The pressuring is increasing on the Badgers head coach ahead of Year 3.
It’s been a disappointing start to the Luke Fickell era for the Wisconsin Badgers, who missed a bowl game for the first time in 22 years last season as they stumbled to a 5-7 record.
That included losses in all three rivalry games, as the Badgers struggled on both sides of the ball, leading to the firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo with two weeks left in the season.
Now, after a busy offseason, Fickell and the Badgers are headed into Year 3 hoping for better results, but face a much more difficult schedule. In our weekly mailbag, I received a question about Fickell and his future at Wisconsin, so let’s break it down.
Jim Leffel: How tied to Wisconsin is Fickell? He was a hot commodity when Wisconsin hired him. He obviously has a big, big contract. It appears his time here may be changing the perception of him. Is there any chance he leaves Wisconsin for another head coaching opportunity with more potential/resources than Wisconsin before he loses more credibility? Or, is he in a make it or break it situation here at Wisconsin? How quickly will his Cincinnati success be overtaken by Wisconsin failure?
Good question Jim. There are a lot of parts to break down here. Let’s start at the top.
How tied is Wisconsin to Fickell? Well, that question at the moment is all about his contract and the person who hired him. Chris McIntosh’s biggest move as Athletic Director was undoubtedly firing longtime head coach Paul Chryst and then later replacing him with Fickell on a seven-year, $54.6 million deal.
So, McIntosh is tied to Fickell and his success, both because of the money owed and the magnitude of the move. That makes me believe there will be a longer leash to at least see Fickell’s vision out with his strongest bunch of high school recruits.
Moreover, Fickell still has quite the buyout, and that’s not dropping much soon. Currently, it stands at over $40 million and will drop as the contract continues. Because of that, I don’t think, from Wisconsin’s perspective, that Fickell would be fired before at least seeing a fourth year.
Wisconsin is also paying out Paul Chryst’s buyout, so I don’t see them willingly choosing to give a hefty one to Fickell as well. Not to mention, if the Badgers ultimately do fire Fickell, it would be a complete program reset, erasing all the high school recruiting success that Wisconsin had over the past three cycles. That was the whole reason of bringing Fickell in, so I don’t see that happening.
From Fickell’s perspective, I don’t think there’s any chance he departs for another head coaching opportunity. Definitely not one with more potential or resources, as I don’t see that opportunity being available to him. If he were to leave, it would probably be for a worse job than the Badgers with a much lower pay, and he’d be walking away from significant money at Wisconsin.
So, I don’t see Fickell leaving anytime soon unless he’s fired. I’ve also heard from multiple people that this was going to be Fickell’s sticking spot.
Now, is it a make-or-break situation? I don’t think it is currently, at least not in 2025. The earliest we see a team comprised of Fickell’s top recruits is 2026. Hence, also why I see Wisconsin giving him at least a fourth year.
But, his legacy will be defined by what he ends up doing at Wisconsin. I don’t know that the failures here will overshadow the Cincinnati success, but this is the bigger stage, and his success here will matter more.