TicketsHead Coach Luke Fickell
Opening statement
"There is a lot of talk about whether the early signing period is a good thing. For us, I think that it's a great thing. It gives us some direction about what it is that we are doing and where we are going. We have a chance to get these guys in here and signed up early and have a better idea and grasp of things. You do have an opportunity to use January and the beginning of February to figure out what else you might need for your team after some guys declare and things like that. This is always a unique time and one of those exciting things for us just happened a little bit earlier and we continue to move forward. As you know, we signed 19 high school kids, so that will be our mentality, and last year we signed 24 high school kids. That's the way we want to go about doing what we do. We truly believe that having guys here for four or five years and developing them is where we want to make our hay. We've got nine high school kids and one transfer that came in here in the winter. They are getting acclimated to what it is we are doing and they had their first mat drill this morning. It is one of those things that you do on national signing day to indoctrinate some of the new guys into what mat drills really look like. From the time that we have been back since the last game, me and a couple other guys have spent a lot of time shaping the leadership of this team and how we are moving forward with a bunch of new guys on the coaching staff. We have coach Gino Guidugli moving to be our offense coordinator, we hired Mike Cummings as our offensive line coach, we brought back Walter Stewart as our outside linebackers coach and then coach Kerry Coombs coming back home to coach our corners and special teams. It's always an interesting time, in my five years here of what February looks like. We've had 2 or 3 transitions for this year of new things. It's been great to our program every year, we get some new perspective, some new energy and we get some new eyes on all that we are doing both offensively and defensively. We found a way each and every year of losing some really good coaches and really good people, but still find a way to get better. I feel like we have done that this year and it is the same thing with losing some great players. We are going to find a way to get better, that doesn't mean that we have a better quarterback this year, but we have a chance to be better at all those positions and all those areas. It will be a challenge to all of us, especially the coaching staff."
On if his philosophy on the transfer portal and how they recruit changed
"No, we want to keep the same philosophy of what it is that we do. That why I started off by saying that we signed 24 high school kids last year and we signed 19 high school kids this year. Yes, we got some transfer guys. We've got a matrix that we came up with four years ago when it was graduate transfers. There are specific things on if we are going to take a transfer kid, whether he has one year or he's got four years, we want some specific things based on what it is we got in each one of those rooms for each position. We feel like if there is a right fit then that is what it is we are looking for. But yes, we have four new guys that have come via the transfer portal that I think will be great additions to our team."
On the promotion of Gino Guidugli to offensive coordinator
"It's been the plan in the process for a long time. It's not just all of the sudden this just happened. Coach Gino and I have talked about it. Coach Denbrock (Mike, Denbrock, former UC football coach) and I have talked about it. We always want to have a succession planned in all that we are doing, whether it was a two, four or a six-year plan. That was everything from what our coaching staff would be able to look like, what our budgets and things look like, and what our facilities look like. As a coach, you spend a lot of your time with the kids and try to spend as much time doing football as I can. A lot of the time that I spend, especially between that break of going to play a bowl game and at the end of the season, is making sure of the other things that can happen inside your program. So, it was not a difficult thing for us to figure out which direction we were going to go, but just a matter of when we were going to go that direction."
On Mike Cummings becoming the new offensive line coach
"Well, I think it's two-fold. I think that looking at his resume and what he has done with the development of guys that weren't as highly recruited at his time at Central Michigan. Also, as his background of an offensive coordinator. With losing Coach Denbrock, I thought it was important for us to bring some new and different experience into that room, because we did lose a lot of experience with Coach Denbrock. The dynamics of our room are really important to me. He hits the point on all the important things to give us a chance to be better at what we do."
On bringing in Kerry Coombs as the new cornerbacks and special teams coach
"Well, it's always about players. That one position in particular, it's hard to just think you are going to manufacture guys at cornerback, especially to play the way our guys did. It was far beyond just coaching the cornerbacks, it's our relationship and coaching together for five years. I don't stay in touch with a lot of people. You're busy and have a lot of things going on. When I left all the different places I had left, there are very few people you stay connected with. Kerry (Coombs, cornerbacks and special teams coach) is one of those guys. Building a bond and knowing what kind of person he was, on top of being a great coach…it was a no brainer for us. Some way somehow, there was going to be an opportunity for us to find a way to get him onto our coaching staff. It's unique with how things happen. A position opened that fit him even better than what I envisioned a month and a half ago."
