Can Fickell and Vrabel Rescue OSU Football?

You can see the situation playing out in your mind. Most guys I know have sat with a buddy and contemplated some wild business venture or program they could start together. Maybe you wanted to open a golf course with a friend. Perhaps the ultimate sports bar was your goal. The majority of these ventures never get past that initial dream phase. There is no way to track the success rate of the ventures that actually find themselves carried out, but you would have to imagine they are no better than the normal business start-up, which means no better than 40% survival rate after four years. (Unless it is a restaurant. Then they fail 80% of the time.)

Buckeye fans are hoping for better from new Buckeye coaches Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel.

True, Fickell and Vrabel aren’t building a football program from scratch. They are taking over one of the most recognizable and successful brands in the country, albeit one that has a tremendous scar on it’s face and may be a bit faded from the white hot media spotlight.

Is there room for optimism? Absolutely. Fickell has regularly been praised as the next great assistant coach at OSU, and would undoubtedly have been given several offers in the coming years to be a head coach. He played for John Cooper, where he must have learned some of his stellar recruiting tactics. You can say what you want about Cooper as an X’s and O’s coach, but you can’t deny he got talented players to choose Ohio State. He cut his coaching teeth under defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio, and head coach Jim Tressel. Not bad.

Mike Vrabel may not have much coaching experience, but he has certainly learned from some of the best. How about starting his career in Pittsburgh under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, and head coach Bill Cowher before moving on to New England and that Belichick guy.

The common denominator between the mentors these men have had- aside from winning, is an ability to find the best way to use players to their fullest potential.

No question that the hiring of Vrabel helps with recruiting. It also gives Luke Fickell a trusted man in his corner. He has a partner in his “us against the world” mentality and someone he can lean on knowing he doesn’t have his eye on the head coach position.

He will need it.

The media will never stop bringing up names like Urban Meyer, and keeping the interim tag in front of Luke Fickell’s name. I love you Buckeye fan, but with the first loss there will be clamoring for the next man up. It’s true. Vegas wouldn’t even put odds on it. The pressure to win, even in the midst of this turmoil will be intense. Fortunately, four broad shoulders are better to carry the load than two.

(hat tip to elevenwarriors.com for the photo)