In September, the USC coaching job opened. In October, it was LSU. On Nov. 21, Florida joined the mix. And then, in stunning late-November succession, here came vacancies at Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
Five elite college football coaching jobs have opened in one season. Four have since closed, or are closing. And Luke Fickell is still the coach at Cincinnati.
Talk about bucking the market trend.
In a business where coaches commonly lie about how happy and committed they are to their current school, Fickell really might mean it. In a sea of shifting loyalties, he’s the Rock of Gibraltar.