On the new titles of co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Colin Hitschler and passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Brown
"There's a lot of things that come along with winning. There's a lot of things that come along with success. I would tell you first and foremost that if the University of Cincinnati and John Cunningham (Director of Athletics) weren't able to back us up, know what we need to do to continue to be successful and to take the program to higher levels and get to that top 10 program in the country, we would not have had a chance . We would be making eight or nine moves. First and foremost, to have the backing of a President, the board and John Cunningham, it gives us the opportunity to keep those guys and help progress them. Like I said, you always have to have a plan for your future. I didn't give anybody a title, these guys earned titles. We are also trying to put them in line to know what's going to happen because we are going to continue to have success, we are going to continue to play really well and there is going to be opportunities for these players and coaches."
On Walter Stewart returning to UC
"It wasn't hard. I had an opportunity to not sit down with him, but get to know him via conversation, maybe two to three years ago. It was all I really had. I started to watch him from afar. It didn't take long with the first conversation I had with him, that he would be an incredible fit for us at some point in time if we ever had the opportunity. I could tell you that there is a lot of great qualities that I don't even know about him yet because I don't know him that well. His sense of pride in this place and his loyalty are two things that are really hard to find. I know there is a lot of other great qualities, and we will see them as he is coaching and as I get to know him better. In the short conversation from two to three years ago, I know he's got incredible pride in this place and he is a very loyal man."
On if he's talked with Stewart about how his playing career ended
"No, I don't even know the full story. There is a lot of new guys here that I have to spend some time with and get to know. I look forward to it. Obviously, I have read some of the articles and some of the things about Walt (Walter Stewart, outside linebackers coach). It's crazy. We got a guy named Greg Scruggs (defensive line coach) and we just took a trip down to Mobile yesterday and spent a couple hours on an airplane and I learned more things about him. As we spend more time together as coaches, we learn more about each other, and I think that's what gives us the opportunity to go through the things that we go through. The ups and the downs, the adversity, it's because over time you do get to know people a lot better."
On how great it was adding coach Kerry Coombs and coach Walter Stewart, who both have ties to UC
"For sure. I do believe that there are right fits. I say that about head coaches and I say that about coaches. There are great coaches out there. You can go anywhere and be a really good coach, but I think when you put a person into a really good fit, it gives them an opportunity to really excel and not just for himself but for the whole program. Coach Coombs (Kerry Coombs, cornerbacks and special team coach) is one of those situations. It's not just the familiarity with Cincinnati, but the pride that comes along with it. I can remember back to getting some of the recruits, and Gino (Guidugli, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) having the opportunity to be a big part of it because of his experiences and his past of being a player that was recruited by a lot of people, and all of the sudden he chose Cincinnati. There is no greater example to be able to talk to 17–18-year-olds. They might not know everything, but I can sure tell you that they can sense pride and enthusiasm. You can't hide that stuff. Whether it's with our own players or whether it is with guys we are recruiting, to bring the right ones here is what is going to give us the opportunity to be what we want to be, and that's a top 10 program."
On his recent trip to Mobile, Ala.
"It was awesome. I don't reflect upon a whole lot of things. I don't spend a whole lot of time reflecting, maybe someday I will. That trip down there and just standing there at practice was probably the most-proud time I've had as a college coach. To see those guys out there and to know a lot of the stories of where they are now and where they were. It was the proudest moment I've had in quite a while. If we had not gone down there, I would feel really bad. I know they did a great job. It meant a lot more to me than it did for them. It was a great day."
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Gino Guidugli
On staying here and being patient for his promotion
"Cincinnati is the place that I want to be. Those opportunities come, like coach (Luke) Fickell said, with the success of a program. When you coach a guy like Desmond Ridder (former UC quarterback), it makes you look like a really good coach. At the end of the day… was it hard for me to wait my turn? No. I thought we had a great offensive staff, we worked really well together, we won a lot of games. I think at the end of the day, that's why you get into it, to help the kids, to win, and we were doing all those things. I felt like I had input, and like coach Fickell said, when I first took the job here there was a plan from day one. I trusted him that he was going to follow through with that and when the opportunity came, he did."
On if this position is a dream role
"This whole season, this whole run we've been on has been unbelievable. To see our team take it to the next level… there's been steps in this program since I made the decision to come here in 2001, it seems like with each coaching staff there's been progress and progress and progress. To see the group of guys that we had graduate last year take us to the top of the mountain, the whole ride has been unbelievable. The opportunity to come back here and be a position coach, to be able to coach the position I played at the place I played it has an unbelievable experience, and now to take the next step and be the guy calling the plays, yeah absolutely."
