How much pressure is Luke Fickell under after Wisconsin's new AD hire?
· Yahoo Sports
Of all the embattled coaches who held on to their gigs last fall, perhaps none are more surprising to see on the job entering 2026 than Luke Fickell.
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Wisconsin hired the former Cincinnati coach following the 2022 season, and the move received high praise at the time from fans and media alike. After all, Fickell was just a year removed from one of the most impressive coaching jobs in the modern era as he led the Bearcats — then a member of the Group of Five — to the College Football Playoff.
However, that success hasn't followed the Ohio lifer to Madison. Fickell went 7-6 in his first season with the Badgers in 2023, but the team regressed to 5-7 in 2024 and 4-8 this past season. Many expected Fickell, who holds a 17-21 record, to be fired during the back half of last year's campaign.
He ultimately survived, in large part thanks to a roughly $25 million buyout. However, the rubber is about to meet the road for Fickell in 2026.
The athletic director who hired him, Chris McIntosh, has stepped down. To replace him, the Badgers tabbed former Nebraska athletic director and most recently Texas deputy AD Shawn Eichorst.
With new leadership in the athletic department, a change seems likely in Madison if Fickell can't get things back on track this season. If Wisconsin chooses to fire Fickell this fall, his buyout would still be north of $20 million, though it his contract reportedly contains mitigating language.
Eichorst is no stranger to the consequences of a failed football hire. He made the controversial decision to fire Bo Pelini and hire Mike Riley in 2014, a decision that ultimately backfired and led to both Eichorst's and Riley's dismissals in 2017.
With no prior ties to Fickell, it's hard to imagine Eichorst would shy away from making a change if the Badgers miss a bowl game once again this season, even given the buyout.
Given the new leadership in Madison, you could argue no coach faces more pressure to improve the product on the field this fall than Fickell, who currently occupies one of the hottest seats in America.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: How much pressure is Luke Fickell under after Wisconsin's new AD hire?