Luke Fickell takes Bearcats football job; Coombs staying with Ohio State

Dec. 10 10:51 a.m.

The Cincinnati Bearcats will hire Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell as their head coach, according to multiple reports Saturday.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported an official announcement is expected later Saturday. Fickell is a Columbus native who played for the Buckeyes and graduated from Ohio State in 1997. He started 50 straight games at nose guard from 1993-96.

Fickell started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 1999 and then spent two seasons at Akron. He returned to Ohio State in 2002 and has been on the coaching staff for the last 15 seasons. He is the only coach who was on the staff in 2002 and 2014 when Ohio State won its last two national championships.

Meyer responds to hiring

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer responded to Fickell's hiring  with a statement released by Ohio State Athletic Communications:

“Today is a proud day for Ohio State and Buckeye Nation with the news of Luke Fickell becoming head coach at the University of Cincinnati. Few have invested as much time and effort and passion into Ohio State and its football program than Luke. We all knew this day was coming. Now that it is upon us, I want to thank Luke for being such a terrific coach, mentor and person. And I wish him, Amy and their young family all the best as they begin this new journey.”

Meyer played defensive back at Cincinnati in 1984 and graduated from the university.

Fickell served as the interim head coach in 2011, filling the gap between Jim Tressel’s final season and Urban Meyer’s first. The Buckeyes finished 6-7. It was their first losing season since 1988.

UC is replacing Tommy Tuberville, who stepped down after four seasons. The Bearcats were 4-10 in 2016. It was their first losing season since 2010.