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Notre Dame Football: 5 early candidates to replace Brian Kelly

By Connor Muldowney

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell leads the Cincinnati Bearcats onto the field to warm up before the NCAA football game between Cincinnati Bearcats and Murray State Racers on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.Murray State Racers At Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell leads the Cincinnati Bearcats onto the field to warm up before the NCAA football game between Cincinnati Bearcats and Murray State Racers on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.Murray State Racers At Cincinnati Bearcats /
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Nov 20, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell during the Senior Ceremony prior to the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell during the Senior Ceremony prior to the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati HC

If you’re looking for early odds for the next Notre Dame head coaching hire, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell would have to top the list. He’s a Midwest guy, an excellent recruiter, and probably the top Group of Five coaching candidate in the country — maybe over the past decade.

Fickell is also a name that has been on just about every major head-coaching search list over the past couple of years, but he’s been looking for the right fit.

The Cincinnati head coach and former Ohio State player nearly accepted the Michigan State job a couple of years ago and it just seemed like a good fit, but he noted a cultural issue as his reason for staying at Cincinnati. I think that was just an excuse for him to wait for a bigger opening like Notre Dame or USC. Both have been vacant this year now and it looks like Notre Dame is the winner for his services.

USC just hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma and I think Notre Dame will have more than enough resources to poach Fickell from Cincinnati despite the Bearcats being a playoff-bound team.

While Cincinnati is one of the top Group of Five programs in the country, it has had a history of losing coaches to top programs, including Brian Kelly to Notre Dame over a decade ago. This just seems inevitable. And he’d be able to retain Marcus Freeman who was his defensive coordinator at Cincinnati before leaving for Notre Dame.

Next. Projected CFP rankings for Week 14. dark

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