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Adam Rittenberg
Wisconsin is set to increase its financial commitment to the football program amid a disappointing season, but will push ahead with embattled coach Luke Fickell, athletic director Chris McIntosh wrote Monday in a letter to Badgers fans.
McIntosh acknowledged the Badgers’ season has “fallen well short of our standards” under Fickell, the fourth-year coach who is 15-18 at the school and 2-5 this season. Wisconsin has endured consecutive home shutout losses to Iowa and Ohio State, the team’s first home shutouts since 1980.
Fans have chanted for Fickell to be fired, but he will continue to stay on the job, at least for now. The Badgers visit No. 6 Oregon this week.
“Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration,” McIntosh wrote. “Our student-athletes continue to stand and fight with character and pride as they battle through this moment of adversity, and they deserve all of our support.”
Wisconsin’s financial commitment has been questioned during the team’s struggles under Fickell, and McIntosh wrote that investments will increase, especially with athlete recruiting and retention.
“In this new era of collegiate athletics, the clear reality is that high expectations must be matched with an equal level of support,” McIntosh wrote. “The results of this elevated support may not be immediate, but we are confident the direction will be positive and long-term.”
McIntosh, a former offensive lineman and team captain who played on two Rose Bowl teams at Wisconsin, hired Fickell from Cincinnati in late 2022. Fickell is on a rolling seven-year contract that takes him through the 2031 season, and he would be owed more than $25 million if fired this fall.
His teams have dealt with quarterback injuries throughout his tenure, and Wisconsin ranks 132nd nationally in scoring this fall.
