MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh says Luke Fickell will remain as coach “beyond this season” as the Badgers face the realistic possibility of their worst finish in decades.
“Luke Fickell is Wisconsin’s Head Football Coach, and he will continue to be beyond this season,” McIntosh said Thursday in a statement released by the school. "We all recognize that we have fallen short of expectations. I am disappointed and frustrated with how our season has gone, just like our players, coaches and fans.
“We have evaluated every aspect of the program, and we’re prepared to execute a plan that brings us back to meeting our goals, standards, and expectations. Chancellor (Jennifer) Mnookin and I are aligned on that plan and are committed to having Wisconsin Football compete at the highest level. We will get this right and will not shy away from making any necessary changes.”
Wisconsin (2-6, 0-4 Big Ten) carries a six-game skid into a Saturday home matchup with No. 24 Washington (No. 23 College Football Playoff).
The Badgers' final four opponents have a combined record of 27-8. Wisconsin hasn't lost more than seven games in a season since a 1-10 finish in 1990.
One more defeat would guarantee Wisconsin its second straight losing season. The Badgers haven't finished below .500 in back-to-back years since 1991-92.
The Badgers have lost their last 11 games against Power Four conference programs and haven’t beaten a Power Four team since a 42-7 victory over Rutgers on Oct. 12, 2024. During its current six-game skid, Wisconsin has been outscored by an average margin of 23.3 points.
Wisconsin ranks 135th out of 126 Bowl Subdivision teams — ahead of only UMass — in yards per game (261.6). Wisconsin is 134th — ahead of Northern Illinois and UMass — in points per game (12.5) and yards per play (4.44).
McIntosh had sent a letter to season-ticket holders two weeks ago saying that the athletic department “is committed to elevating the investment into our football program.”
“In this new era of collegiate athletics, the clear reality is that high expectations must be matched with an equal level of support," McIntosh said in that letter. "The results of this elevated support may not be immediate, but we are confident that the impact will be positive and long-term.”
The same week that letter came out, Wisconsin center Jake Renfro and cornerback Ricardo Hallman said that McIntosh had told the players that Fickell was in no immediate danger of getting fired.
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“When you get that information from the higher-ups, it feels really good,” Renfro said at the time. “It kind of puts all of our minds at ease.”
Fickell took over Wisconsin at the end of the 2022 season after going 53-10 his last five seasons at Cincinnati, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021. But he hasn't come close to replicating that success at Wisconsin, which has gone backward since his arrival.
He was credited for Wisconsin’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State that took place less than a month after his hiring. Wisconsin then went 7-6 in Fickell’s first full season.
Wisconsin went 5-7 in 2024 to end a string of 22 straight winning seasons, which had been the longest active streak among Power Four schools. The Badgers’ only wins this season came the first two weeks of the season against Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee.
A fourth-quarter touchdown in a 21-7 loss to Oregon on Oct. 25 ended a string of 11 straight scoreless quarters for the Badgers. Wisconsin had fallen 34-0 to Ohio State — Fickell’s alma mater — and 37-0 to Iowa the previous two weeks, marking the first time the Badgers had been shut out in consecutive games since 1977.
Some of Wisconsin’s shortcomings under Fickell have resulted from bad luck. He has continually brought in transfer quarterbacks who got injured. SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games with a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the third game of the 2024 season. The Badgers added former Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. this year, but he sprained his right knee in the second quarter of Wisconsin’s season opener and has played only one full series since.
Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 33 games Wisconsin has played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024.
Fickell also announced this week that leading rusher Dilin Jones and starting center Jake Renfro had undergone season-ending surgeries.
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