Fickell finds new comfort zone

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Now that more than a year has passed since Luke Fickell was dropped into an almost unwinnable season of controversy, frustration and transition at Ohio State, he’s able to see it as a life lesson.

“You can’t get some of those experiences just reading about it or seeing it or trying to study it,” he reflected this week. “To actually do it is invaluable.”

Fickell was elevated from defensive coordinator to fill in as interim head coach while the Buckeyes fought off challenges on two fronts: on the field and in a lengthy NCAA investigation.

Under Fickell, in charge of a team for the first time and stuck with one that was assailed by a drumbeat of suspensions, innuendo and sanctions, it was a torturous season. The Buckeyes went just 6-7, losing their final four games, while the NCAA was rapping the program for major violations which took place under the guidance of the coach the previous 10 years, Jim Tressel.

“It’s probably one of the hardest things you could possibly do, replacing THE Jim Tressel and him not having any head coaching experience,” said a lineman he recruited who now toils on the Buckeyes’ front wall, Nathan Williams. “Just the type of man he is, he took that challenge, he stepped up when he needed to and he did the best job he possibly could under the circumstances.”

Fickell was tapped by athletic director Gene Smith to take over when Tressel was forced to resign in May of 2011. On the day he was introduced as the interim, the former Ohio State player and veteran coach said, “Yeah, it’s a tough situation. But I’ve told you before that if they told you (that) you had one shot ... If you know me, there’s no retreat. There’s never been any challenges that I wouldn’t accept, big or small. I’ve had this dream (to be a head coach) and this plan and I’m excited for it.”

Now, still only 39, he jokes about how difficult the long campaign was.

“One of the great things about being a head coach is the offseason, where you maybe set a schedule or you get to do this or there’s a Nike trip of some sorts,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not sure I got to experience some of those little joyful things.”

Instead, he got all the tough assignments, like addressing the hard questions when he had three players suspended on the eve of the season opener for accepting $200 in cash at a charity event. Then he had to come up with a makeshift lineup when other players were suspended up to five games for getting too much pay for too little work at summer jobs.

The Buckeyes didn’t have their top receiver, DeVier Posey, until mid-November. After the star quarterback the previous three years, Terrelle Pryor, bolted to the NFL after being implicated in the NCAA violations, Fickell ended up with a true freshman, Braxton Miller, running things.

As the season advanced, the losses mounted and the NCAA probe dragged on and on. Fickell was left to answer questions best directed at his predecessor. Players wanted to know what the future might bring, the media wondered if he could maintain the massive program, and at the same time recruits asked what might be coming up. Fickell had to balance a home life which included a wife and four small kids while worrying about his own job prospects.

His friend and former Ohio State teammate, defensive assistant Mike Vrabel, remembered what it was like.

“He did everything he thought he could do and we thought he could do at the time,” he said. “The way it got thrust upon him — not planning for it — and you look at the manual on everything that goes into this (head coaching) thing, there’s a lot more to it than what I’d ever thought. Going from a defensive coordinator and a linebackers coach to the head coach in such short time is a pretty heavy task.”

It became evident late in the season that Ohio State wasn’t going to rehire him.

“From the time I’ve had a chance to step into this role I’ve not had a chance to step back and even think a whole lot about it,” he said. “That’s kind of the way I attacked it from day one.”