Not to say that it will happen, but it probably should happen. After what transpired in Madison on Saturday afternoon, Luke Fickell should have coached his final game with Wisconsin. A 27-10 home blowout loss to Maryland should be the final nail in his coaching coffin. However, money talks and Fickell's buyout is not going to come cheap... Dollar figures aside, he needs to be let go immediately.
This is the worst Wisconsin football has looked in over a quarter century. There is nothing redeeming about this team, especially with how poorly it is coached. It should not matter that the Badgers are 2-2 on the season. Those two wins were over Group of Five opponents at home, games that Wisconsin should have cake walked to victory in. Going up against the Power Four, this team stands no chance.
Wisconsin enters its first bye of the season with absolutely no momentum. Fickell has lost the plot for the last time. Letting Billy Edwards Jr. play vs. his former team was a fireable offense. It did not help that Wisconsin's offensive line showed no interest whatsoever in keeping Danny O'Neil upright either. This team may not win another game the rest of the way, as Maryland was the easiest win they had...
In the event that Fickell is let go, here are five moderately strong candidates to replace him in 2026.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Andy Kotlenicki
It remains to be seen if Andy Kotelnicki will be the difference maker from a play-calling standpoint for Penn State. The Nittany Lions are among the best contenders in the Big Ten this year to make and win the College Football Playoff. While Kotelnicki betting on himself away from mentor Lance Leipold may work out for him in terms of getting his own team to lead, he still feels like a bit of a work in progress...
That being said, Kotelnicki hails from Wisconsin. He was on Leipold's Wisconsin-Whitewater staff for years prior to following him to Buffalo and then later over to Kansas. Wisconsin needs to cultivate a new identity in all three phases. Perhaps Kotelnicki could give the Badgers some much-needed confidence on the offensive side of the ball? Unfortunately, this is too high pressure of a job for him.
If Fickell is allowed to coach for the rest of this year and into next, then maybe Kotelnicki is an option.
4. New Mexico Lobos head coach Jason Eck
One name that keeps popping up as a potential Fickell successor in Madison is one of their own in New Mexico Lobos head coach Jason Eck. This may be his first year in Albuquerque, but he had a great deal of success at his previous post at Idaho. What he may lack in Power Four coaching experience, he makes up for in results. The only problem with this is Fickell also checked that box...
The saving grace for Eck is that he grew up in-state at La Crosse and played for the iconic Barry Alvarez in the mid-to-late-1990s along the offensive line. The fact his position group of note is where the Badgers are utterly toothless now makes Eck an intriguing dark horse candidate for the Badgers. Unfortunately, he lacks the notoriety of a splashy hire. Then again, Fickell was that and he is failing...
If Wisconsin is looking to save some money, then hiring one of their own in Eck might be a good idea.
3. Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda
While it remains to be seen if Dave Aranda would leave his current job in Waco, the Baylor Bears head coach has interesting ties to Wisconsin. Prior to really coming on as Ed Orgeron's defensive coordinator at LSU, he was just that on Gary Andersen's staff in Madison, having originally come over from Utah State. Aranda's teams often fluctuate, but when they are thriving, they play great defense.
The biggest thing he could provide the Badgers is some necessary bite on the defensive side of the football. Wisconsin is continually getting beaten like a drum over the top with even moderately good quarterback play. While Wisconsin might lack the athletes to stop everything through the air, what Aranda has done at Baylor with fewer resources could indicate that he might be a great fit this time.
The only problem is that he will not come cheap, and it does not seem like Wisconsin would pay a ton.
2. Clemson Tigers defensive coordinator Tom Allen
At this juncture, it looks to be a regrettable decision for Tom Allen to leave Penn State to become Clemson's defensive coordinator. The Tigers are struggling against every opponent they have gone up against. Dabo Swinney is having a bad time right now, as Cade Klubnik does not look the part of a former five-star quarterback. So maybe, just maybe, Allen can leave Clemson to return to the Big Ten.
While it did not end well for him in Bloomington, the Indiana Hoosiers had their moments under his watch. Although offensive ineptitude will largely continue under his watch, the Hoosiers always played hard for Allen, as they were quite tenacious on defense. In a way, Allen would be what the Badgers were hoping they got in Fickell. Running the ball and playing great defense sounds so good!
And because he is only making coordinator money now, Wisconsin may be able to afford to hire Allen.
1. Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold
Lance Leipold was already mentioned in the Andy Kotelnicki blurb, but he may be the one to re-establish some sort of pride within this program. Like Kotelnicki, Leipold hails from Wisconsin and did remarkable things leading the way at Wisconsin-Whitewater. The fact he had Buffalo very briefly relevant in the MAC speaks volumes. He also has Kansas playing like a competent football team now.
Although Kansas has a bit more money to spend now thanks to megabooster David Booth, there could be some sentimental attachment to Wisconsin's flagship university for Leipold. He is getting up there in age, but if there was a program for him to leave Kansas for at this stage of the game, it would have to be the Badgers. To be quite frank, he may not cost as much as some of these other coaches.
If the Badgers do move on from Fickell, it would be extreme negligence to at least not reach out.