COLUMBUS, Ohio _ Arguably, the Ohio State offense hasn't recovered from the departure of coordinator Tom Herman after the 2014 season. Certainly quarterback J.T. Barrett hasn't.
I wonder if the same will be true of defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, hired as coach at the University of Cincinnati a week ago.
It's not the X's and O's that will suffer when Fickell heads south after OSU finishes its run in the College Football Playoffs. When the Buckeyes face Clemson in the semifinals on Dec. 31, the Buckeyes will continue to run co-coordinator Greg Schiano's defense. The former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach is adept at explaining the hows and whys of his scheme, All-America safety Malik Hooker said Thursday.
What I fear will be lost with Fickell, as was with Herman, is a piece of the players' spirit. With Herman and Fickell, there was an unspeakable bond, a rare trust, along with down-to-earth personalities that inspired closeness off the field and raised the level of play on it.
OSU senior center Pat Elflein was asked about Herman, recently hired by the University of Texas after two years at Houston.
"He brings energy to the room and to the program. He gets guys to play for him," Elflein said. "When you have that, you get an uncommon effort and an uncommon brotherhood. The relationship he builds, he was coaching the quarterbacks but it wasn't just them _ everyone on offense had a lot of respect for him. We loved playing for him."
Elflein was quick to note that he also loved playing for former offensive line coach Ed Warinner, now the offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. But there was still a sense of how special Herman is.
Junior Raekwon McMillan seemed to have the same feelings about Fickell, who recruited the nation's top-rated linebacker out of Hinesville, Ga.
"It's bittersweet, man. My guy is leaving," McMillan said.
When two Cincinnati players messaged him about Fickell, a married father of six, McMillan told them, "He's not just a phenomenal coach, but a phenomenal dad and a guy that looks out for you no matter what the circumstance is. Whether you're right, wrong or indifferent, he'll always be by your side and hold it down for you when nobody else will."
McMillan wasn't the only player who felt strongly about Fickell, who also coached linebackers. Sophomore linebacker Jerome Baker of Cleveland Benedictine and sophomore defensive end Sam Hubbard said Fickell was one of their favorites.
"The way he treats his players and his mindset to do everything together is really going to take that program places," said Hubbard, a Cincinnati Moeller graduate.
When it comes to recruiting, the loss of Fickell will be greater than that of Herman, who was on Meyer's staff for three seasons and helped OSU land Barrett out of Wichita Falls, Texas.
Fickell has established contacts that date back decades. A three-time undefeated state wrestling champion at Columbus DeSales, Fickell played nose tackle for the Buckeyes from 1992-96, was a graduate assistant under John Cooper in 1999 and, after a two-year stint at the University of Akron, returned to Columbus to work for coach Jim Tressel in 2002.
"It's easy to turn on tape to see who can run, who can hit, the size, the weight, the speed, but to know the landscape, to know the guys you can trust _ I know these high school coaches," Fickell said. "I know them very well. You know they're going to give you the insights. You need help. You can't do it by yourself, so you've got to rely on your relationships with high school coaches. That's what recruiting is all about."
As his players noted, Fickell devoted his life to Ohio State. That made him one of its greatest salesmen.
In recruiting, Meyer will still have the biggest lure _ the chance to play for one of the top coaches in the country, compete for national championships and best prepare for the NFL.
The Buckeyes feel confident that Meyer will find an outstanding replacement for Fickell. Although Meyer hasn't said, his hire will likely be a linebackers coach with Schiano handling the coordinator job alone and Kerry Combs adding safeties to his cornerbacks/special teams coordinator role.
Baker knows what characteristics Meyer should be seeking.
"He has to be tough. That is one thing about coach Fick _ he is tough," Baker said. "He is a very hard worker and very precise in everything he does. Be tough, be smart, and love your players. If you love us, we will love you back."
Meyer knows there is going to be yearly turnover among his assistants as colleges pluck from the elite programs. But since the Buckeyes won the 2014 national title, Meyer has lost two of his best _ a fun-loving offensive innovator in Herman and the detailed, all-for-one team leader in Fickell.
The victories may keep rolling in along with the five-star recruits. But the group of special men who create special bonds will need restocking as well.
