Finding a new offensive coordinator might be the lowest item on University of Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell's to-do list this offseason.
LSU made it official Sunday, announcing Mike Denbrock as its new offensive coordinator.
Denbrock reunites with Tigers head coach Brian Kelly after being the only offensive coordinator Fickell had in his first five seasons at the helm of the Bearcats program.
“I’ve coached with Mike for many years. He’s one of the best offensive minds in the game, and we share an established trust, respect, and understanding that will help us maximize the talent of our players immediately,” Kelly said in the release announcing Denbrock's addition to his staff. “His offenses have maintained a consistent level of excellence throughout his entire career, and he understands how to develop players at every position. I’m excited for him to join our staff and elevate our program.”
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Denbrock spent seven seasons with Kelly at Notre Dame (2010-16), including one as the offensive coordinator, before joining Fickell at Cincinnati when Fickell was hired in December 2016.
Kelly, UC's head coach from 2006-09, has now snatched one of Fickell's coordinators in back-to-back offseasons. Kelly lured then-Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman away from Fickell last January.
Promoting UC passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli to offensive coordinator seems like the most logical move for Fickell. Guidugli, a former standout quarterback at Cincinnati from 2001-04, joined Fickell's staff in February 2017 as the running backs coach. Guidugli moved over to coach the quarterbacks in 2018 and was named the passing game coordinator in March 2020.
Both Denbrock and Guidugli played major roles in the development of Desmond Ridder. The senior quarterback, who wrapped up his five-year collegiate career in the Bearcats' 27-6 loss to top-ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl semifinal, ended his stint in college with 12,418 total yards, the most in program history.
Ridder is also Cincinnati's all-time leader in total touchdowns with 116 (87 passing, 28 rushing and one receiving). Ridder broke Guidugli's career touchdown pass mark of 79 earlier this season.
Ridder closed out his career with a 44-6 record as a starter. Those 44 wins are third most all time by an FBS quarterback. The only two quarterbacks with more are Texas' Colt McCoy (45-8) and Boise State's Kellen Moore (50-3).
Ridder's 10,239 career passing yards is second in school history behind Guidugli's 11,453.
Ridder is just one of 30-plus seniors Fickell now has to replace.
"Words can't describe what it is that those guys mean to me, mean to us, mean to this program," Fickell said. "It's really difficult to put in words. They've done so much. And everybody just kind of recognizes the wins, but the reality is they've created an environment, a culture, they've created an atmosphere that's a true family."
Evan Prater is expected to step into the starting quarterback spot. The 2019 Ohio Mr. Football appeared in seven games as Ridder's backup this season after redshirting in 2020.
Fickell also has to replace a defense draped with seniors, including the unit's own quarterback, inside linebacker Joel Dublanko.
Dublanko, one of three sixth-year seniors (defensive linemen Curtis Brooks and Marcus Brown) on the UC roster who were members of the program before Fickell, led the Bearcats with 113 tackles this season.
Defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (Walnut Hills) and sniper Deshawn Pace (Colerain), both local products, along with cornerback Arquon Bush are expected to take over the reins of defensive coordinator Mike Tressel's defense.
"Guys with a little bit of experience are coming back, and I'm just really excited to see how they grow and see how these players step up," Dublanko said. "They've been under us a little bit, just with how many seniors and seniority we have on this team right now. But I'm just really looking forward to seeing how these guys grow and develop as leaders and as men."
Ridder, linebacker Darrian Beavers, cornerback Coby Bryant (Jim Thorpe Award winner) safety Bryan Cook, wide receiver Alec Pierce and defensive end Myjai Sanders will represent Cincinnati in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 5.
Notable juniors Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (cornerback), Jerome Ford (running back) and Josh Whyle (tight end) have until Jan. 17 to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft (April 28-30), with a 72-hour period to reconsider after filing.
Gardner and Ridder could be the first Cincinnati players taken in the first round of the NFL draft since defensive lineman Bob Bell in 1971 (21st overall pick to the Detroit Lions). The record for the most UC players selected in a single draft is six in 2009.
After completing the first 13-win season in program history, Fickell and the back-to-back American Athletic Conference champion Bearcats officially begin their march toward next season Jan. 10 with winter workouts. Nine of the 20 players Cincinnati added during the early signing period are scheduled to enroll early and participate in the workouts.
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