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Cincinnati head coach, former Buckeye assistant Luke Fickell named AAC Coach of the Year

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Cincinnati head coach and former Ohio State assistant Luke Fickell has been named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Bearcats to a 10-2 season.

The announcement came Wednesday morning that Fickell had received the honor. In just his second season with Cincinnati, Fickell guided the Bearcats from a 4-8 record in 2017 to a 10-win year this fall. They finished 6-2 in AAC play.

It was the program’s first 10-win season since 2012 and only the seventh in program history.

Cincinnati got off to a hot start this season, opening the year 6-0, which included a Week 1 win over UCLA in Los Angeles. The Bearcats were also ranked as high as No. 19 this season, taking a 9-1 record to Orlando to face undefeated UCF.

Fickell was a longtime assistant at Ohio State, serving on staff from 2002-2016. He served as the interim head coach for one full season, replacing Jim Tressel following “Tattoogate” in 2011.

The Buckeyes finished that season 6-7.

With the quick success he’s had at Cincinnati, Fickell’s name is likely to surface as a potential candidate for any major jobs that open up in the following weeks.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB