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Cincinnati Taps Former Ohio State Linebacker Marcus Freeman as Defensive Coordinator

We found out in early December former Ohio State linebacker and Purdue linebackers coach Marcus Freeman would follow his old coach, Luke Fickell, to Cincinnati.

Linebackers coach seemed like a good fit for Freeman, but it turns out Fickell had bigger plans for the 31-year-old.

Cincinnati named Freeman as its defensive coordinator Wednesday afternoon, along with Doug Phillips as special teams coordinator.

Welcome to the newest members of the #Bearcats coaching staff: @Marcus_Freeman1 & @fbcoachdp!
: https://t.co/UbYL94GjwV pic.twitter.com/NDkhMB9zD2 — Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) January 4, 2017

"When I talked to our team on the day I was hired, I promised them I would hire an outstanding staff who were not only great motivators and teachers of football, but also great men off the field," Fickell said in a university release.