Wisconsin Athletics Director Chris McIntosh is set to retain Luke Fickell as the Badgers’ head coach in 2026 with the university ready to make significant financial investments.
The announcement comes at a time when a lot of people thought Fickell could potentially be dismissed following Wisconsin’s dismal 2-6 record and a six-game losing streak.
Fickell was also linked with a couple of high profile gigs, namely Penn State and LSU, following James Franklin and Brian Kelly’s firings. Chris McIntosh put those rumors to rest for now.
“The BEST path for us to be successful as soon as 2026 is with Luke Fickell as our head coach…”#Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh on backing Fickell for the long term rather than moving in a different direction#OnWisconsin | @WildeAndTausch pic.twitter.com/CwLGO6hAtn
— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) November 7, 2025
McIntosh doubled down on Fickell’s retention in his statement, increasing investment in the college’s football program so that the Badgers can compete at the highest level.
“Chancellor (Jennifer) Mnookin and I are aligned on significantly elevating investment in our program to compete at highest level,” McIntosh said.
“We are willing to make an investment in infrastructure and staff. As important, is our ability to retain and recruit players in a revenue share and NIL era.”
According to CFB analyst Ari Wasserman, had Wisconsin chosen to part ways with Fickell after this season, it would have incurred a staggering $30 million buyout.
This would’ve further added to one of the most expensive college football seasons as far as buyout’s are concerned, with the likes of LSU and Penn State already incurring $54 million and $49 million buyouts.
Luke Fickell Continues as Wisconsin Head Coach With 15-19 Record in His Tenure
Fickell’s overall record at Wisconsin sits at 15-19, far away from what fans expected when he arrived from Cincinnati. His first season produced a 7-6 result, but after that, Wisconsin had a 5-7 campaign in 2024 raising serious concerns about Fickell’s competence in Madison.
Fickell initially brought Phil Longo aboard as offensive coordinator and when that experiment failed, he hired Jeff Grimes from Kansas.
Meanwhile, Athletics Director Chris McIntosh has further pledged NIL and revenue sharing financial commitment to the program, highlighting it is imperative that the program gets funded if it wants to compete in the Big Ten and Beyond.
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