Scott Satterfield is officially the new head coach of UC football and while there will always be opinions on both sides, many students said they were happy when they heard the announcement Monday morning.
“We are very excited about Scott Satterfield being our new head coach,” said UC freshman, Evan Brehl, who is all in on Satterfield as the new head coach. “Especially with what we heard about other potential candidates being from Buffalo or Kent State which are sub .500 coaches in the MAC.”
You can watch the announcement in full below:
Not everyone on campus was as excited as Brehl about the new head coach announcement, though.
“I’ve seen a lot of people that are disappointed because obviously they love Fickell,” said freshman student, Virginia Goins.
Satterfield is a name with which Goins is already very familiar.
“I’m from Louisville and I’ve always supported their football team from home,” Goins said. “My mom called me this morning and she was excited to tell me about it because it was kind of cool to see how my communities are combining.”
UC’s athletic director, John Cunningham, said he wanted input from the people who would be impacted by this decision the most — the players.
He asked them what traits they wanted in a new coach before hiring anyone.
“They wanted someone who was authentic, tough, honest, competitive and straightforward,” Cunningham said.
During Monday’s press conference, Cunningham said Satterfield is that guy.
“He is going to propel us into the Big 12," he said.
Jeremy Cooper, senior offensive lineman for the Bearcats, said Coach Satterfield spoke to the players Monday morning for the first time.
“From getting the first impression, he’s a blue-collar guy, a southern guy as well,” said Cooper. “A relaxed guy. Calm and confident in what he’s doing, and I think that’s what we need.”
As for what his teammates thought of Satterfield after his talk?
“It’s kinda like 50/50,” Cooper said. “There’s guys thinking a certain way, then there’s guys that are thinking the opposite.”
He said the announcement gives the players a sense of direction for what’s to come, but the team is focused on a factor that's important to them.
“We want to be taken care of as players,” said Cooper, adding his first impression was that Satterfield could deliver on that.