On his history will new offensive line coach Mike Cummings
"I learned a lot of football in those two years from the collection of guys we had on that staff. Mike brings a certain demeaner, you'll see when you get the chance to meet him. I think our offensive line will exude that. He's a sharp coach and coach Fickell talked about the history he's had developing guys. We were at the senior bowl yesterday and he (Mike Cummings) had two guys participating in that game. He coached Eric Fisher (offensive lineman, Indianapolis Colts) when we were there, who was the I think the last offensive lineman to be picked first overall in the draft. Guys love him, they'll play hard, he's a really smart ball coach and really a likeable guy."
On if he's staying in the booth and if he likes the quarterback/offensive coordinator combo
"Yes, I plan to stay in the booth. Just being the quarterbacks coach, when coach Fickell originally made that move after the first season, coach Denbrock (Mike Denbrock, former UC football coach) wanted me to go into the press box and I was really hesitant. This was going to be my first year coaching the quarterbacks, I've got a redshirt freshman taking all the snaps, I want to be able to look that guy in the eye, talk with him. But to our credit, it's worked out. Me being in the booth the last four seasons, I think Des (Desmond Ridder, former UC quarterback) had a lot to do with that. Just his maturity and our relationship, but I think it's also just a little bit easier to collect your thoughts and get a plan together from up there, so I plan to stay up there. That could change, but right now that's the thought process."
Cornerbacks Coach and Special Teams Coordinator Kerry Coombs
On his relationship with Head Coach Luke Fickell
"That's completely why I am back here, and I love Luke Fickell (UC head football coach). I got to coach with Luke, I got to see him as a dad and a husband, first and foremost. As a man, Luke and I have been friends since the day we met. We had a connection since then, conversations with Luke about football over the last few years and coming and visiting him. I love his energy, passion, toughness for the game and everything that he stands for…I love that he is a winner. That is why I am back here. I love being around Luke."
On seeing the program transform and being back in Cincinnati
"Well, the first thing is that I paid close attention to them because they were playing such great defense. We had one crossover opponent (Indiana), so watched the film of that game. I studied him in the offseason last year, dynamic defense. A defense that is built for the style of offense that is being run in the country today. I love how hard the kids play, tackle and run to the ball. With Coach Tressel (defensive coordinator/linebackers coach) yesterday, we were talking about wanting the boys on the 'play hard board'. It really doesn't matter about the other things expect the play hard board. I love that attitude. How they play defense here. I am excited to be a part of that."
On losing cornerbacks and the other guys
"I had a great chance to see those kids work out today. I didn't officially start until yesterday, but I have had a great chance to watch the film…practice film. They (current cornerbacks) did not get as much game experience as the two kids that will be drafted (Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Coby Bryant, former UC cornerbacks), but they have been in the room with the guys playing the highest level in the country. That is important that they understand what the standard is here. It is a good-looking group. I'm excited to coach them and work with them. I like their energy and demeanor. I like everything about them. I can't wait to get in there and start working."
Impressions on current cornerbacks and new recruits
"It is a good core and all three of the freshmen are very talented players. It is a long group, by and large, it is a good group, a fast group. And they are competitive, so it is fun to be around them right now, and to watch them. I can't give you a great evaluation of them right now because that would not be fair. I am really excited about what I see."
On Colerain high school players
"There was a time here where there were five Colerain guys, five Elder guys…those kinds of tough, west-side kids that were lining up and playing ball. I know coach Fickell loves them…the Colerain kids here. That is my school and where I grew up, born and raised. My family went to that school. I am proud to see those kids play and compete like they do. I love the fact that we are recruiting Cincinnati kids, Ohio kids and tough kids. Just lining up and playing ball. That is really exciting to me because I believe some of the best high school football is played right here in our own backyard. Find good, tough and hard-nosed kids that will line up and play. It means a lot to them to play for their city."
Offensive Line Coach Mike Cummings
Opening Statement
"Gino Guidugli (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) and I have worked together and it's a little bit of a role reversal right now. It's exciting to work with Guidugli the way he is right now, he is not the same guy I worked with before. He has a great offensive mind, a great feel for the game and that's pretty exciting. As I knew him as a younger coach, he really had a lot of insight into the game. I'm not surprised that he is where he is and doing what he is doing right now. It's exciting to get back with him because it's like you take a little bit of a break and you come back, you see the person you think you knew professionally, and they've really grown and it's really exciting to be with him right now. "
On recruiting philosophy
"It may be an oversimplification to get them as big as you can get them and see what they can do. I think there must be some athleticism in there, but I don't think there is anything wrong with having big offensive linemen. We see them every week and you get them as big as you can, relative to the jobs they need to do. You like being around big guys, and they need to be bigger than me first, right?"
