CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah broke down this century's 25 best coaching hires in an article last month. Luke Fickell appears in the article but not at Wisconsin, he's considered one of the best hires of this century due to what he did at Cincinnati. He still has yet to prove himself at Wisconsin, and fans are growing impatient for him to start a record of winning like he did for the Bearcats.
Jeyarajah lists Fickell as the 16th best collegiate hire when Cincinnati made the call to make him a head coach after being a long-time Ohio State assistant. They would go on to an impressive 53-10 regular season record with multiple conference championships, and even the 2021 National Coach of the Year award winner.
Luke Fickell is still trying to prove he's a great hire at Wisconsin
Here's what Jeyarajah said about Fickell in the article:
"Fickell is as Ohio as Ohio gets and managed to use his superpower to carry Cincinnati into the Power Four. The longtime Ohio State assistant was a sensational evaluator and developer, ultimately helping a team of overlooked recruits develop into a powerhouse with four straight AP Top 25 finishes. The peak was a 2021 appearance in the College Football Playoff, which helped set the stage for the Bearcats to join the Big 12 in 2023. After a transitional first season, Fickell posted an absurd 53-10 record in five seasons. "Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
This is when Wisconsin lured him to be the next head coach of the Badgers. Now, he's entering another year, and fans are hoping he can prove that he isn't a bust and that he can be a successful Power-5 coach.
If Fickell is to make that leap, he will need to do what he did at Cincinnati. Not the scheme or the play calling- those gimmicks have proven to be unsuccessful, but instead the ability to develop talent. He's known as one of the best evaluators and talent developers in all of coaching, as Jeyarajah even said above. We haven't seen that yet at Wisconsin, it seems as if he thought his success came from schemes and creativity more than doing what he does best, development.
It would be great to look back on this list someday and see Luke Fickell as a name here twice because he turned his own lackluster start at Wisconsin around and made them into a powerhouse.