'I'm not leaving': UC football players use 'Wolf of Wall Street' clip to pledge commitment

University of Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham said he intends to "move fast" as he leads a "nationwide search" for the school's next head football coach.

Cunningham took a break from that search Thursday afternoon to provide a brief statement to The Enquirer regarding the process.

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"We're moving as efficiently as we can," he said. "We're going to find a coach that's the right fit."

As Cunningham's search rages on, and decommitments to the program continue to pile up, two notable Bearcats football players have pledged their commitment to the school.

Cincinnati sophomore punter Mason Fletcher posted a video on Twitter early Thursday morning. There was no caption. Fletcher's post was simply a video clip of the scene from the 2013 film "Wolf of Wall Street" where actor Leonardo DiCaprio, portraying Jordan Belfort, said repeatedly, "I'm not leaving."

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"The show goes on," DiCaprio screams. "This is my home. They're going to need a (expletive) wrecking ball to take me out of here."

Shortly after Fletcher's post, freshman defensive lineman Dontay Corleone followed his teammate's lead by also posting the clip along with the hashtag #Allin.

Corleone, a former standout at Colerain High School, then added another tweet: "This message is to the rest of 2023 class commits R.E.L.A.X #Allin #Hometownhero."

As a few of their Cincinnati teammates have entered the transfer portal (including 2021 first-team All-AAC center Jake Renfro), and some members of the Bearcats' 2023 recruiting class have decommitted from the school and program since the departure of head coach Luke Fickell to Wisconsin, Fletcher and Corleone have declared their commitment to stay.

Fickell's eldest son, Landon, is a sophomore offensive lineman on the Cincinnati football team. He retweeted both posts.

Fletcher and Corleone on Wednesday earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference selections after leading Cincinnati to a 9-3 (6-2 AAC) record this season. Fletcher was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year.

Fletcher ranks fourth nationally in punting average (46.7) this season. The Melbourne, Australia, native, who is also a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the top punter in college football, set the AAC record with an 84-yard punt Oct. 22 at Southern Methodist.

Corleone racked up 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles for the Bearcats before suffering a season-ending knee injury prior to the 27-24 loss to Tulane on Friday in the regular-season finale at Nippert Stadium.

Bearcats cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs will serve as interim head coach as Cunningham works to find a replacement for Fickell, and as the Bearcats await to see which bowl game will put a period on their 2022-23 season, their last before joining the Big 12 Conference.

The transfer portal officially opens Monday. The first day of the early signing period for Class of 2023 recruits is Dec. 21. That's when recruits can begin to sign their national letters of intent.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati football players pledge to stay Bearcats