On what he is bring to Cincinnati
"I have a great passion for football, a great passion for blocking and protecting the rest of the team. I drive a lot of satisfaction in seeing other players do well and making sure the offense runs the way it's supposed to run. I take a lot of pride in helping the other coaches as much as I can. I'm not big into the spotlight. That's what I'm about and I want to help Coach Fickell and Coach Guidugli with the offense. That's really what I'm about and making sure the players have what they need to get better and to be able to produce and stay at the highest level and the high level they've been at."
On the offensive line
"It's awesome, they have a lot of experience on the offensive line. There's probably going to be some differences in philosophy and how you do a particular thing, but at the end of the day, its knock them off the ball, go ahead and dictate the rush. It's fun to be with a bunch of guys like that. Today was the first day I was able to see the work ethic of the offensive line and the team. That was exciting and these guys love to work and it's very exciting to get with a lot of guys who are experienced and love to work because good things are going to happen when that happens. One thing that Coach Fickell has put into place here is that the older guy's work, and what the younger guys see from the older guys is, "this is the way we do it," and then they are going to do it. Imagine yourself sitting behind, as a young person anywhere, and watching the person in front of you do the right thing. You look at that guy and go, "that's the way things are done here." So that's really exciting too, they're back and then the backups are watching the guys who have a lot of experience playing a lot of football and a lot of successful football. That's an exciting time."
On developing players
"It's development, you have to find the button to push, you have to find what will work. It's not the one size fits all for everybody. I think at one time in my career, I thought everything should be done the same for every player, that's not true. What we will do is find the piece that needs to be developed. You get a tall guy; he's not going to be the same as the shorter guy and we work on, whatever needs to be fixed and that's how we develop. I think the other piece is we always want to give them the "why" and "why we are doing something?" How we're going to do things and we let the player develop from there. If you have guys who work really hard like we do here, it's easier to develop them because they want to be good. I want to take a lot of credit for these guys and how they developed, but at the end of the day, they all wanted to be good. When you have a great work ethic and great coach then those guys are committed to the program. It's a daily process to develop a player, it's not everything in one day. Find the deficiency, work on that and then another layer, and so on. That's how you develop someone, not just giving them all the information at once because we all had to learn how the alphabet then spell your name. You can't just teach them their name; they must learn the alphabet first."
Outside Linebackers Coach Walter Stewart
Opening Statement
"It's awesome coming here back in 2008, then having the opportunity to coach here 10 years later. It is something that is an awesome feeling. Coaching football, you do your thing to be able to have an opportunity to come back here and coach. It is an amazing feeling."
On being back after the growth and being a part of it
"It is very impressive, what coach Fickell has done here. Especially with the culture, development of the facilities, the pride the guys have… Playing and graduating from here, this is very exciting. Looking from the outside in and watching this thing grow, I'm fired up to have a chance to add to it and bring whatever I can bring to help pushing this thing to the next level."
On having knowledge for younger guys
"Well, it is a lot of good clay to work with. I had a chance to work this morning…finally get around the entire team. Seeing them move around, getting after it, seeing them compete, seeing them sweat. To see the physical development of the different players…it gets you fired up as a coach. Now I'll help them develop mentally as players to go to the next level. To be here and to have a chance to help them out football-wise is pretty exciting."
On meeting head coach Luke Fickell
"Well, there was a time change. I was heading up to Ohio from Arkansas. Once we got together and talked about the program, we talked about everything. Thinking about the connection I have to the university and Ohio in general… In football, I have been pretty much everywhere but the Midwest. Thinking about finally being able to make an impression here in Ohio, being around family and being back here at UC, I am definitely thankful for the opportunity to be here."
On first meeting Luke Fickell
"It was interesting…I actually met Luke Fickell in 2017. It was a mat drill at EKU at the time…and you fast-forward from there and talk football and what's next. I do want to be a head coach one day. That is something I tried to position myself and strive for throughout my career. He is aware of that, and I am trying to attain more than just being a position coach. That is what the conversation centered around and our relationship over the years. That is something that he has always been aware of. I really appreciate him still thinking about me when things kind of got shook up…that meant a lot to me."
On watching UC as an opposing coach
"It is still football…so eventually you got to put the ball down and play. Being there, it was a good match-up. The schools are very similar, the players got that grittiness to them. It was definitely a game where I always looked forward to competing in because the guys in red and black were going to bring it."
On coming back and seeing former Bearcats back with program
"It is really neat just to see guys wearing the C-Paw that take a lot of pride in it. Again, Coach Fickell has done a great job of the culture and building that pride. These guys still wearing the colors and you know what it means to all of them. The blood, sweat and tears they put into the program. They know the same thing about me, which is really awesome."
