The Wisconsin football program is lining up a major move to bring itself back to national relevancy, reportedly finalizing a deal for Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell to take over in the same role in Madison. According to Pete Thamel, the Badgers are deep into discussions with Fickell over the chance to make him Wisconsin's next head coach. The deal was finalized on Sunday.
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Welcome @CoachFick ! pic.twitter.com/ybE9U3b3nu
β Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 27, 2022
Fickell will make about $7.9 million per year over seven years, per Pete Thamel of ESPN.
The Wisconsin football program moved on from head coach Paul Chryst during the middle of the 2022 season, replacing him with interim coach Jim Leonhard. Leonhard had previously been Wisconsin's defensive coordinator, and while he was among the candidates to replace Chryst full-time, it seems the Badgers are set to head in a different direction by bringing in Fickell from Cincinnati.
Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal reports that Wisconsin is finalizing the deal and plans to make the announcement official as early as Sunday afternoon.
During his tenure with the Cincinnati football program, Fickell has recorded a 57-18 record, including a 13-1 campaign in 2021, one of the best finishes in program history. They were 13-0 before a loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoffs.
Luke Fickell is on the verge of an emphatic return to the Big Ten, where he was head coach at Ohio State for one season back in 2011, going 6-7.
This season, the Badgers are a disappointing 6-6. After a 9-4 finish last year, it's clear the Badgers needed a major shakeup in order to get back to their usual dominance on the national level. The Wisconsin football program is hopeful that Fickell can provide them with the guiding hand needed to lead them back to the upper echelon after the terrific work he did at Cincinnati.
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