The University of Cincinnati football coach, who is entering his sixth season at the helm of the Bearcats program, said the next handful of weeks will be the "most important" stretch of his tenure at Cincinnati.
"For us and the program, this will be as big a spring ball and as big a next four or five weeks as we've had," he said.
Fresh off signing a new contract extension, Fickell will officially open spring camp Saturday morning with his team's first practice since losing to Alabama in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
However, Fickell's Bearcats will look drastically different from the 13-0 team that took the field in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Fickell said Saturday will be like starting a new book; a book he suggested titling "Life Without Desmond Ridder."
"The quarterback position is always the most unique position," Fickell said. "If not a great quarterback, the thing that a quarterback in general does is it gives everybody a lot of confidence. Not that we don't believe we've got every bit as good a quarterback and a quarterback battle, but I just think the start in some ways is like a new book."
