With so many coaches being fired this year (we're up to 11 at the time of this being written) it's certain that many Wisconsin football fans thought "Why not one more? Count us in!" The ill-will towards head coach Luke Fickell has long passed a fever pitch, and fans are now ready to just get it over with.
Not so fast, Badgers. Apparently, coach Fickell will not be joining the ranks of the unemployed this fall or even this offseason if the latest report does end up being correct.
Pete Thamel posted a report on X that Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh has pledged that Luke Fickell will return in 2026, along with a "significant increase in financial investment".
NEWS: Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell will return to coach the Badgers in 2026, athletic director Chris McIntosh tells ESPN. The move comes with significant increase in financial investment. https://t.co/8S4JlAIBJH
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 6, 2025
Translated: Luke Fickell convinced the AD that with more NIL and revenue share money, he can get this program back on track.
Either way, it was probably the best move for Wisconsin given the astounding number of vacancies that are needing to be filled. Wiscy could have potentially been in a position of having to hire someone they probably didn't want.
Still, Badger fans took to the interwebs with gnashing, wailing, moaning, and hysterical tears in some cases. The deluge of reactions was both epic and tragic.
Three's and things. Three little pigs. Three bears. Three Muskateers. Three wisemen. Rock, paper, scissors. Snap, crackle, pop. Person, place, thing. Luke Fickell's votes of confidence from Chris McIntosh. Third time is the charm? Or see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) November 7, 2025
Never imagined it would have got to this point when Fickell was announced as the Badger coach.
— Chris Vogt (@ChrisVogt33) November 7, 2025
When I was at Cincinnati, our teams were loaded & competing on a national scale.
How/why that hasn’t translated as well as expected to an already established program is beyond me. https://t.co/FzGseReH1u
Im not even mad at Fickell anymore, Chris McIntosh is enemy #1 in this household.
— Billy Ascher (@AscherBill) November 7, 2025
@ESPNRittenberg I challenge you to get to Madison and actually ask Chris McIntosh questions that ain't softball questions that he already knew what was coming. No Badger fan wants McIntosh or Fickell back for next year period. @BadgerFootball unserious football program
— Lance P (@LancePiep) November 7, 2025
ALSO READ: Wisconsin AD tries justifying why he won't fire Luke Fickell
Well, we definitely aren’t counting wins under Fickell so far https://t.co/MiP5bbUQTO
— Graham #GoPackGo (@SweetMan81235) November 7, 2025
Sorry Professor my academic success isn’t limited to A’s and F’s it comes in many forms. #Mcintosh #Badgers #Fickell
— gelvin mordon (@bizarrojerry12) November 7, 2025
Wisconsin had one of the longest bowl streaks in the country before Fickell got hired https://t.co/U18jZrpc2P
— Brodie (@SadOSUhoopsFan) November 7, 2025
Yes, it's pretty ugly out there. There are plenty of NSFW posts that are calling for both Fickell and Mcintosh to be fired. Wisconsin fans are not happy, to apathetic to be sad, and are just looking for some hope.