Believe it or not, 2030 is a lot closer than it seems, and The Athletic is predicting every Power Four coach for that year.
There's a lot riding on 2026 for Luke Fickell and his future at Wisconsin. If all goes well, there's a realistic chance that he's still heading up the Badgers in 2030. With another .500 of worse year though, he's likely on his way out. So how does The Athletic see things playing out?
They've got former Wisconsin player and assistant Jason Eck taking over the reins. Here's what they had to say.
The Wisconsin native and former Badgers offensive lineman seems to be on a collision course with a return to Madison after winning a share of the Mountain West regular season title last year with one of the most extensively overhauled rosters in the FBS.
The Badgers may opt for the hometown coach if Luke Fickell can't steady the waters
While it's not hard to see a scenario where Fickell is cast aside, a Jason Eck hire is more difficult to predict. While he does have ties to the state and the program after growing up in La Crosse and joining the Badgers as a walk-on in 1995, if Fickell is fired, Athletic Director Chris McIntosh will be as well in all likelihood. So if a new AD comes in, there's no guarantee they'll have any sort of loyalty to the former player.
Still, Eck has been on an upward trajectory ever since becoming the head coach at Idaho in 2022, and will be a hot name with another strong season at New Mexico after going 9-4 in his first year. So while the ties to Wisconsin may not come into play too much, it's easy to want a good coach regardless.
If Fickell can make a bowl game this season, there's a strong chance that Wisconsin wants to keep this train rolling. And if that's the case, it's hard to argue with winning football. So sure, let's run it back with Fickell. However, if he puts up another stinker, most Badgers fans would likely welcome an Eck hire.