Wisconsin Badgers
MADISON, WI (WSAU) β Plot twist: Wisconsin did not stay in-house for its next football coach.
After weeks of sources and signs pointing to Jim Leonhard having the interim tag removed and keeping the position full-time, the Badgers announced Luke Fickell as their next coach on Sunday.
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Welcome @CoachFick ! pic.twitter.com/ybE9U3b3nu
β Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 27, 2022
The UW System Board of Regents held a zoom call at 4 PM CT to go into closed session for β employment and additional compensation agreements for the UW-Madison head football coach,β as allowed by state statutes. Fickellβs hire was announced roughly 75 minutes later.
Fickell is seen by many as one of the hottest commodities in the Division I coaching ranks. He owns a 57-18 record in six years at the controls for the Bearcats, who went 13-0 in 2021 while becoming the first-ever program from the so-called βgroup of fiveβ conferences to reach the College Football Playoff bracket. The Bearcats were the #4 seed that year, losing to Alabama in the semifinals.
He does bring some Big Ten coaching experience, as he was named interim coach at Ohio State after the departure of Jim Tressel in 2011. He also won a national championship while on Urban Meyerβs staff with the Buckeyes in 2014.
Sources add that others who were considered for the Wisconsin job, including Leonhard, were told they didnβt get it early Sunday afternoon. Additionally, UC is preparing to name Special Teams coordinator Kerry Coombs as their interim coach.
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