Report: Notre Dame Will Wait for Luke Fickell

Cincinnati's season may not finish until earl January.

CINCINNATI — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish appear content in waiting to make sure they hire the right head football coach. CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd previously reported that Luke Fickell would be staying at Cincinnati. Now, he says Notre Dame will wait for the coach's season to finish before going after him.

ND will apparently wait for Luke Fickell, apparently the No 1 choice. Jack Swarbrick suggested he will not name an interim. Assts being told to stay on the road. Strong Catholic ties with Fickell. ND wants renewed bond with traditional Midwest Catholic high schools in recruiting.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) November 30, 2021

The thinking falls in line with what Notre Dame Athletic Director said during his press conference on Tuesday.

“First and foremost is getting the right leader," Swarbrick said. "I recognize the external factors if you will, the recruiting calendar, the transfer portals, but none of that is a reason not to make sure we get a process that gets the very best person to lead this program forward, so that will be our focus.”

Decision-makers in South Bend are stuck in a tough position. Fickell is the clear top choice for the job, but he is coaching a senior-laden team well-positioned to make the College Football Playoff. Nothing is shocking when it comes to the college coaching carousel, but Fickell leaving a program in-season that he built into a playoff unit would be a bit surprising.

There's a reason USC and LSU moved so fast to hire Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly. The next early signing period begins on Dec. 15, when a large portion of the 2022 class finalizes their college homes. No top-level program wants to slip in the national recruiting rankings

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