COLUMBUS, Ohio — By now, college football fans know all about realignment and the coach-in-waiting concept.
But the coach-in-really-awkwardly-waiting?
A head coach losing his job and staying on the staff with the new coach is pretty new — and pretty rare. That's the case at Ohio State, though, as last year's coach-by-default is now working as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under new head coach Urban Meyer.
Fickell is a Columbus native and former Ohio State star. Even through last year's struggles, he remained a popular figure in town and is still very popular amongst his players.
He's just not as popular as Meyer, but Fickell is fine with that.
"You have to find what's exciting and what you have a passion for," Fickell said. "Coaching, this is what I love, yes. It doesn't matter if you're coaching or you're helping out academics, you're a strength coach or the head coach or you're an assistant coach, helping these young people has to be one of your passions.
"To be around these young people and be around the sport, that's what I love to do."
Fickell, 38, hasn't hidden his ambitions to one day be a head coach again. But for right now — it's probably his best path, too — he's set on helping Meyer, a bunch of players he knows well and everyone else involved in to get the Ohio State program turned around, get past the scandal that led to this turn of events in the first place and keep pushing toward Meyer's grand vision.
There's probably no one who knows the current roster better, but sharing such information and insights with Meyer is just part of his job. Standards are high at Ohio State, and Fickell understands that as well as anyone. His current, most pressing job is to get a bunch of gifted defensive players to play better than they did a year ago.
"Here at Ohio State, you don't expect to ever lose a game," Fickell said. "We put those stats up in front of our guys the other day to say, 'Hey, this is what the expectation is at Ohio State.' They came here for a reason ... there's a standard you're held to."
Fickell was named interim coach when Jim Tressel was originally hit with an NCAA suspension for lying about his knowledge of a memorabilia scandal, then Fickell was named head coach in May 2011 when Tressel was forced to resign. The interim tag was formally removed later for recruiting purposes.
By the end of last season, Ohio State was recruiting Meyer behind the scenes — and probably vice-versa. Following the Buckeyes' loss at Michigan in the regular-season finale, Meyer got closer to becoming the coach and he started recruiting Fickell to stay.
"There's no doubt I wanted him to be a part of this team," Meyer said when he was introduced two days after that Michigan game.
Speaking after practice Tuesday, Fickell seemed genuinely glad to be a part.
"There's a different feel, different perspective I guess," Fickell said. "All the years have been exciting, all the years have been fun. Different challenges at different times but this is definitely an exciting time for Ohio State and I think you can see it and in our players' eyes."
It's clear he doesn't want to talk much about last year, when he took over a team and a program in surprising and uncomfortable transition. Last August, Ohio State had no quarterback. The starting running back, left tackle and only experienced receiver were facing five-game suspensions — and two of those were eventually extended. Things, frankly, were a mess.
It wasn't just the suspensions or the ouster of Tressel that made last year's 6-7 season so strange. The Buckeyes got dominated at Miami (Fla.) early in the year and beat Big Ten champion Wisconsin at home in late November. They lost at Nebraska after blowing a big lead, lost at Purdue in overtime and lost late in a wild one at Michigan, which went on to win the Sugar Bowl.
Fickell stayed on to coach the Gator Bowl, when the Buckeyes unsurprisingly were flat and lost to Meyer's old team, Florida. The next morning Meyer held a team meeting back in Columbus, and the page was officially turned. Fickell got a new office — again — and went back to work.
"Where's your focus — that's what matters," Fickell said. "You can switch sides of the ball, you can switch positions, you always have to focus yourself back to what you're doing. If you worry about too many things outside of what you have control over, you'll drive yourself nuts. Your ability to stay on task is probably the key."
Just a few days into Ohio State's fall camp, the task is getting back to winning and winning big. For Fickell, that means a little less spotlight and the same amount of work.
For now, anyway, that suits him just fine.