Opening statement
"There is a lot of talk about whether the early signing period is a good thing. For us, I think that it's a great thing. It gives us some direction about what it is that we are doing and where we are going. We have a chance to get these guys in here and signed up early and have a better idea and grasp of things. You do have an opportunity to use January and the beginning of February to figure out what else you might need for your team after some guys declare and things like that. This is always a unique time and one of those exciting things for us just happened a little bit earlier and we continue to move forward. As you know, we signed 19 high school kids, so that will be our mentality, and last year we signed 24 high school kids. That's the way we want to go about doing what we do. We truly believe that having guys here for four or five years and developing them is where we want to make our hay. We've got nine high school kids and one transfer that came in here in the winter. They are getting acclimated to what it is we are doing and they had their first mat drill this morning. It is one of those things that you do on national signing day to indoctrinate some of the new guys into what mat drills really look like. From the time that we have been back since the last game, me and a couple other guys have spent a lot of time shaping the leadership of this team and how we are moving forward with a bunch of new guys on the coaching staff. We have coach Gino Guidugli moving to be our offense coordinator, we hired Mike Cummings as our offensive line coach, we brought back Walter Stewart as our outside linebackers coach and then coach Kerry Coombs coming back home to coach our corners and special teams. It's always an interesting time, in my five years here of what February looks like. We've had 2 or 3 transitions for this year of new things. It's been great to our program every year, we get some new perspective, some new energy and we get some new eyes on all that we are doing both offensively and defensively. We found a way each and every year of losing some really good coaches and really good people, but still find a way to get better. I feel like we have done that this year and it is the same thing with losing some great players. We are going to find a way to get better, that doesn't mean that we have a better quarterback this year, but we have a chance to be better at all those positions and all those areas. It will be a challenge to all of us, especially the coaching staff."
On if his philosophy on the transfer portal and how they recruit changed
"No, we want to keep the same philosophy of what it is that we do. That why I started off by saying that we signed 24 high school kids last year and we signed 19 high school kids this year. Yes, we got some transfer guys. We've got a matrix that we came up with four years ago when it was graduate transfers. There are specific things on if we are going to take a transfer kid, whether he has one year or he's got four years, we want some specific things based on what it is we got in each one of those rooms for each position. We feel like if there is a right fit then that is what it is we are looking for. But yes, we have four new guys that have come via the transfer portal that I think will be great additions to our team."
On the promotion of Gino Guidugli to offensive coordinator
"It's been the plan in the process for a long time. It's not just all of the sudden this just happened. Coach Gino and I have talked about it. Coach Denbrock (Mike, Denbrock, former UC football coach) and I have talked about it. We always want to have a succession planned in all that we are doing, whether it was a two, four or a six-year plan. That was everything from what our coaching staff would be able to look like, what our budgets and things look like, and what our facilities look like. As a coach, you spend a lot of your time with the kids and try to spend as much time doing football as I can. A lot of the time that I spend, especially between that break of going to play a bowl game and at the end of the season, is making sure of the other things that can happen inside your program. So, it was not a difficult thing for us to figure out which direction we were going to go, but just a matter of when we were going to go that direction."
On Mike Cummings becoming the new offensive line coach
"Well, I think it's two-fold. I think that looking at his resume and what he has done with the development of guys that weren't as highly recruited at his time at Central Michigan. Also, as his background of an offensive coordinator. With losing Coach Denbrock, I thought it was important for us to bring some new and different experience into that room, because we did lose a lot of experience with Coach Denbrock. The dynamics of our room are really important to me. He hits the point on all the important things to give us a chance to be better at what we do."
On bringing in Kerry Coombs as the new cornerbacks and special teams coach
"Well, it's always about players. That one position in particular, it's hard to just think you are going to manufacture guys at cornerback, especially to play the way our guys did. It was far beyond just coaching the cornerbacks, it's our relationship and coaching together for five years. I don't stay in touch with a lot of people. You're busy and have a lot of things going on. When I left all the different places I had left, there are very few people you stay connected with. Kerry (Coombs, cornerbacks and special teams coach) is one of those guys. Building a bond and knowing what kind of person he was, on top of being a great coach…it was a no brainer for us. Some way somehow, there was going to be an opportunity for us to find a way to get him onto our coaching staff. It's unique with how things happen. A position opened that fit him even better than what I envisioned a month and a half ago."
