Luke Fickell’s extension from Cincinnati is a deserved reward, but not a deterrent if the Big Ten calls

CINCINNATI ― Luke Fickell’s reward for turning Cincinnati football into one of the nation’s top Group of Five programs is a raise to $3.4 million, per The Athletic.

Fickell’s new contract reportedly runs through the 2026 season. The former Ohio State player, assistant and interim head coach has made a national name through his work with the Bearcats, and this extension and raise reward that.

However, it won’t stop Fickell from being one of the first names mentioned in any Big Ten Conference head coach opening that comes up — and for plenty of others around the country.

Based on the USA Today coaching salary database for 2019, Fickell’s new salary of $3.4 million would have snuck into the top 40 nationally. Only South Florida’s Charlie Strong ($5 million) and Houston’s Dana Holgorsen ($3.7) made more among Group of Five coaches.

That salary reflects how much Fickell has accomplished at Cincinnati. The Bearcats went 4-8 in his first season before back-to-back 11-win seasons. In 2019, the Bearcats won the American Athletic Conference’s East Division, won a second straight bowl game and finished in the top 25 for the second consecutive year.

Cincinnati is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press preseason poll. Any short list of the best Group of Five programs must include the Bearcats.

Fickell made a commitment to Cincinnati when he passed up a chance at the Michigan State job last winter. The school made one in return, reportedly turning to “private donations and fundraising” to boost his salary, per The Athletic.

Fans in Columbus are surely happy to see one of their own rewarded for his success. They are also probably wondering, in the backs of their minds, whether Cincinnati has made it any harder for Fickell to make the jump back to the Big Ten.

To answer that I offer only two words: Mel Tucker.

That’s who Michigan State hired to replace Mark Dantonio. In doing so, they made Tucker one of the 15 highest-paid coaches in the country with an average annual salary of $5.5 million.

Per that USA Today database for 2019, 10 of the 30 highest-paid coaches in the country were in the Big Ten. The average annual value? $5.17 million.

That number is skewed somewhat by the way USA Today factors the salaries, which credits Purdue’s Jeff Brohm at $6.6 million due to the timing of some contract bonuses. However, it does not include Tucker’s increase over what MSU paid Dantonio. It does not include Ryan Day’s raise to $5.5 million or P.J. Fleck’s million-dollar raise at Minnesota. It does not include Indiana more than doubling Tom Allen’s salary to $4 million annually.

If a Big Ten program wants Fickell, money will not be an impediment. If a program such as Illinois, which pays Lovie Smith $4 million annually, wanted to poach Fickell, it might wince a little harder at the price tag. If that’s true of Illinois, then it’s even more true for Ohio State, should it ever need to find someone to replace Ryan Day.

Remember, though, Fickell cited family obligations and the relationships he built at Cincinnati as the reasons he stayed with the Bearcats in the offseason. Money clearly was not his chief motivation.

If another more enticing Big Ten opportunity comes along, however, the raise he receives now will only make him wealthier then.

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