The Wisconsin Badgers have hired Cincinnati Bearcats Head Coach Luke Fickell to be the program’s next Head Coach. When the Wisconsin Badgers fired Head Coach Paul Chryst during this season many thought it was to promote defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to the position. While he did serve as the interim Head Coach and was a final candidate, the program ultimately goes with the proven group of five Head Coach in Fickell. While he was the Head Coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats he turned them into a top program and helped them earn a bid to join the Big 12. Now they will be doing that without him on the staff.
Wisconsin Football is finalizing a deal to make Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell the school’s next football coach, sources told @PeteThamel.
A deal is expected to become formalized to make Fickell the next Badgers coach within the next 24 hours: https://t.co/0TsnGiRDYE pic.twitter.com/3zrqyT5wqV
— ESPN (@espn) November 27, 2022
As the Head Coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats, Luke Fickell led the team to an overall record of 57-18 record and an American Atheltic Conference record of 35-11. He led them to four bowl games including an appearance in the 2022 College Football Playoffs. While he did not win them he did coach the Bearcats to the Peach Bowl and the Cotton Bowl in back-to-back seasons. He will have even more resources at Wisconsin and could make some noise in the Big Ten.
Luke Fickell: “This is a destination job at a program that I have admired from afar for years. 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.” #Badgers
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) November 27, 2022
Wisconsin is a football program that views itself as a should-be title contender. The Cincinnati Bearcats were the first and currently only group of five team to make the College Football Playoffs. With the format changing to twelve teams soon, he may end up being the only coach to accomplish the feat. Wisconsin is hoping he repeats that type of success with them some day.