On the new titles of co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Colin Hitschler and passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Brown
"There's a lot of things that come along with winning. There's a lot of things that come along with success. I would tell you first and foremost that if the University of Cincinnati and John Cunningham (Director of Athletics) weren't able to back us up, know what we need to do to continue to be successful and to take the program to higher levels and get to that top 10 program in the country, we would not have had a chance . We would be making eight or nine moves. First and foremost, to have the backing of a President, the board and John Cunningham, it gives us the opportunity to keep those guys and help progress them. Like I said, you always have to have a plan for your future. I didn't give anybody a title, these guys earned titles. We are also trying to put them in line to know what's going to happen because we are going to continue to have success, we are going to continue to play really well and there is going to be opportunities for these players and coaches."
On Walter Stewart returning to UC
"It wasn't hard. I had an opportunity to not sit down with him, but get to know him via conversation, maybe two to three years ago. It was all I really had. I started to watch him from afar. It didn't take long with the first conversation I had with him, that he would be an incredible fit for us at some point in time if we ever had the opportunity. I could tell you that there is a lot of great qualities that I don't even know about him yet because I don't know him that well. His sense of pride in this place and his loyalty are two things that are really hard to find. I know there is a lot of other great qualities, and we will see them as he is coaching and as I get to know him better. In the short conversation from two to three years ago, I know he's got incredible pride in this place and he is a very loyal man."
On if he's talked with Stewart about how his playing career ended
"No, I don't even know the full story. There is a lot of new guys here that I have to spend some time with and get to know. I look forward to it. Obviously, I have read some of the articles and some of the things about Walt (Walter Stewart, outside linebackers coach). It's crazy. We got a guy named Greg Scruggs (defensive line coach) and we just took a trip down to Mobile yesterday and spent a couple hours on an airplane and I learned more things about him. As we spend more time together as coaches, we learn more about each other, and I think that's what gives us the opportunity to go through the things that we go through. The ups and the downs, the adversity, it's because over time you do get to know people a lot better."
On how great it was adding coach Kerry Coombs and coach Walter Stewart, who both have ties to UC
"For sure. I do believe that there are right fits. I say that about head coaches and I say that about coaches. There are great coaches out there. You can go anywhere and be a really good coach, but I think when you put a person into a really good fit, it gives them an opportunity to really excel and not just for himself but for the whole program. Coach Coombs (Kerry Coombs, cornerbacks and special team coach) is one of those situations. It's not just the familiarity with Cincinnati, but the pride that comes along with it. I can remember back to getting some of the recruits, and Gino (Guidugli, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) having the opportunity to be a big part of it because of his experiences and his past of being a player that was recruited by a lot of people, and all of the sudden he chose Cincinnati. There is no greater example to be able to talk to 17–18-year-olds. They might not know everything, but I can sure tell you that they can sense pride and enthusiasm. You can't hide that stuff. Whether it's with our own players or whether it is with guys we are recruiting, to bring the right ones here is what is going to give us the opportunity to be what we want to be, and that's a top 10 program."
On his recent trip to Mobile, Ala.
"It was awesome. I don't reflect upon a whole lot of things. I don't spend a whole lot of time reflecting, maybe someday I will. That trip down there and just standing there at practice was probably the most-proud time I've had as a college coach. To see those guys out there and to know a lot of the stories of where they are now and where they were. It was the proudest moment I've had in quite a while. If we had not gone down there, I would feel really bad. I know they did a great job. It meant a lot more to me than it did for them. It was a great day."
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Gino Guidugli
On staying here and being patient for his promotion
"Cincinnati is the place that I want to be. Those opportunities come, like coach (Luke) Fickell said, with the success of a program. When you coach a guy like Desmond Ridder (former UC quarterback), it makes you look like a really good coach. At the end of the day… was it hard for me to wait my turn? No. I thought we had a great offensive staff, we worked really well together, we won a lot of games. I think at the end of the day, that's why you get into it, to help the kids, to win, and we were doing all those things. I felt like I had input, and like coach Fickell said, when I first took the job here there was a plan from day one. I trusted him that he was going to follow through with that and when the opportunity came, he did."
On if this position is a dream role
"This whole season, this whole run we've been on has been unbelievable. To see our team take it to the next level… there's been steps in this program since I made the decision to come here in 2001, it seems like with each coaching staff there's been progress and progress and progress. To see the group of guys that we had graduate last year take us to the top of the mountain, the whole ride has been unbelievable. The opportunity to come back here and be a position coach, to be able to coach the position I played at the place I played it has an unbelievable experience, and now to take the next step and be the guy calling the plays, yeah absolutely."
