Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day Praises Wisconsin Badgers' Luke Fickell

Fickell has a decorated history as a player and coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and has the respect of Buckeyes coach Ryan Day heading into Saturday's game.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes square off against a familiar face on Saturday when they take on the Wisconsin Badgers: Luke Fickell.

A man with deep roots in Columbus, Fickell both played for and coached the Buckeyes on and off between 1999 and 2016. Over that time, Fickell earned numerous accolades during that time, including the 1996 Rose Bowl, the 2010 Assistant Coach of the Year award, and the 2014 National Championship.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters during his weekly press conference on Tuesday he is well aware of Fickell's history with the Buckeyes, and admires the work he has done with the Badgers.

"Certainly, he left a lot behind here as a player and as a coach, very well respected by so many," Day said. "Nothing but respect for Luke, his staff, the team, the program. Wisconsin's always an excellent program, and Luke's done a great job."

Fickell spent five years as a nose guard for the Buckeyes, spending his first year redshirted on the sideline after breaking his leg during camp. When he was finally cleared to play, Fickell saw action in 50 consecutive games between 1993 and 1996, which was a record at the time.

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper, who had originally recruited Fickell, brought the Columbus, Ohio native back to his hometown as a graduate assistant for the 1999 season. Fickell spent the next two years in Akron, before heading south to rejoin the Buckeyes in 2002 as a member of Jim Tressel's staff.

Fickell served in a variety of positions with Ohio State between 2002 and 2016, including special teams coach, linebackers coach, and defensive coordinator, before taking a head coaching job at the University of Cincinnati. In 2022, Fickell was announced as the new head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers after five years of helming the Bearcats.

Day said Wisconsin is always a tough team but is now even more of a threat thanks to Fickell's experience as a player and coach of the Buckeyes and Bearcats.

"I think it just started when he was at Cincinnati and what he did there, and what he built," Day said. "His teams are always well-coached. So, we know going in (Wisconsin is) going to be well-coached (and) play hard."

Ohio State and Wisconsin kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 28. Live coverage of the game will air nationally on NBC from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.