Wisconsin seems committed to Luke Fickell as its head football coach for the remainder of the 2025 season, but that does not necessarily mean Fickell’s job is safe beyond that.
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh released a lengthy note to fans on Monday that suggested the school is sticking with Fickell despite a disappointing 2-5 start to the season. McIntosh said Wisconsin needs to invest more money into the football program to position its coaching staff and players for success.
Shortly after McIntosh released his letter to fans, Fickell was asked if he has been given assurance that he will return as the head coach at Wisconsin in 2026. He said he has not.
“No, I don’t think any of us have a crystal ball. I’ve never asked the question. It’s not something that I can dwell upon,” Fickell said. “I can’t say that it’s not something you don’t think about. I’m not saying it’s something when you go home, your wife doesn’t look at you, but it doesn’t do us any good. It’s not gonna change the fact that we’ve got to practice tomorrow. It’s not gonna change the fact of anything on Saturday.
“I guess you just let everybody else kind of deal with those things. I have not been told. I’m not worried about that. I understand if we don’t meet expectations and we don’t do the things we need to do, anything can happen.”
Luke Fickell says he has not been told he’ll be back next year. pic.twitter.com/BtOveEoAJJ
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 20, 2025
Fickell was hired by Wisconsin following a successful run as the head coach at Cincinnati. He went 7-6 in his first season in 2023, and the program slipped to 5-7 last season. The Badgers are 2-5 this season and winless in the Big Ten.
From 2009-2019, Wisconsin had eight double-digit win seasons, and nothing worse than an 8-6 record. Since then, they’ve only had one season better than 8-6.
Fickell might be able to save his job if Wisconsin wins some games and shows improvement down the stretch, but it is hardly a surprise that he has not been assured he will return next season. The Badgers have not lived up to their standards thus far under Fickell.
