Luke Fickell’s feelings on USC job reportedly revealed

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the vacant USC job, but the Trojans may have to look elsewhere.

John Brice of FootballScoop.com reported on Sunday that Fickell is expected to be “prominently featured” in USC’s coaching search. However, the Bearcats coach has no connections to the West Coast and has not expressed much interest in the Trojans job.

Many have viewed Fickell as a natural candidate for USC. While Cincinnati is having an outstanding season and should receive College Football Playoff consideration, there is also the athletic director connection. USC AD Mike Bohn was the AD at Cincinnati when Fickell was hired as head coach there in 2017. USC boosters might be hoping Bohn can convince Fickell to take the job, but it doesn’t sound likely.

Fickell is currently focused on stating the case for Cincinnati to be considered one of the four-best teams in the country. The Bearcats are 11-0, though they barely rank inside the top 50 in strength of schedule and have struggled against some mediocre competition. Fickell had a strong reaction earlier this month when Cincinnati was ranked lower in the CFP rankings than the national rankings.

Photo: Sep 4, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats coach Luke Fickell stands with his team prior to the game against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports