The Wisconsin Badgers made a massive coaching decision this year when the team fired head coach Paul Chryst after eight seasons with the team. It was long assumed that Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who was the team’s interim head coach, would be named the team’s permanent head coach. But it appears that Wisconsin is going another direction.
On Sunday morning, news broke that Wisconsin was targeting Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell as the team’s next coach. And it didn’t take long for that move to progress as Justin Williams of The Athletic reported that Fickell will be the next Badgers head coach, informing both teams of the move on Sunday.
“Luke Fickell will be the next head football coach at Wisconsin, sources confirm to @TheAthletic. Fickell informed University of Cincinnati he is leaving to take the new job. This process has been reported by multiple outlets today. @PeteThamel was first to break news of pursuit,” Williams said in a Tweet on Sunday.
It’s certainly a wild development and the College Football World had plenty to say about it on Twitter.
Kudos to Wisconsin for this move. Big time. https://t.co/RO9UXQZ4XQ
— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) November 27, 2022
"These hoes ain't loyal." – Chris Brown on modern CFB coaches https://t.co/O6RPFnFJvc
— Cyrus Smith (@CoolCyWrites) November 27, 2022
Kinda feel bad for their interim guy https://t.co/atjFA8NLEk
— Geoff O'Neil, Pac 12 board member (@GeoffONeil) November 27, 2022
Wisconsin quietly made the most obvious coaching move of the season https://t.co/WGP2K15ZE1
— PodKATT (@valleyshook) November 27, 2022
lmao bucky just drank ohio state’s milkshake they’d been keeping in the fridge until 2026 https://t.co/Sk5xBmOFzI
— austin (@bainard) November 27, 2022
Fickell has spent the past six seasons with the Bearcats, leading the team to the College Football Playoff last season.