In a statement released late Sunday night, the University of Wisconsin’s Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced that former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell would be the next head coach of Wisconsin’s football team.
This decision left many confused, however, as interim head coach Jim Leonhard getting the job seemed like a foregone conclusion. Looking into Luke Fickell’s past illustrates why McIntosh chose the former Bearcat.
Exceptional Resume
One leading reason the Badgers hired Fickell over Leonhard stems from his outstanding coaching career. After starting as the defensive line coach at Akron, Fickell was picked to be Ohio State’s special teams coach at just 29 years old. One year later, Fickell was promoted to linebacker coach and eventually to co-defensive coordinator, where his stellar defense led the Buckeyes to six Big Ten championships and a national championship in 2014.
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Following the 2017 season, Fickell was hired by Cincinnati to be the Bearcats’ next head coach. After a disappointing 4-8 record in his first year as head coach, Fickell completely turned the program around. He finished his Cincinnati career with a 57-18 record, two American Athletics Conference titles and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021.
For his work with the Bearcats, Fickell won three AAC Coach of the Year awards, as well as six different college football coach of the year awards for his work in 2021. Fickell’s stellar career had him viewed as one of the best coaches in all of college football, making him impossible for UW to pass up.
Recruiting
One area where McIntosh felt Fickell would provide an immediate boost for Wisconsin was in recruiting and player development, both of which are areas Wisconsin has struggled in as of late.
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Throughout his career at Cincinnati and Ohio State, Fickell has been regarded as an excellent recruiter. At Ohio State, he was the lead recruiter for eight 247Sports 5-star players and dozens of 4-star recruits.
This recruiting success also carried over to Cincinnati. Despite it being a Group of Five school, which top talent often hesitates to commit to, Fickell’s recruiting success peaked with his 27th-ranked 2023 recruiting class, which UW will have the opportunity to poach before early signing day in a couple of weeks.
Recruiting strong players out of high school is only half the battle as successful college coaches are the ones who turn them into stars in the NFL. Developing these players is another area where Fickell excelled at Cincinnati, as evidenced by his nine NFL draft picks from last year alone. This group was headlined by fourth overall pick and defensive rookie of the year frontrunner Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Treatment of Jim Leonhard
One of the most surprising aspects of this hire was the treatment of Jim Leonhard. Even before Paul Chryst was fired, many Badger fans believed that Leonhard would eventually be the next head coach of the Badgers. This idea was pushed to the forefront when Leonhard was named interim head coach earlier in the 2022 season.
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As interim head coach, Leonhard finished with a 4-3 record, which was enough to extend the Badger’s 21-season bowl eligibility streak. But, his tenure did include brutal losses to rivals Iowa and Minnesota.
Despite the losses, many felt that Leonhard holding the team together through the firing of the beloved Chryst and the tragic death of former Badger, Devin Chandler, showed that he should be Wisconsin’s next full-time head coach. Thus, McIntosh passing over Leonhard, in favor of an outsider, left many Wisconsin fans, staff and players with a sour taste.
McIntosh’s Disconnect from Players
Almost from the moment Chryst got fired, the players made it clear from star running back Braelon Allen hinting he’d transfer if Leonhard left that they wanted Leonhard to be the guy.
“Whoever hires coaches is going to be an idiot if they don’t hire Leonhard,” starting safety John Torchio said.
It can safely be assumed the players were upset when their wishes ended up being ignored and McIntosh chose Fickell.Some players promptly took to social media to express these thoughts.
“They could at least give the younger guys some answers and not leave them with uncertainty,” senior cornerback Justin Clark said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, true freshman Curtis Neal simply tweeted a picture of him and Leonhard accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
The players’ frustrations with the athletic department were not solely because of Fickell being hired. Even before the decision was made, the team’s most influential leader, Nick Herbig, shared his frustrations with the hiring process.
“It baffles me every day that they just leave us out to dry… we’re just sitting around hoping and praying that we’re gonna get an answer,” Herbig said in a postgame interview after Wisconsin’s loss to Minnesota.
While McIntosh found the guy he thinks can lead the Badgers for years to come, how he went about the process may have alienated many vital members of the Badger football family in irreparable ways.
