Why Luke Fickell’s major recruiting wins could be too little, too late at Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers have recently found themselves on arguably the hottest recruiting streak in program history. Prior to this stretch, many fans had grown frustrated with Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, not only for the fact that he has struggled to churn out wins in his tenure, but also for the fact that he hadn't managed to consistently recruit high school talent.

However, after this recent run, many have now begun to think that Fickell is turning a corner, taking steps toward the success that the Badgers envisioned when they first brought him in. However, this recent stretch should be viewed with caution, as Fickell has much more to prove before he can officially be trusted as Wisconsin's long-term answer at head coach.

New AD in Town

As of right now, the Badgers currently do not have an athletic director, as after naming Morocco Brown the new general manager, the search has only heated up for the new AD spot. This new wave is imperative to Fickell's job security because a new front office likely won't stand for another year of bad on-field play.

It's a relatively common theme throughout all of sports that new authority figures like to make hefty changes in their first few years, making moves that signal a regime change has come. In Wisconsin's case, it's hard for a GM or AD — in fact, impossible — to make a major trade or acquisition for a top-end player, meaning the easy way to assert authority is through a coaching change. This doesn't mean that Fickell is doomed no matter what, but there is no doubt that the new AD will be looking for a little more than just recruiting success from Fickell this next year.

Need Wins

No matter who the Badgers end up bringing in to be the athletic director for the foreseeable future, the one thing that each and every one of them will be looking for is wins. Since joining Wisconsin, Fickell has struggled mightily to do just that, posting back-to-back losing records and overall moving the program in a direction that nobody wants to be headed.

Now, with the recent recruiting success he's had both in the transfer portal and in high school, Fickell has no choice but to produce wins on the field. There are no longer any embedded excuses of lack of talent or unfamiliarity, as he has both enough resources and enough time to figure out those issues. Now, the only thing that remains for Fickell in order to keep his job is to produce, something that he hasn't done to date.

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