Here we go again, everyone. With the Wisconsin football team once again stuck in a poor level that no one wanted to see in 2025, a lot of us thought that maybe the Badgers would move on from Luke Fickell. But wait, there's more!
Chris McIntosh once again delivers Luke Fickell news fans feared
Well, not in a good way. On Thursday, Chris McIntosh doubled down in backing Fickell, saying that the struggling head coach will be back in Madison for Year 4 leading the program. This news alone has countless Wisconsin supporters furious and McIntosh's explanation for things isn't making things much better:
Fickell will be back with the #Badgers in 2026.
— Andrew Bandstra (@andrewbandstra) November 6, 2025
McIntosh to ESPN: "This season has caused us all to have to look from within. "Luke has had to do that. I've had to do that. He has a willingness to be better. So do I, and so does Wisconsin from an institutional perspective." https://t.co/arXqBY2NKc
Luke Fickell will be back with Wisconsin in 2026 and fans are not happy about it
We understand that Wisconsin and McIntosh might want to be patient with Fickell, but the program has only regressed since he took over. The expectation was that this year, Wisconsin would take a step forward on both sides of the ball.
Fickell put all his eggs into the Billy Edwards Jr. basket, but he suffered an injury during the first game of the season. He was clearly rushed back too soon and he's been out for quite some time. Fickell also brought in Danny O'Neil to push for the starting job.
He ended up being QB2, but his time as the starter in place of Edwards didn't last long, with Hunter Simmons seeing the majority of the action leading the offense of late. This is the best Wisconsin can do? It's not just that the Badgers are losing games, but they're getting out-coached and attendance is way down.
Playing at Camp Randall Stadium used to be something that opposing teams would fear. Instead, Big Ten rivals now make their way to campus with confidence they'll leave town with a win. That's not what Wisconsin football is all about.
McIntosh made it clear Wisconsin is going to invest big time in the program and put Fickell in the best position to succeed. That's already been the case and nothing has been solved. It could just be that Wisconsin isn't confident in finding a suitable replacement, but that shouldn't be the only reason Fickell is staying put.
His seat is going to be even hotter than it is now throughout next campaign. If Wisconsin doesn't improve and noticeable changes don't arrive, then McIntosh needs to make a switch before even more people come calling for his job too.