★ Luke Fickell goes to WISCONSIN -and- takes 3 assistants with him.

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★ Luke Fickell goes to WISCONSIN   -and-   takes 3 assistants with him. 

Wisconsin has hired Luke Fickell as its next football coach, athletic director Chris McIntosh announced Sunday.

Fickell led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff last season and had gone 57-18 in his six years there. His 2021 Bearcats team went 13-0 before losing to Alabama in the playoff semifinals as the first Group of 5 team to reach the CFP.

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ESPN -  

The hiring of Fickell marks one of the most eye-opening moves of the college football carousel, with Wisconsin luring the country's top Group of 5 coach who brings vast experience in the Big Ten's Midwestern footprint.

"This is a destination job at a program that I have admired from afar for years," Fickell said in a statement. "I am in total alignment with Chris McIntosh's vision for this program. There is a tremendous foundation here that I can't wait to build upon. This world-class university, athletic department and passionately loyal fan base all have a strong commitment to success and I can't wait to be a part of it."

Fickell has strong roots in the Big Ten, as he was a longtime assistant coach and coordinator at Ohio State and played there collegiately. He had been picky about jobs over the years as Cincinnati rose to the top of the Group of 5, being selective about the Midwestern footprint.

"He's a great fit for our program and our culture, for our style of play," McIntosh told ESPN. "As we went through the process, we became more and more comfortable with each other, and with the fit, and with what our university and the city of Madison have to offer. It came together that way. For them, based upon the opportunities he's had presented, they've been able to be choosy. I'm stoked for sure, but I feel real grateful we found somebody that sees the world a similar way."   ---> CONTINUED  EVERYWHERE  ! --->

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And Cincinnati moves to the BIG 12 next year and looking for a new coach. 

The Cincinnati job is becoming even more appealing as Fickell leaves it. The Bearcats are switching conferences next year, moving from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12. The move will bring more revenue into the program but also tougher competition.

"This is not a stepping-stone job," Cunningham said. "We can do everything we want to do at the University of Cincinnati."

Fickell spent one season as an interim coach in the Big Ten, going 6-7 in 2011 in the wake of the firing of Jim Tressel at Ohio State. He stayed patient from there, working as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer and winning a national championship in the 2014 season.

The Associated Press and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.

[syd]

to bad he didnt get the job over day