On his history will new offensive line coach Mike Cummings
"I learned a lot of football in those two years from the collection of guys we had on that staff. Mike brings a certain demeaner, you'll see when you get the chance to meet him. I think our offensive line will exude that. He's a sharp coach and coach Fickell talked about the history he's had developing guys. We were at the senior bowl yesterday and he (Mike Cummings) had two guys participating in that game. He coached Eric Fisher (offensive lineman, Indianapolis Colts) when we were there, who was the I think the last offensive lineman to be picked first overall in the draft. Guys love him, they'll play hard, he's a really smart ball coach and really a likeable guy."
On if he's staying in the booth and if he likes the quarterback/offensive coordinator combo
"Yes, I plan to stay in the booth. Just being the quarterbacks coach, when coach Fickell originally made that move after the first season, coach Denbrock (Mike Denbrock, former UC football coach) wanted me to go into the press box and I was really hesitant. This was going to be my first year coaching the quarterbacks, I've got a redshirt freshman taking all the snaps, I want to be able to look that guy in the eye, talk with him. But to our credit, it's worked out. Me being in the booth the last four seasons, I think Des (Desmond Ridder, former UC quarterback) had a lot to do with that. Just his maturity and our relationship, but I think it's also just a little bit easier to collect your thoughts and get a plan together from up there, so I plan to stay up there. That could change, but right now that's the thought process."
Cornerbacks Coach and Special Teams Coordinator Kerry Coombs
On his relationship with Head Coach Luke Fickell
"That's completely why I am back here, and I love Luke Fickell (UC head football coach). I got to coach with Luke, I got to see him as a dad and a husband, first and foremost. As a man, Luke and I have been friends since the day we met. We had a connection since then, conversations with Luke about football over the last few years and coming and visiting him. I love his energy, passion, toughness for the game and everything that he stands for…I love that he is a winner. That is why I am back here. I love being around Luke."
On seeing the program transform and being back in Cincinnati
"Well, the first thing is that I paid close attention to them because they were playing such great defense. We had one crossover opponent (Indiana), so watched the film of that game. I studied him in the offseason last year, dynamic defense. A defense that is built for the style of offense that is being run in the country today. I love how hard the kids play, tackle and run to the ball. With Coach Tressel (defensive coordinator/linebackers coach) yesterday, we were talking about wanting the boys on the 'play hard board'. It really doesn't matter about the other things expect the play hard board. I love that attitude. How they play defense here. I am excited to be a part of that."
On losing cornerbacks and the other guys
"I had a great chance to see those kids work out today. I didn't officially start until yesterday, but I have had a great chance to watch the film…practice film. They (current cornerbacks) did not get as much game experience as the two kids that will be drafted (Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Coby Bryant, former UC cornerbacks), but they have been in the room with the guys playing the highest level in the country. That is important that they understand what the standard is here. It is a good-looking group. I'm excited to coach them and work with them. I like their energy and demeanor. I like everything about them. I can't wait to get in there and start working."
Impressions on current cornerbacks and new recruits
"It is a good core and all three of the freshmen are very talented players. It is a long group, by and large, it is a good group, a fast group. And they are competitive, so it is fun to be around them right now, and to watch them. I can't give you a great evaluation of them right now because that would not be fair. I am really excited about what I see."
On Colerain high school players
"There was a time here where there were five Colerain guys, five Elder guys…those kinds of tough, west-side kids that were lining up and playing ball. I know coach Fickell loves them…the Colerain kids here. That is my school and where I grew up, born and raised. My family went to that school. I am proud to see those kids play and compete like they do. I love the fact that we are recruiting Cincinnati kids, Ohio kids and tough kids. Just lining up and playing ball. That is really exciting to me because I believe some of the best high school football is played right here in our own backyard. Find good, tough and hard-nosed kids that will line up and play. It means a lot to them to play for their city."
Offensive Line Coach Mike Cummings
Opening Statement
"Gino Guidugli (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) and I have worked together and it's a little bit of a role reversal right now. It's exciting to work with Guidugli the way he is right now, he is not the same guy I worked with before. He has a great offensive mind, a great feel for the game and that's pretty exciting. As I knew him as a younger coach, he really had a lot of insight into the game. I'm not surprised that he is where he is and doing what he is doing right now. It's exciting to get back with him because it's like you take a little bit of a break and you come back, you see the person you think you knew professionally, and they've really grown and it's really exciting to be with him right now. "
On recruiting philosophy
"It may be an oversimplification to get them as big as you can get them and see what they can do. I think there must be some athleticism in there, but I don't think there is anything wrong with having big offensive linemen. We see them every week and you get them as big as you can, relative to the jobs they need to do. You like being around big guys, and they need to be bigger than me first, right?"
