Luke Fickell > Satterfield

[LeFors4Ever]

I really do not understand why there is not a bigger call for us to get Luke Fickell. He is what our program needs if we are looking for someone with coaching experience. Fickell has been on staff for 2 national titles. He was a D-Coordinator under Urban Meyer, so was Charlie.

1. We are rebuilding. Satterfield walked into a program where the scheme and culture was already established. He was an assistant on that staff for a coach he played for years ago. He didn't have to come in and make changes. He was an assistant at other low level programs for 3 years, but he only knows App State football.

Fickell was at Ohio State and played there, but he did coach under 2 different Hall of Fame coaches. He had to walk into a dumpster fire and he got them to 10 wins in only his 2nd season. He had to come in and turn around a program and change the culture, and he's proven he could to that quickly. He also had the 1 year of being an interim at Ohio State after Tressel was fired in May. Fickell knows what handling a bad situation is like in a big media market.

We need a coach that can come in and get things rolling quickly, Satterfield walked into an established culture, Fickell rebuilt a culture on won.


2. Recruiting. Satterfield has only been at a regional school and has never had to go after big talent outside of that part of the southeast. Fickell is from our region. Ohio State recruits nationally. Fickell has a commit right now from Trinity.

3. Coaching staff. Though Satterfield is respected and we will have the budget for good assistants, will they fit with him? He's been in the same school and system forever. Will he be comfortable with outsiders or will it fit? Fickell probably has connections to some of the best coaches and recruiters in the country. I would feel better with a Fickell staff than a Satterfield staff.

4. Fit. Satterfield coaches in a rural small "college town" in a conference that gets no media pressure. Fickell coaches in Cincinnati, an urban area, and has been the head coach at Ohio State where there was a lot of media pressure. Fickell knows this area.


5. Urban Meyer's coaching tree. It just has produced a lot of successful head coaches.

Remember that other guy we that was doing well in Cincinnati that we hired last spring? Chris Mack? Yeah, he seemed like a good fit. Satterfield is a great coach, but sometimes a good coach isn't a right fit. Charlie is a good coach and was a perfect fit here, but was he a good fit in Texas/Pac-12/Blueblood?

This next coach is taking over a roster in shambles. We will have an exodus of transfers and guys that need to be talked into staying. We will have a FCS level recruiting class. The new coach probably won't even be able to get his first class of guys in until the fall of 2020. Fickell could probably get us some guys now. Fickell has dealt with a coaching change and a rebuild. Satterfield ONLY knows App State.

Fickell is a better fit. Change my mind.

 

[CardMonarch]

Well sh*t. Now I have to think about this.

 

[beantowncard]

Not sure Satterfield is better. There’s a lot that goes in to this, and we have only a tiny bit of the information Vince has. Let’s hope a deal is struck soon, and we can get the rebuild underway

 

[Knucklehank1]

I think your concerns about Satterfield are legitimate. I have some of the same concerns. Here are a few reasons that hurt Fickell:

- Tyra has stated that he prefers an offensive minded coach. He specifically referenced the grumbling fans had during the Strong tenure when we would win a game but we wouldn’t move the ball much. I think there is validity to this. UofL fans are non-traditional. We put higher priority on being entertained and having a party atmosphere. It’s just understanding the consumer. His offense is not very imaginative.

- he only has two recruiting classes under his belt. Yes they are 9-2 this year but a lot of in the trenches players are not guys he recruited

- main recruiting base is far and away the Ohio area. Obviously we’ve had our most success with FL, GA and AL guys.

- he is already making over $2M/yr. is he really worth $3M/yr?

 

[Mayoman]

Because Louisville fans are already fickle.....and do not need a Fickell as the coach too! They are already fickle enough!

 

[jmac1029]

Last thing we need is more fickle

 

[LeFors4Ever]

I think your concerns about Satterfield are legitimate. I have some of the same concerns. Here are a few reasons that hurt Fickell:

- Tyra has stated that he prefers an offensive minded coach. He specifically referenced the grumbling fans had during the Strong tenure when we would win a game but we wouldn’t move the ball much. I think there is validity to this. UofL fans are non-traditional. We put higher priority on being entertained and having a party atmosphere. It’s just understanding the consumer. His offense is not very imaginative.

- he only has two recruiting classes under his belt. Yes they are 9-2 this year but a lot of in the trenches players are not guys he recruited

- main recruiting base is far and away the Ohio area. Obviously we’ve had our most success with FL, GA and AL guys.

- he is already making over $2M/yr. is he really worth $3M/yr?

But if he's making a decision based on business and keeping the fans happy and not a sports/fit decision then I'm not cool with that.

The Strong years built our program back from where the Petrine leftovers and Kragthorpe coaching destroyed it over time. Strong showed that a strong defense and commitment to fundamentals and discipline is how to build a program.

Bobby's first 3 years were saved by all the defensive talent left over from Strong.

