MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell says he hasn’t been told whether he will be back next season.
Fickell was asked that directly during his Monday news conference, hours after athletic director Chris McIntosh sent a letter to season-ticket holders saying the school plans to increase its investment in its football program to “provide our coaches the tools necessary to succeed.”
Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) has dropped its last five games by an average margin of 25.2 points and is coming off back-to-back home shutout losses.
“I have not been told,” Fickell said. “I’m not worried about that. I understand if we don’t meet expectations, if we don’t do the things we need to do, anything can happen.”
McIntosh’s letter didn’t specifically address Fickell’s future while noting that this season “has fallen well short of our standards.”
“While our coaches, staff and student-athletes continue to demonstrate the work ethic and values that represent UW Football, the result simply are not where any of us want them to be,” McIntosh said. “Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration.”
Fickell did say in his news conference how much McIntosh’s support has meant to him.
“He didn’t have to put a letter out for me to know,” Fickell said. “I think obviously (it’s) for a lot of others to know, but having honest conversations with him throughout this entire process is something that keeps me in the right frame of mind and the right head space. We’ve asked about the different things that are swirling out there and whatever it is, yeah, it affects you. But when you’ve got a guy you trust, a guy you call a friend who obviously can sit down and have some conversations with you and know where you are, it helps, there’s no doubt.”
Wisconsin has fallen 37-0 to Iowa and 34-0 to No. 1 Ohio State over the last two weeks. It’s the first time since 1977 that Wisconsin has gone scoreless in consecutive games.
The Badgers have lost their last 10 games against Power Four conference programs, and two of the Badgers’ next three games are at No. 6 Oregon and at No. 2 Indiana. Wisconsin’s last five opponents have a combined record of 28-7.
Wisconsin dropped its final five games last year to finish 5-7 and end a string of 22 straight winning seasons, which had been the longest active streak among Power Four schools.
Fickell would have been owed about $28 million under the buyout terms of his contract if he had been fired after the Ohio State game. He has gone 15-18 at Wisconsin after posting a 57-18 record at Cincinnati from 2018-22, including a 2021 College Football Playoff berth.
“I know how everybody feels,” Fickell said. “I live it every single day, every minute. The guys in that locker room do the same thing. But we’ve got to find ways to continue to push ourselves forward, move forward, find ways to continue to get better. It’s everybody’s responsibility in this program and this team. I’m not shying away from that.”
McIntosh’s letter stated that the athletic department “is committed to elevating the investment into our football program.”
“While we still have a lot of football to play this season, with the support and significant involvement of Chancellor (Jennifer) Mnookin, Athletics is committed to elevating the investment into our football program to position us to compete at the highest level,” McIntosh said in his letter. “As a department, we must provide our coaches the tools necessary to succeed. That means more Athletics-funded investments into infrastructure, staffing and, most importantly, student-athlete recruiting and retention.
“In this new era of collegiate athletics, the clear reality is that high expectations must be matched with an equal level of support. The results of this elevated support may not be immediate, but we are confident that the impact will be positive and long-term.”
During his news conference, Fickell also noted how the landscape of college football has changed since Wisconsin hired him.
When he took over, Fickell discussed developing high school recruits and using the transfer portal only to supplement the roster. Fickell said Monday that “the way you construct a roster, what I believed was the right way three years ago, is definitely different now and will continue to probably be different as we move forward.”
“It’s really difficult to play at a young age in this league,” Fickell said. “The maturity, the size, the speed is different. And for young players that all want to play, coming into this league, if they’re not more developed – meaning the truth of the matter four-star, five-star – it’s really difficult.”
