Report: Cincinnati to hire away Ohio State staffer Ricky Brown

On3 imageby:Nick Schultz03/31/22

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Cincinnati is reportedly poaching a staffer from Ohio State.

Ricky Brown, who served as a special teams quality control coach for the Buckeyes the last two seasons, is moving to the same role at Cincinnati, according to FootballScoop’s John Brice. Brown is from Cincinnati and played linebacker at Elder High School before he headed to Boston College.

Brown played at Boston College from 2002-05 before playing parts of seven years in the NFL. He played for the Oakland Raiders from 2006-10 before stints with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

He got into coaching with USC as a defensive quality control assistant from 2014-15 before returning to his alma mater. Brown was Boston College’s director of football initiatives in 2016 before moving up to special teams coordinator from 2017-20. That’s when he headed to Ohio State.

Cincinnati recently made a big move with Luke Fickell

After becoming the first G5 team to make the College Football Playoff last season, Cincinnati rewarded Fickell with a contract extension, according to The Athletic’s Justin Williams.

“The Cincinnati Bearcats and football head coach Luke Fickell have agreed to a contract extension, Fickell told The Athletic,” tweeted Williams. The new deal runs through 2028 and will pay Fickell $5 million per year, according to sources.

Last season, Fickell proved to himself — and the college football world — that he’s building something special in Cincinnati. However, many penciled him in for other more enticing jobs, thinking the coach was leaving the Bearcats. Evidently, that’s not the case, and Fickell is in it for the long haul with the program.

Fickell accomplished the unthinkable with Cincinnati, leading a non-Power Five team to the College Football Playoff. Now, he’ll help lead Cincinnati in their foray into the Big 12. The future is limitless for the Bearcats, and the potential is off the charts for Fickell and the Bearcats if he can build on a memorable 2021.