On what he is bring to Cincinnati
"I have a great passion for football, a great passion for blocking and protecting the rest of the team. I drive a lot of satisfaction in seeing other players do well and making sure the offense runs the way it's supposed to run. I take a lot of pride in helping the other coaches as much as I can. I'm not big into the spotlight. That's what I'm about and I want to help Coach Fickell and Coach Guidugli with the offense. That's really what I'm about and making sure the players have what they need to get better and to be able to produce and stay at the highest level and the high level they've been at."
On the offensive line
"It's awesome, they have a lot of experience on the offensive line. There's probably going to be some differences in philosophy and how you do a particular thing, but at the end of the day, its knock them off the ball, go ahead and dictate the rush. It's fun to be with a bunch of guys like that. Today was the first day I was able to see the work ethic of the offensive line and the team. That was exciting and these guys love to work and it's very exciting to get with a lot of guys who are experienced and love to work because good things are going to happen when that happens. One thing that Coach Fickell has put into place here is that the older guy's work, and what the younger guys see from the older guys is, "this is the way we do it," and then they are going to do it. Imagine yourself sitting behind, as a young person anywhere, and watching the person in front of you do the right thing. You look at that guy and go, "that's the way things are done here." So that's really exciting too, they're back and then the backups are watching the guys who have a lot of experience playing a lot of football and a lot of successful football. That's an exciting time."
On developing players
"It's development, you have to find the button to push, you have to find what will work. It's not the one size fits all for everybody. I think at one time in my career, I thought everything should be done the same for every player, that's not true. What we will do is find the piece that needs to be developed. You get a tall guy; he's not going to be the same as the shorter guy and we work on, whatever needs to be fixed and that's how we develop. I think the other piece is we always want to give them the "why" and "why we are doing something?" How we're going to do things and we let the player develop from there. If you have guys who work really hard like we do here, it's easier to develop them because they want to be good. I want to take a lot of credit for these guys and how they developed, but at the end of the day, they all wanted to be good. When you have a great work ethic and great coach then those guys are committed to the program. It's a daily process to develop a player, it's not everything in one day. Find the deficiency, work on that and then another layer, and so on. That's how you develop someone, not just giving them all the information at once because we all had to learn how the alphabet then spell your name. You can't just teach them their name; they must learn the alphabet first."
Outside Linebackers Coach Walter Stewart
Opening Statement
"It's awesome coming here back in 2008, then having the opportunity to coach here 10 years later. It is something that is an awesome feeling. Coaching football, you do your thing to be able to have an opportunity to come back here and coach. It is an amazing feeling."
On being back after the growth and being a part of it
"It is very impressive, what coach Fickell has done here. Especially with the culture, development of the facilities, the pride the guys have… Playing and graduating from here, this is very exciting. Looking from the outside in and watching this thing grow, I'm fired up to have a chance to add to it and bring whatever I can bring to help pushing this thing to the next level."
On having knowledge for younger guys
"Well, it is a lot of good clay to work with. I had a chance to work this morning…finally get around the entire team. Seeing them move around, getting after it, seeing them compete, seeing them sweat. To see the physical development of the different players…it gets you fired up as a coach. Now I'll help them develop mentally as players to go to the next level. To be here and to have a chance to help them out football-wise is pretty exciting."
On meeting head coach Luke Fickell
"Well, there was a time change. I was heading up to Ohio from Arkansas. Once we got together and talked about the program, we talked about everything. Thinking about the connection I have to the university and Ohio in general… In football, I have been pretty much everywhere but the Midwest. Thinking about finally being able to make an impression here in Ohio, being around family and being back here at UC, I am definitely thankful for the opportunity to be here."
On first meeting Luke Fickell
"It was interesting…I actually met Luke Fickell in 2017. It was a mat drill at EKU at the time…and you fast-forward from there and talk football and what's next. I do want to be a head coach one day. That is something I tried to position myself and strive for throughout my career. He is aware of that, and I am trying to attain more than just being a position coach. That is what the conversation centered around and our relationship over the years. That is something that he has always been aware of. I really appreciate him still thinking about me when things kind of got shook up…that meant a lot to me."
On watching UC as an opposing coach
"It is still football…so eventually you got to put the ball down and play. Being there, it was a good match-up. The schools are very similar, the players got that grittiness to them. It was definitely a game where I always looked forward to competing in because the guys in red and black were going to bring it."
On coming back and seeing former Bearcats back with program
"It is really neat just to see guys wearing the C-Paw that take a lot of pride in it. Again, Coach Fickell has done a great job of the culture and building that pride. These guys still wearing the colors and you know what it means to all of them. The blood, sweat and tears they put into the program. They know the same thing about me, which is really awesome."