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Luke Fickell earns contract extension with Cincinnati

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Luke Fickell has yet to call a play during the 2020 season, but the University of Cincinnati has offered its head coach a contract extension. Justin Williams of The Athletic reported the news on Tuesday morning.

Per Williams, Fickell’s extension will keep him in Cincinnati through the 2026 season and will pay the Bearcats leader $3.4 million per year during that period. The extension is reportedly funded through private donations and fundraising.

The University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees approved the contract extension unanimously.

Fickell will be entering his fourth season at Cincinnati, where he’s had a successful tenure thus far. Following a 4-8 mark in his first year in 2017, the Bearcats have been one of the top Group of 5 programs in college football the last two years. In 2018, Cincinnati finished with an 11-2 record and finished the year ranked No. 24 in Associated Press Poll.

Last year, the Bearcats hit 11 wins again, ending with an 11-3 mark and ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll. Cincinnati is 2-0 in bowl games under Fickell.

During the offseason, Fickell was  hot commodity and was eyed as a top target by Michigan State to replace Mark Dantonio. However, Fickell denied interest in the position and decided to continue his career at Cincinnati. The Spartans eventually hired Mel Tucker away from Colorado.

Cincinnati enters the 2020 season ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press Poll. The Bearcats open the year as the highest-ranked Group of 5 program in the country, edging out UCF which sits at No. 21.

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