Wisconsin lost its WR coach, Jordan Reid, just a few days ago to the NFL. Reid took an assistant coach position with the Atlanta Falcons. Wisconsin may be reaching into the NFL to replace the spot on staff. According to John Brice of FootballScoop.com, Luke Fickell is working to hire Ari Confesor from the Jacksonville Jaguars. There's more to the story than this, so let's break it down.
NEWS: Several sources tell @FootballScoop that Wisconsin @BadgerFootball is targeting former @Chiefs & @Jaguars staffer Ari Confessor to be the program's next wide receivers coach: https://t.co/pVddyR7nmX
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) February 20, 2026
Ari Confesor could be the next Wisconsin WR coach for Luke Fickell
Related: Rising coach who started his career at Wisconsin joining Super Bowl champion Seahawks
Brice says that the deal is not quite done but that it should be completed by Monday. That's a big deal, as he's considered one of the rising assistant coaches in the sport. He's been in the NFL at two different times.
In 2012 to 2013, he worked in the scouting department for the Kansas City Chiefs. He's coached all over the place in the collegiate world after his time in Kansas City. He has coached Rhode Island, College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater), Air Force, and, most recently, Wake Forest.
He was recently hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars "as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program." This is a short-term hire that helps bring more diversity to coaching in the NFL. Giving NFL experience and time on a staff for those coaches who are of color and rising in the coaching world.
His time at Wake Forest has put him on the NFL radar, where he helped Taylor Morin break records and become the all-time leading receiver in Demon Deacon history. He's also been known to be a good recruiter, evaluator, and, of course, coach. His time as a special teams coach and even a linebackers coach in his history gives him diversity to the staff. But he was a star receiver at Holy Cross, and that's where he fits best.