel himself.

Yet if Luke Fickell wants to keep this job beyond this year, he must do everything he can to distinguish himself from Jim Tressel on the field as well as off the field.

That means he must be willing to take more risks, on both sides of the ball, regardless of the outcome.  There are many who believe that he needs to win 10 or more games to keep his job.  Yet I will be the first to say this: A record of 9-3 for Coach Fickell should not be seen as a disappointment, even if they do open the season with a favorable non-conference schedule.

Most importantly, however, is that Coach Fickell starts the best athletes each and every game, whether they are seniors or underclassmen.  There is an old saying that a player shouldn't lose his spot due to injury or suspension.  I don't buy into that theory, and never have.  My feeling is that every season begins anew, and you have to earn your spot on the field.  Or to put it another way, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So 2011 season begins with Luke Fickell trying to restore the pride of Buckeye Nation both on and off the field.  It remains to be seen if 2012 will begin the same way.