Luke Fickell's latest hire is a head scratcher for more than one reason

After losing running backs coach Devon Spalding earlier this week to Michigan State, Luke Fickell and the Badgers have already filled the vacancy.

According to Ryan Burns of 247Sports, the Badgers are hiring Minnesota running backs coach Jayden Everett to the same position in Madison.

Badgers new hire actually coached the man he's replacing

Spalding, the former Badger running backs coach, who was a receiver/running back for the Chippewa's at Central Michigan, was coached by none other than Jayden Everett. Everett was the running backs coach at the time, and overlapped with Spalding for two seasons. Spalding averaged 4.7 yards per carry for his career.

After leaving Central Michigan, Everett went on to hold positions with Akron, Tulsa, Vanderbilt and Michigan. He spent last season on PJ Fleck's staff with the Gophers, where Minnesota finished last in the Big Ten in rushing with just 3.6 yards per carry and 103.2 yards per game. Now he'll need to find a way to boost the Wisconsin run-game, which has fallen short of the program's high standards in recent years.

On the surface, the hire is strange to say the least. Everett didn't have much success with the Gophers, and has spent time with eight different schools over the last eight seasons. He'll now be tasked with re-vamping a Wisconsin run game that has already lost Dilin Jones and Cade Yacamelli to the transfer portal. While many Badger fans were hoping for a former player to take the reigns, Fickell instead opts for Everett, who will already have a busy week with the portal officially opening tomorrow.