After a relatively long and thorough search, it seems as if the Wisconsin Badgers have finally landed on Shawn Eichorst to take over the reins as the program's new athletic director. Eichorst is currently not employed as an AD. Rather, he is handling the chief operating officer duties at Texas. However, this stint with the Badgers will not be his first rodeo, as Eichorst previously held an AD position at Nebraska — a tenure that didn't bode so well.
Sources: Wisconsin is targeting Shawn Eichorst as the school’s new athletic director. He’s the former AD at Nebraska and Miami and is currently the deputy AD and COO at Texas. pic.twitter.com/NdfF86DeOd
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 30, 2026
Nonetheless, there is plenty of reason for Wisconsin fans to be enthusiastic about the hire and what's to come, as although his past is a bit shaky, Eichorst does have some intriguing traits. He may not be the flashiest hire on the market, but as long as he can hold down the position and continue to guide the program in the positive direction it has been moving, he should be set up for success.
However, three things in particular make this hire especially interesting, as it seems as if the Badgers were hunting for an individual who had obvious differences in comparison to what was previously in town.
He's good at all the things McIntosh wasn't
By the end of Chris McIntosh's tenure with Wisconsin, it seemed as if virtually everyone was out on him. From a questionable Luke Fickell hire that doesn't look great in retrospect to the mishandling of money with both resource infrastructure and NIL, McIntosh had quite a few faults.
Luckily for Wisconsin fans, Eichorst is a bit more experienced and well renowned for his handling of money. Being the COO for college football's biggest NIL fund is no joke, and that program has really thrived in recent years because of it. If Eichorst can bring some of that knowledge and savvy over to a Badger program which has seen a recent uptick in funding, it could mean great things for the future of the program.
NIL Experience
On the topic of NIL and proper usage of it, this is the area that Eichorst arguably thrives in the most. It isn't exactly public knowledge as to the exact things that he did with Texas as the COO, but judging off what the job typically entails, he was likely handling things like revenue sharing, budget management for NIL and facilities, staff hiring, etc., all of which is good experience for an AD to have.
This job experience is what has given many people in the Wisconsin media sphere confidence that Eichorst is the right guy for the job, as he seems equipped and experienced enough to handle the new NIL wave. Whether he can handle it as an AD is to be seen, but at worst, his pedigree is intriguing.
He Knows Wisconsin
Although he isn't connected to the Badger program as a player or coach, Eichorst does have experience working behind the scenes in what was arguably the best era of Wisconsin football. He was hired by famed head coach and former Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez as a senior associate athletic director before being promoted to executive associate AD, then deputy athletic director.
Alvarez clearly took a liking to Eichorst and his savvy, giving him experience that would ultimately lead to his first AD job at Miami and eventually Nebraska. Now, as he aims to return to the school that arguably made him who he is, Eichorst has experienced what made Badger athletics great all those years ago and will aim to return the program to that status.
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