All Badgers

Coaching Profile: Head coach Luke Fickell

A profile of head coach Luke Fickell and his coaching career to this point.

Matt Belz

In this story:

With Luke Fickell set to become the new head coach of the University of Wisconsin football team, the Wisconsin Badgers will have a new face running the program. 

One of the top head coaches in all of college football, Fickell brings plenty of experience to Madison. Here is a look at who he is and what he brings to the job. 

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell running out of the tunnel with the Bearcats.
Luke Fickell running out of the tunnel with quarterback Ben Bryant of the Cincinnati Bearcats.  :: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Name: Luke Fickell

Role: Head Coach

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

High school: Saint Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio

Alma mater: Ohio State University

Previous coaching experience: Luke Fickell has held the following roles over the course of his college coaching career:

  • Graduate assistant at Ohio State (1999)
  • Defensive line coach at Akron (2000-2001)
  • Special teams coach at Ohio State (2002-2003)
  • Linebackers coach at Ohio State (2004)
  • Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ohio State (2005-2010)
  • Interim head coach at Ohio State (2011)
  • Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ohio State (20012-2016)
  • Head coach at Cincinnati (2017-2022)

Playing history: Luke Fickell was a multi-year starter at Ohio State, making 50 straight starts as a defensive tackle for the Buckeyes. Playing from 1993-1996, he later went on to the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. An ACL tear would end his playing career during his first season with the Saints, leading him to pursue a coaching career. 

As a recruiter: Luke Fickell is known for his ability to find and develop talent. With extensive ties to the Midwest and the state of Ohio, Fickell greatly elevated the recruiting efforts of the Bearcats. Cincinnati's 2023 recruiting class ranks No. 27 in the nation, over 30 spots ahead of Wisconsin per the 247 Composite Rankings. 

This past season, Cincinnati had the third-highest number of players drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, trailing only Georgia and LSU with nine players selected. Of that group, Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner went No. 4 overall after signing with Fickell in 2019, while wide receiver Alec Pierce, linebacker Bryan Cook, quarterback Desmond Ridder, and defensive end Myjai Sanders all went in the first three rounds as well. 

Five miscellaneous facts:

  • Luke Fickell is a three-time AAC Coach of the Year winner after leading Cincinnati to a 57-18 record in his six seasons with the Bearcats.
  • Luke Fickell helped lead Cincinnati to become the first team outside the Power-5 to play in the College Football Playoff in 2021, and had three seasons with the Bearcats with 11 or more wins. 
  • Fickell was the Home Depot National Coach of the Year in 2021 and has two conference titles with the Bearcats. 
  • Fickell has six children with his wife Amy. His oldest son plays offensive line for Cincinnati and it will be interesting to see if he follows his father to Madison.
  • Fickell has won two national championships as an assistant coach, his first coming in 2002 with Ohio State, and the second with the Buckeyes in 2014. 
  • According to the Cincinnati Bearcat website, four-year players under his watch have had a 100% graduation rate, and in 2021 the team had four Academic All-Americans. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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