Cincinnati gives coach Luke Fickell contract extension through 2028

Fast-rising college football coaching star Luke Fickell doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The Cincinnati Bearcats coach told The Athletic on Monday that he's agreed to a new contract with the university that will pay him $5 million per year through the 2028 season.

Fickell, 48, has been Cincinnati's head coach since 2017 and has led the program to unprecedented heights. The Bearcats have a 48-15 record during his tenure (44-7 in the last four seasons) and became the first team from a non-Power Five conference to make the College Football Playoff. 

After the Bearcats' run to the CFB Playoff, Fickell was expected to be a top candidate for several high-profile coaching vacancies, including USC, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, LSU, and even NFL job openings.

Instead Fickell is set to stay at Cincinnati for the foreseeable future as the Bearcats prepare to join the Big 12. Cincinnati is scheduled to join the conference along with BYU, Central Florida, and Houston in either 2023 or 2024.

Cincinnati's 2021 season ended with a 27-6 loss to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.