Ohio State Football and Head Coaching: Are Urban Meyer Fans Now Being Fickell?

Article after article has been written about how Urban Meyer is guaranteed to be the next head coach at Ohio State.  After Michigan State beat OSU in a game that was not as close as the score, it looked like the prophecy would be fulfilled.  But OSU has clearly improved and is now in contention for a Big Ten title.

Before Jim Tressel resigned, ESPN’s Beano Cook predicted Urban Meyer would be the head coach by the 2012 season.  Scores of articles in the Bleacher Report and other sites make the same claim. The question asked is: would Ohio State be better off with Urban Meyer?  I would argue no.

In an article I wrote in December of 2010, I stated that Luke Fickell or someone else from the current staff (Hazell has since gone on to be HC at Kent State) would be best to succeed Jim Tressel. 

Why? There seems to be a pattern that if a team is having huge success, hiring from within keeps the continuity going. 

Before Jim Tressel resigned, Ohio State enjoyed 10 of the most successful years of any school in the Big Ten.  One national championship, three bowl championship appearances, six Big Ten Conference championships, seven BCS Bowl appearances (last year’s Sugar Bowl does not count) and 9-1 record vs Michigan (technically 8-1).  Wouldn’t OSU fans want this type of success to continue?

Woody Hayes took over Ohio State in 1951, and from 1951 to 1987 Ohio State only had two losing seasons. They were coached by Ohio State men in Hayes and Bruce.  Even though Earle Bruce was not on Hayes’s staff at the time of his hiring, Bruce is definitely an Ohio State man as he graduated and was also assistant at OSU. 

Enter John Cooper.  Though he had success as far as total wins and losses, his overall record against Michigan and the bowl games was a dismal 5-18-1—unacceptable at Ohio State.

Michigan went through something similar. From 1969-2007, Michigan promoted from within. First, there was Bo Schembechler, then Gary Moeller and then Lloyd Carr.  After Carr, Michigan went outside the tree and hired Rich Rodriguez.  What ensued was three of the worst years in Michigan’s football history. They went back to the Michigan tree with Brady Hoke, and UM has been noticeably better.

Fickell has four more games to interview for the job. Tressel’s teams played well in November and beat Michigan. If Fickell continues Tressel’s success, shouldn’t he get a contract extension?

Robert Gartrell wrote in an article titled “Who Will Be Next when Tressel Decides to Hang Up the Vest?”, “Former Buckeye linebacker James Laurinaitis cites Fickell as one of the most influential coaches on the staff and someone who challenges his players every day in practice."

"'I think when Coach Tressel decides to leave that Fickell is definitely someone they're going to have to look at,' Laurinaitis said. 'He's a great leader and he's going to be a great head coach some day, whether he's at Ohio State or somewhere else.'"

Luke Fickell inherited terrible circumstances. 

His teams have been to the bottom of the valley and withstood the adversity. Not only have they won against their most talented opponent, the Buckeyes have a chance to win another Big Ten Championship and go to another BCS Bowl game. 

If Ohio State wins out in the regular season, Fickell should get an extension regardless of whether or not OSU wins the Big Ten Championship Game.

This would be the type of success OSU fans are used to and would like to continue. History indicates that hiring from within is the best way to see this happen.