CINCINNATI – After leading the Cincinnati football team to the only undefeated record in college football this season and a second-consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship, Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell was named The Home Depot Coach of the Year for 2021 on Tuesday.

Fickell will receive the award during the 31st annual The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Fickell is in his fifth season at the helm of the Cincinnati program after being named the Bearcats' 42nd head coach in December 2016.

No. 4 Cincinnati will face top-ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 31 for a chance at the CFP National Championship.

Fickell has led Cincinnati to a 13-0 mark in 2021, capturing a second straight American Athletic Conference Championship and a 24-13 win at No. 5 Notre Dame in the process. Cincinnati is one of only two teams in the nation that ranks in the Top 10 in scoring offense (8th – 39.2) and scoring defense (4th – 16.1) this season and features an incredible 12 All-AAC First Team selections.

He led UC to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, and a 9-1 overall record in the condensed 2020 season.

He is a three-time AAC Coach of the Year, winning the conference honors in 2021, 2020 and 2018.

Fickell is the second UC head coach to win The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, joining Brian Kelly, who won the award in 2009.

https://gobearcats.com/news/2021/12/7/fo...-year.aspx

Congratulations, Coach Fickell, and by extension, the Cincinnati Bearcats!

Well Deserved!

^^^Indeed.

I am not jealous.
OK, 100% jealous.
Well done LF and UC.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Fickell hire 5 years ago.

Not sure I’ve ever been more happy to have been so wrong in my entire life.

Congrats to Fickell. A much deserved "Coach Of The Year Award".

I need to proofread.

(12-07-2021 06:37 PM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Fickell hire 5 years ago.

Not sure I’ve ever been more happy to have been so wrong in my entire life.

Same. I really wanted PJ Fleck. Once I heard the radio interview/press conference I was all in. Impressive fellow. It' might sound cheesy, but I've learned a lot about being a leader from Coach Fick.

We hired the wrong Ohio State coordinator

For getting us where we are... from where we've been...

He deserves COACH OF THE CENTURY !!

I looked yesterday and not a word yet on this on ESPN. You’d think they would since HD sponsors Gameday

Anyone else would have been a travesty. Well earned

Nice recognition. If Cincy can keep him as their coach, what a plus for their program in the coming years.

(12-09-2021 08:36 AM)covingtontiger Wrote:  Nice recognition. If Cincy can keep him as their coach, what a plus for their program in the coming years.

This year the following jobs opened and we kept Fickell:

USC
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
LSU
Florida

Like, I genuinely think a lot of that had to do with timing, but still...he's at UC instead of those places...I really don't know what jobs would be better (outside of the obvious Ohio State), especially considering Notre Dame and Oklahoma were not rebuild jobs, which is what most openings at high levels are nowadays.

No one is more deserving.

(12-08-2021 08:37 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I looked yesterday and not a word yet on this on ESPN. You’d think they would since HD sponsors Gameday

They would probably prefer to make a big deal out of it in their Awards Show...tonight

clt says congrats, but lowes is better

(12-09-2021 10:17 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(12-09-2021 08:36 AM)covingtontiger Wrote:  Nice recognition. If Cincy can keep him as their coach, what a plus for their program in the coming years.

This year the following jobs opened and we kept Fickell:

USC
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
LSU
Florida

Like, I genuinely think a lot of that had to do with timing, but still...he's at UC instead of those places...I really don't know what jobs would be better (outside of the obvious Ohio State), especially considering Notre Dame and Oklahoma were not rebuild jobs, which is what most openings at high levels are nowadays.

Teach us the ways of finding a G5 coach who wants to stay

(12-09-2021 11:06 PM)CLTPirate Wrote:  

(12-09-2021 10:17 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(12-09-2021 08:36 AM)covingtontiger Wrote:  Nice recognition. If Cincy can keep him as their coach, what a plus for their program in the coming years.

This year the following jobs opened and we kept Fickell:

USC
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
LSU
Florida

Like, I genuinely think a lot of that had to do with timing, but still...he's at UC instead of those places...I really don't know what jobs would be better (outside of the obvious Ohio State), especially considering Notre Dame and Oklahoma were not rebuild jobs, which is what most openings at high levels are nowadays.

Teach us the ways of finding a G5 coach who wants to stay

Be from the state. Never leave the state. Have a family whose values/loyalty/culture closely align to the region that are fairly unique.

Hire an incredible coach and even better person.

Formula is simple, application is near impossible.