The Cincinnati Bearcats are heading to the College Football Playoff after running the table and winning the AAC Championship on Saturday. Head coach Luke Fickell authored an unbeaten season on the heels of a very successful 2020 campaign at the mid-major school.
A report from Tom Pelissero of NFL.com indicates that the Lions had some serious interest in hiring Fickell last year. Detroit interviewed Fickell for the then-vacant head coaching position after the 2020 NFL season,
The Detroit Lions quietly spoke with Fickell about their head coaching vacancy last year before they hired Dan Campbell, sources say, and the expectation within the league is Fickell will be in the mix for NFL jobs again in the upcoming hiring cycle, if he’s interested.
The Lions showed real interest in the top college coaches before hiring Dan Campbell, then the assistant head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Detroit heavily courted Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, enough that Matt — not Dan — was briefly the odds-on favorite for the Lions head coaching job.
