And that now makes four... With Sam Pittman out at Arkansas, that give us yet another Power Four head coach to be out of a job before the end of the season. He joined the list of DeShaun Foster being out at UCLA, Brent Pry out of a job at Virginia Tech, and Mike Gundy being let go by his alma mater of Oklahoma State. There will be other notable head coaches fired, but who is up next for it?
While it could be Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, he may be able to coach out the rest of the season. The Badgers have a brutally bad Big Ten slate. He has an albatross of a contract. Most importantly, he seems to have a good rapport with his athletic director in Chris McIntosh. With their powers combined, they seem to be each other's own life preservers, if we are being totally honest...
So with that being said, who out there could conceivably take over for Fickell if here were to be let go at some point this year or in the offseason? Perhaps even more importantly, who is almost certainly not coming to Madison to take over for Fickell? Once we can start to cross off some candidates' names, the better off we are in trying to figure out if Fickell has any potential staying power in 2026.
Here are five high-quality head coaches who would rather do anything else than coach at Wisconsin.
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck
Why would P.J. Fleck ever consider turning heel and taking over at Minnesota's biggest rival? There is no love lost between the Badgers and the Golden Gophers. Although Fleck seems to be having Minnesota operating at or near its zenith as a college football program in the 21st century, there may come a time where he levels up even more at his next job. It may be Michigan, but never at Wisconsin.
Fleck is perfect in the Big Ten/Midwestern footprint. With how well he does in Minneapolis, it would have to take the perfect job to ever get him to leave. Even though he has been on the hot seat at times in years past at Minnesota, the good continues to outweigh the bad with him in the Twin Cities. Wisconsin may have better resources and may offer more money, but he would never take this job.
Outside of Michigan, Fleck could take over at places like Nebraska, Penn State and honestly, Cal...
4. Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops
Mark Stoops is too feeling some pressure at his college football post. The longest tenured head coach in the SEC is potentially going to be out of a job at the end of this season. While he does have strong ties to other quality programs such as Florida State and his alma mater of Iowa, Wisconsin could potentially be a life raft for him in the final third of his coaching career. He is not going to take it.
What has plagued Stoops of late in Lexington is his team's inability to consistently have a strong offense. The defense usually holds its own. The special teams are typically sound. While the offensive line is good for the most part, Kentucky lacks the dynamism at its skill positions to make a difference on that side of the ball. He could take the Wisconsin job, but he will not elevate this offense either.
Outside of Iowa and Florida State, he might be a decent fit at his brother's former school of Arizona.
3. Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema
It would be a cold day in hell before Bret Bielema comes back to Madison. He left the Badgers so many years ago to test his luck in the SEC at Arkansas. While he had his moments in Fayetteville, he ultimately failed like every coach in the wake of Houston Nutt. Bielema needed to re-invent himself a bit, but has found new life as the Illinois Fighting Illini's great head coach. He has that thing humming.
Even though Wisconsin is a better job on paper, why would Bielema want to waste his time trying to rebuild something at a place he has already been before? If Bielema were to ever leave Illinois, it would probably be for a more marquee job in the Big Ten. His alma mater of Iowa seems like a logical next potential destination for him, but a second stint at Wisconsin is not going to improve his legacy.
In addition to Iowa, Bielema seems like a coach who could work at Nebraska, Penn State and ... USC...
2. Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall
There will be a few Group of Five head coaches making the leap up to the Power Four in the next hiring cycle. The most obvious candidate for that is Jon Sumrall. The former Kentucky linebacker could be a candidate at his alma mater based on his regional ties, as well as his great runs at Troy and now Tulane. However, there is a chance he may be destined for jobs even greater than his alma mater.
Sumrall has the Green Wave in the mix to potentially win the Group of Five and make the College Football Playoff out of The American. In a way, he is the perfect kind of head coach who could work in any Power Four league, even in the Big Ten. In truth, he is probably destined for an SEC job. The big thing to remember with Sumrall is he will have other better options than Wisconsin, or even Kentucky.
In not Wisconsin or Kentucky, Sumrall could be in play at places like Auburn, Florida or Virginia Tech.
1. Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell
This could totally backfire, but the best potential head-coaching candidate to be had this offseason might be Matt Campbell out of Iowa State. He has done extraordinary things in Ames and at Toledo previously. Win or lose, his teams always play great defense. His blue-collar ethos would permeate any locker room. At this juncture, he should only leave Iowa State for a Power Two job. Is it Wisconsin?
While Wisconsin could pay him a ton of money, Campbell has earned a slightly better entry point than that of the Badgers. If it fails for Lincoln Riley at USC, he is the first name Jennifer Cohen should call to fix the Trojans. UCLA may be open, but he is not taking that job. Campbell is probably too busy focusing on bigger things at hand leading the Cyclones, but Wisconsin is too small potatoes for him.
If Campbell were to leave Iowa State this winter, it must be for a job like Michigan, Nebraska or USC.