'Why does it matter?': Luke Fickell on Wisconsin's next play caller

It will be a 'collaborative group' calling plays for the rest of the season after Phil Longo's firing.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is shown during the first quarter of their game against Oregon Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell said it wasn't an easy decision, but that he felt it was in the program's best interests to move on from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo, who the school announced was fired Sunday.

Fickell addressed the media on Monday to discuss the firing, and he offered an interesting and unusual — to say the least — response to the logical next question: Who will be calling plays for the Badgers for the rest of the season?

"Why does it matter?" Fickell told reporters. "I mean, the offense will be run and those guys will do a lot of those things collaboratively together, and I don't think it really is important to who's calling (plays). I guess it gives you the ability to point a finger at somebody if that's the case, but it's not one of those things I think is that important. Sometimes I think it's overrated in some ways, but it will be a collaborative group, and those guys will have to work a lot together."

#Badgers HC Luke Fickell on the play-calling moving forward👇

“It’s not one of those things that I think is that important.” pic.twitter.com/7QmKWluZvW

— 1070 The Game (@TheGameMadison) November 18, 2024

That's an odd way of framing one of the most important jobs on the coaching staff, but either way, a new approach is needed. The Badgers offense ranks 97th in the nation in scoring and 102nd in passing. Though Fickell declined to name a new play caller, there will likely still be a head of the snake. The Athletic reported it could be tight ends coach Nate Letton.

The Badgers are coming off a nail-biter against top-ranked Oregon on Saturday. A late field goal proved the difference in a 16-13 loss, and any kind of offensive production could have resulted in a signature win for Fickell. Wisconsin has two games left to get it right. They visit Nebraska on Saturday and host border rival Minnesota on Nov. 29 for the finale.