I just see Fickell as a better version of Charlie.
-Defensive minded and commitment to strong line play
-I think he could recruit at a high level
-More professional nature. He comes from a big time program and knows what championship level programs look like.

Satterfield walked in and kept the line moving. Yes, I do think he did a good job leading them into the Sun Belt from FCS...but lets look at that division in his conference.

Troy-Joined the FBS in 2004
Georgia Southern-Joined the FBS in 2014
Coastal Carolina-Joined the FBS in 2016
Georgia State- Joined the FBS in 2013

And Appalachian State joined the FBS in 2014.

So basically he's coaching against a division of teams who all just recently made the jump from FCS. So it's not like he had to make some big jump against established programs. So there's another hole in that narrative. They also were competing with FCS teams even before he became coach. He is a good coach, but can he build a program in a P5 conference in an area that is foreign to him?

He's only known App State and he just kept the line moving. I just think we can do better.

 

[Knucklehank1]

But if he's making a decision based on business and keeping the fans happy and not a sports/fit decision then I'm not cool with that.

The Strong years built our program back from where the Petrine leftovers and Kragthorpe coaching destroyed it over time. Strong showed that a strong defense and commitment to fundamentals and discipline is how to build a program.

Bobby's first 3 years were saved by all the defensive talent left over from Strong.

I just see Fickell as a better version of Charlie.
-Defensive minded and commitment to strong line play
-I think he could recruit at a high level
-More professional nature. He comes from a big time program and knows what championship level programs look like.

Satterfield walked in and kept the line moving. Yes, I do think he did a good job leading them into the Sun Belt from FCS...but lets look at that division in his conference.

Troy-Joined the FBS in 2004
Georgia Southern-Joined the FBS in 2014
Coastal Carolina-Joined the FBS in 2016
Georgia State- Joined the FBS in 2013

And Appalachian State joined the FBS in 2014.

So basically he's coaching against a division of teams who all just recently made the jump from FCS. So it's not like he had to make some big jump against established programs. So there's another hole in that narrative. They also were competing with FCS teams even before he became coach. He is a good coach, but can he build a program in a P5 conference in an area that is foreign to him?

He's only known App State and he just kept the line moving. I just think we can do better.

My guess is that Tyra doesn’t see a definitively higher expectation of success for Fickell over Satterfield. So the kicker would be going with the guy who is more offensively oriented.

 

[beantowncard]

But if he's making a decision based on business and keeping the fans happy and not a sports/fit decision then I'm not cool with that.

The Strong years built our program back from where the Petrine leftovers and Kragthorpe coaching destroyed it over time. Strong showed that a strong defense and commitment to fundamentals and discipline is how to build a program.

Bobby's first 3 years were saved by all the defensive talent left over from Strong.

I just see Fickell as a better version of Charlie.
-Defensive minded and commitment to strong line play
-I think he could recruit at a high level
-More professional nature. He comes from a big time program and knows what championship level programs look like.

Satterfield walked in and kept the line moving. Yes, I do think he did a good job leading them into the Sun Belt from FCS...but lets look at that division in his conference.

Troy-Joined the FBS in 2004
Georgia Southern-Joined the FBS in 2014
Coastal Carolina-Joined the FBS in 2016
Georgia State- Joined the FBS in 2013

And Appalachian State joined the FBS in 2014.

So basically he's coaching against a division of teams who all just recently made the jump from FCS. So it's not like he had to make some big jump against established programs. So there's another hole in that narrative. They also were competing with FCS teams even before he became coach. He is a good coach, but can he build a program in a P5 conference in an area that is foreign to him?

He's only known App State and he just kept the line moving. I just think we can do better.

Football is football. He would do well here if he comes.

 

[CardX]

TLDR.

 

[Crimsonelf]

Satterfield > Fickle

 

[LeFors4Ever]

Football is football. He would do well here if he comes.

That's not true. Sun Belt football is not ACC football. I'll even agree Fickell and the AAC is not ACC football.

In the lower levels of college football, good coaching matters a lot more because there isn't a lot of big money staffs and training facilities. It's all about scheme and practice.

In the Power 5, it takes a lot more. You need to recruit high level guys on both sides of the ball. You have to have top notch assistants. The top coordinators in power 5 are as good as the average head coaches in the group of 5. You have to manage the fan base that brings 40k-50k every Saturday who are a lot more demanding. The press is a lot tougher along with talk radio questioning your every move.

Every program you face has high priced coaches who have succeeded at a high level. They all have great athletes. It takes more than just coaching em' up at this level. You have to be a CEO.

 

[CardVille]

I agree with OP, Fickell is my #1 choice too. But I dont think Vince is looking that direction for some reason.

 

[Swimcat76]

Fickell will stay and do well at UC, and wait for OSU to come open. If in when it does his resume will be the first one in the door.

 

[Cardinal Cash]

I think Fickell is a viable option, but people are seriously downplaying the fact that Satterfield moved the team from FCS to FBS and then won 3 conference championships in a row. That’s no small feat. Plus we know that is his program as he is in his 4th or 5th year.