Badgers’ Luke Fickell asked to forgo extension amid struggles
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Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell, at his request, was not among the coaches to receive a customary one-year extension from the school’s athletic board Wednesday as he focuses on improved results in 2026.
The university awards the extensions to keep coaches’ contracts at their original lengths.
Athletic director Chris McIntosh, in a statement to ESPN, said Fickell asked him not to put the extension on the table. Fickell received one-year extensions in 2023 and 2024, with his contract currently running through March 2032.
Fickell is just 17-21 with the Badgers after consecutive losing seasons, which Wisconsin had not had since 1991 and 1992.
“I respect his request and determined that the current terms of Luke’s contract will be maintained,” McIntosh said in the statement. “Luke is completely focused on a successful 2026 campaign. There is no one more competitive than Luke, and he holds himself to the highest standards. He is committed to meeting and exceeding the expectations of everyone connected to Wisconsin — his own, the team’s, the university’s, alumni, supporters, fans, and the entire state.”
McIntosh, who hired Fickell in late 2022 and awarded him a seven-year contract, said in November that the coach would return in 2026 despite a six-game losing streak that included consecutive home shutouts against Iowa and Ohio State.
In announcing Fickell’s return, McIntosh said Wisconsin would increase its investment toward infrastructure, staff and roster building.
“He continues to have our full support and, as we shared widely at the end of last year, Luke is making the necessary changes in the program, our department is increasing our investment and we are aligned with campus leadership in our commitment to football success,” McIntosh said in the statement.
Wisconsin’s athletic board approved one-year contract extensions Wednesday for volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield and soccer coaches Paula Wilkins and Neil Jones, keeping their deals at five years.
