Wisconsin makes a superb splash-hire in poaching Luke Fickell from Cincinnati, but now comes the hard part for the Badgers

Do we officially have an answer to question, “How good of a job is Wisconsin?”

On Sunday, Badgers athletics director Chris McIntosh stunned folks from Madison to Big 12 country, poaching Luke Fickell away from Cincinnati as the school’s next head coach. 

While many, including lots of local beat writers up until Fickell’s name leaked yesterday, presumed it a formality that beloved son Jim Leonhard, a former star safety at Wisconsin and the current interim head coach, would get the job, McIntosh had bolder ideas. He went outside the family Big Business style, choosing success over sentiment. 

Good on him. 

Upon firing Paul Chryst, who was 67-26 with the Badgers, Wisconsin’s second-year AD talked about wanting more from the program. McIntosh openly discussed “championships expectations.”

Jim Leonhard would’ve been a very sensible and safe hire for Wisconsin, but instead, McIntosh found Jim Leonard seven years in the future. 

Luke Fickell is one of the best coaches in America. He was 57-18 in seven seasons with the Bearcats, taking over a program that had tumbled under the poor leadership of Tommy Tuberville and turning it into an AAC powerhouse. He won back-to-back AAC Championships in 2020 and 2021. He took Cincy to a pair of New Year’s Six Bowls, had two Top 10 finishes and is the only coach to take a Group of 5 team to the College Football Playoff. 

“Luke is one of the top football coaches in the country. He is a proven winner, recruiter and developer of players,” McIntosh said in a statement.

“Coach Fickell is focused on giving our student-athletes the best opportunities possible and is attuned to the changing landscape of college athletics. I have every confidence that he will respect and honor the foundation that has been set for our football program over the years while embracing the exciting opportunities ahead.”

Fickell is Big Ten born and bred, playing and coaching at Ohio State. He served as the Buckeyes’ 2011 interim head coach in the wake of Jim Tressel’s dismissal and then stayed on staff for four more seasons as the defensive coordinator, helping Urban Meyer build his warship in Columbus. 

Fickell, who was so humbled by his tough experience as OSU’s interim head coach he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to hold that role again, has become one of the most respected coaches in the country. He’s consistently been on the radar for Power 5 jobs, turning down dalliances from Michigan State, and Notre Dame, where timing was an issue taking his team to the CFP last season, and others in recent years. 

With the Bearcats set to join the Big 12 next season, most believed Fickell wouldn’t leave Clinton for any job not named Ohio State, Notre Dame or Penn State. 

That’s what makes Sunday’s news so illuminating. 

McIntosh believes Wisconsin is a place where you can win championships, and Luke Fickell evidently agrees with that assessment. 

“This is a destination job at a program that I have admired from afar for years,” Fickell said in a statement. 

“I am in total alignment with Chris McIntosh’s vision for this program. There is a tremendous foundation here that I can’t wait to build upon. This world-class university, athletic department and passionately loyal fan base all have a strong commitment to success and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Wisconsin wants a seat at the Big Ten’s Big Boy’s Table

By making Sunday’s splash hire, Wisconsin has announced it wants a seat at the Big Ten’s Big Boy table, so now comes the hard part. 

Don’t start jumping around just yet, Badger Nation.

Poaching Luke Fickell was just Step 1. 

How do you crack a clique — Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State — that’s already steps ahead coupled with the impending challenges of the elimination of a cushy division setup and the arrival of USC and UCLA?

To start, Wisconsin must spend some of that Big Ten cash if Fickell is going to truly take the program to greater heights. 

Nebraska is paying Matt Rhule more than $70 million to restart Big Red. Mel Tucker is getting close to a $100 million from Michigan State, so what is Wisconsin willing to invest in Fickell’s vision? 

There should be no more penny-pinching in Madison on staffing, particularly with assistants and inside the recruiting department, where Fickell is an immediate upgrade at head coach. 

If Wisconsin is going to play in the same sandbox as Ohio State, USC and Michigan, it must become a player in the NIL space, too.

Among Fickell’s first challenges will be re-recruiting the current roster (one that was openly in favor of Leonhard as head coach), but Fickell’s track record of player development should be used as a huge asset here — both with Wisconsin’s players and potential targets in the transfer portal (see: Quarterbacks). 

The Badges should sell Fickell’s strong resume of sending guys to the NFL. Cincy had nine players drafted in 2022 — second only to Georgia and LSU. Meanwhile, Wisconsin didn’t produce as many picks (eight) in the last two drafts combined. 

Wisconsin is a stable program with a foundational identity built on toughness, discipline, defense and development. It perfectly mirrors many of Fickell’s own philosophies, but even if Luke Fickell is going to modernize some of the staleness that’s seeped into Madison the last few years, that alone won’t turn the program suddenly into a title contender. 

Landing Fickell was a great heist by McIntosh & Co., but now that means Wisconsin must truly go all-in.