The Wisconsin Badgers have a real problem. Their record is 2-6; they are the worst-scoring offense in the Power 4 conferences and the second-worst in all of FBS. They haven't won a Big Ten game in over a year, and they are in danger of losing half of their 2026 recruiting class. It's a certified mess, yet it seems Chris McIntosh is planning to let Luke Fickell be the head coach again in 2026.
If that's the case, someone has to be blamed and fired for this mess. You know the saying, it's the idiot that keeps doing the same thing but expecting different results. Sure, the coaching staff could blame the players, but coaches are responsible for developing and getting the most out of them. And by roster construction alone, there's no way this Wisconsin team is as bad as their output in 2025.
So, even if the players are partially to blame, it's still mainly the coaches. Here are three assistant football coaches who should be fired if McIntosh won't pull the trigger on the top dog.
1. Kenny Guiton - QB Coach
This one is tough because he literally just got put into this position before the season started, but that quarterbacks' room is an absolute mess. There's a case to be made that Hunter Simmons is playing because he's the only one willing to. That's just unacceptable. However, all the quarterbacks that have played have been terrible and ill-prepared. Sorry, Guiton, you may need to be the scapegoat even though this ultimately falls on Fickell.
2. Jeff Grimes - OC Coordinator
It's hard to type these words, but an offense run by Phil Longo is currently performing better than the current offense under Jeff Grimes. Sam Houston State (where Longo is the head coach) ranks 7th-worst in the FBS. Wisconsin is the 2nd-worst.
Not saying Longo would be better because with this schedule vs. the Sam Houston one, it would probably be actually the worst offense. But Grimes was supposed to fix this problem. He was supposed to bring a balanced attack that could survive an injury to a starting quarterback, but he has not.
3. AJ Blazek - Offensive Line Coach
Wisconsin is known for big guys and a running game. Currently, the Badgers don't have either going for them. While the offensive line has been better of late, it's still miserable. The patchwork and thrown-together nature is terrible. Blazek struggles to either recruit, develop, or put together the right unit. Or I guess it could be a combo of all three.
The other option is he's stuck with what comes to him via Fickell, but this article is about how McIntosh is avoiding firing Fickell, which means he will need other scapegoats. Here are the three that need to go if Fickell stays.