Report: Luke Fickell to be named Wisconsin head coach, informs Cincinnati of decision

Wisconsin has their next leader — the Badgers are hiring Luke Fickell to takeover their program full time after an impressive stint as the leader of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

According to Justin Williams of The Athletic, Fickell has informed the Bearcats that he’s leaving to take the Badgers job.

“Luke Fickell will be the next head football coach at Wisconsin, sources confirm to @TheAthletic,” tweeted Williams. “Fickell informed University of Cincinnati he is leaving to take the new job. This process has been reported by multiple outlets today. @PeteThamel was first to break news of pursuit.”

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The position became open earlier this season, when Wisconsin decided to part ways with longtime coach Paul Chryst. Afterwards, Jim Leonard took over as the program, steering the Badgers to victories over programs like Northwestern and Purdue.

Last season, Fickell led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff, and he’s impressed over six seasons at Cincinnati, amassing a record of 57-18. Earlier, Pete Thamel of ESPN elaborated on why Fickell would be interested in leaving what he’s built for the Badgers.

“Fickell has strong roots in the Big Ten, as he’s a long-time assistant coach and coordinator at Ohio State and played there collegiately,” wrote Thamel. “He’d been picky about jobs over the years as Cincinnati rose to the top of the Group of Five, being selective about the Midwestern footprint.”

According to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Fickell’s deal with Wisconsin will be between $6 to $6.5 million per season. It’s at least a $1 million pay raise, as Fickell was making $5 million per season at Cincinnati.

Moreover, Fickell’s predecessor in Chryst was in his eighth season as the Badgers coach when he was fired in-season, having compiled a 67-26 record in that span. He is the third-winningest coach in program history and led Wisconsin to an Orange Bowl victory in 2017 and a Rose Bowl appearance in 2019. However, he was off to just a 2-3 start during the 2022 season. 

Additionally, Chryst is a former Badgers quarterback and tight end who took over the head coaching position in 2015 following three seasons as the head coach at Pittsburgh. Prior to that, he was an offensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2005-11.

Meanwhile, Leonhard — who replaced Chryst as the interim coach and had been considered a strong candidate to take over the gig for good — had been a member of the Wisconsin coaching staff for seven years, and was in his sixth season as defensive coordinator for the team at the time. A former All-American safety for the Badgers, he tied the school record with 21 career interceptions as a player. After going undrafted in the NFL, he played professionally for ten years with six different NFL teams and started in 73 games.

However, he wasn’t able to secure the job, as Wisconsin will now turn to Fickell. There’s many reasons why Wisconsin would want Fickell, but Thamel believes the Badgers are impressed with his ability to build a program from the ground up.

“Fickell’s attraction to the Badgers brass, along with his record and roots in the league, is his ability to build a program,” stated Thamel. “Fickell turned Cincinnati into one of the country’s best development programs, taking modest recruits and consistently churning out strong teams.”

Now, Luke Fickell will be given he keys to the castle, with the decision-makers at Wisconsin believing the now-former Cincinnati leader can get the Badgers back on track. In the Big Ten, times are changing, and the program is making the necessary moves to be competitive now, and in the future.