Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell Teases Role for Mike Vrabel With Badgers

The former Tennessee Titans coach and current Wisconsin Badgers coach were roommates with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 1990s.

The recent NFL coaching carousel brought some pretty unexpected firings and departures. The Tennessee Titans’ dismissal of Mike Vrabel is up at the top of the list, and with all 32 head coaching jobs once again filled, Vrabel likely will be waiting until next winter for his next head coaching opportunity.

But based on a recent radio interview with one of his close friends, we may see Vrabel have a hand in the upcoming Big Ten season, however.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell appeared on the Wilde & Tausch radio show on Wednesday and discussed his former Ohio State teammate. After joking about the recent report that Vrabel’s physique intimidated those involved in making NFL hires, Fickell teased that he hopes to get his onetime Buckeyes roommate involved in the Badgers program.

“I talked to him, I think, on Saturday, and we hadn’t communicated for probably a week or so just because the process was going,” said Fickell. “He sounded like a new man. And I’m not sure exactly if this was his choice, or what the future looks like, but I know that we’re going to have a visitor here that’s going to spend a little bit of time, hopefully around us. Starting in the spring and some things like that. See how much, how deep we can get involved with my buddy and get him around here.”

Luke Fickell says former #Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will likely spend time around the #Badgers program this spring. ⬇️

📺 FULL SHOW on YouTube (Interview with @CoachFick begins at 2:17:15): https://t.co/8jUy7WS9dg pic.twitter.com/Oys1HLQDla

— Wilde & Tausch (@WildeAndTausch) February 7, 2024

Fickell went on to tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel that he hopes to bring in Vrabel in what Thamel calls an “informal role” during the season.

“I love Mike and want him around as much as possible,” Fickell said. “I want to see how much he’d like to be around, in the spring for sure. And we’ll go from there.”

Any connection between Vrabel and the college game is even more interesting given the pressure on the current Ohio State coach Ryan Day. With three straight losses to Michigan and no national title to his name, Day needs a big year to keep his critics at bay. While Vrabel’s interest in returning to college football is an open question, his availability certainly doesn’t help matters for the current Buckeyes coach.