Report: Wisconsin Finalizing Deal To Hire Cincinnati Head Coach Luke Fickell

The former Ohio State defensive tackle, assistant and interim head coach will be returning to the Big Ten.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Wisconsin is finalizing a deal with Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell to make him the program’s next head coach. The deal is expected to be formally announced in the next 24 hours.

Here’s our updated story on Fickell to Wisconsin. Deal being finalized. Jim Leonhard and other candidates have been told they aren’t getting the job. Process will play out in next 24 hours. https://t.co/FNAKRcty5D

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 27, 2022

The 49-year-old Fickell has gone 57-18 in six seasons with the Bearcats, who became the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff in 2021. He also led the program to back-to-back American Athletic Conference titles the last two season, though they fell just one win short of the title game this fall.

Fickell, who played defensive tackle at Ohio State from 1993-96, began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1999. After a two-year stint as the defensive line coach at Akron, he returned to Columbus as the special teams coordinator under former head coach Jim Tressel.

Fickell became the Buckeyes’ linebackers coach in 2004, then added the title of co-defensive coordinator to his responsibilities the following season. He held that position until he was named the interim head coach when Tressel resigned amid the tattoo-for-memorabilia scandal.

Without several key players who were suspended for their role, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State went 6-7 in Fickell’s lone season at the helm. He then returned to his post as co-defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, where he remained until he was hired by Cincinnati in 2017.

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Fickell has been connected to numerous job openings in recent year, including LSU, Notre Dame and USC last offseason, but remained with the Bearcats despite strong interest from other programs.

“Fickell's attraction to the Badgers' brass, along with his record and roots in the league, is his ability to build a program,” Thamel said. “Fickell turned Cincinnati into one of the country's best development programs, taking modest recruits and consistently churning out strong teams.”

Fickell will replace Paul Chryst, who was fired in October after going 67-26 in seven-plus seasons at Wisconsin. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard led the Badgers to a 4-3 record while serving as the interim head coach for the remaining of the season

Ohio State notably travels to Madison on Oct. 28, 2023. Fickell is 0-1 against his alma mater as a head coach, as the Bearcats fell to the Badgers, 42-0, in Columbus in 2019.

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