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Illinois Football: 4 head coaches best suited for the Illini job

By Rees Woodcock

Sep 14, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Mike Epstein (26) and his teammates pat a memorial of Harold E. "Red" Grange prior to the first half against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Mike Epstein (26) and his teammates pat a memorial of Harold E. "Red" Grange prior to the first half against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois football
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell watches from the sidelines in the first quarter of the NCAA American Athletic Conference football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the East Carolina Pirates at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. The Bearcats led 35-10 at halftime.East Carolina Pirates At Cincinnati Bearcats /

The Illinois football team is looking for a new head coach, and there are numerous options out there.

Earlier this week, I posted the top five coaching options for the Illini 1.0. That listed included everyone. But I wanted to narrow the scope a little more. I wanted to just focus on a group of coaches who are currently head coaches of their respective programs.

So, here are four head coaches best suited for the Illini job.

1. Luke Fickell – Cincinnati Bearcats

I believe the obvious first choice among head coaches who would be a perfect fit for the Illini is Luke Fickell. The Cincinnati Bearcats head coach has done a tremendous job building that program into a national contender.

Experience

The coaching experience for Fickell is unmatched. The guy has been around since 1999 in some capacity at the power-five level. Starting as a graduate assistant with Ohio State, Fickell worked his way up through the Buckeyes program and eventually become the main defensive coordinator for five seasons. He also had one year where he took over the Ohio State program after their head coach was fired.

Fickell moved onto Cincinnati in 2016. He is just finishing up his fifth season as the head coach of the Bearcats. Being with Ohio State for nearly two decades and then taking over a resurging Cincinnati program gives Fickell the experience that I want for the Illinois head coaching job.

Success

Fickell’s success is impressive. When he was with Ohio State – from 1999 through 2015 – the Buckeyes only missed two bowl games. They went to three national championship games and won the 2014 title.

After Cincinnati’s program took a turn for the worse, Fickell was hired and built it back up quickly. Taking over a 4-8 program, Fickell had the Bearcats with 11 wins in year two and three and won a bowl game both seasons. In 2020, he has Cincinnati with an 8-0 record and an argument to be in the College Football Playoff.

Recruiting

The talent within Cincinnati’s program increased greatly since Fickell took the job. In the three years prior to him taking over, the Bearcats had an average national recruiting ranking of No. 68.

Fickell is now finishing up his fourth recruiting class with Cincinnati and has been in the top 50 nationally on three different occasions. He has an average national recruiting ranking of No. 49. This is a great improvement, and it is something I look for when choosing a head coach.

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