Continuing the process of finding a replacement for Luke Fickell who can guide the Cincinnati Bearcats’ program into the future, which includes Big 12 residency for the outgoing American Athletic Conference member, Bearcats athletics director John Cunningham is conducting ongoing interviews for the head football post.
Already Cunningham has conducted formal interviews with the program’s top two in-house candidates, offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs.
Those interviews took place earlier this week in the immediate aftermath of Fickell’s abrupt departure Sunday to take over the Wisconsin Badgers’ program, which earlier this fall had fired veteran head coach Paul Chryst.
While several additional candidates have emerged for the Bearcats’ head job, sources on Wednesday told FootballScoop that there has been a gain in momentum for star Ohio State assistant coach Brian Hartline.
Sources told FootballScoop that Cincinnati’s formal interview with Hartline was expected to take place in the near future, perhaps as soon as Thursday.
A former standout player for the Buckeyes who logged a seven-year NFL career and has spent the past six seasons on staff at his alma mater, Hartline has molded the Buckeyes’ wide receivers group into the sport’s current “Wide Receiver U.” He’s a former FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year recipient and this past season ascended to the role of passing game coordinator amid carving a reputation as arguably college football’s preeminent wide receivers coach.
Hartline again has a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in standout Marvin Harrison Jr. and has tutored multiple first-round NFL Draft picks in the previous few seasons.
Among the additional candidates, sources told FootballScoop, are Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter – who has obvious deep ties to the program with his father, Rick, the former head coach, as well as James Madison’s Curt Cignetti and Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh. A finalist this year for the Broyles Award, Golesh, like Hartline, is an Ohio State graduate. He began his coaching career in the high school ranks in Ohio, earned a spot as a student assistant on staff with Jim Tressel and worked at Toledo, among other career stops.
Additionally, sources told FootballScoop that Fickell planned to take at least four additional members of his Bearcats’ staff to join his inaugural staff at Wisconsin. Sources told FootballScoop that defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, wideouts coach/passing game coordinator Mike Brown and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Colin Hitschler all are expected to join Fickell in Madison.
Additionally, Guidugli is a prime target to be the Badgers’ next offensive coordinator on Fickell’s staff – if Guidugli does not earn the Bearcats’ full-time head coaching post.
Bearcats chief of staff Greg Gillum also is expected to join Fickell at Wisconsin in a similar role. Gillum is a 40-plus-year veteran who logged more than a decade on staff at Ohio State and also coached collegiately at Akron, among other stops throughout Ohio.