Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has a Wisconsin Badger fixation

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is turning to former Wisconsin Badgers to make his offense a little tougher in 2026.

Two days after signing former Badgers center Tyler Biadasz, the Chargers came to a free agent agreement with former UW fullback Alec Ingold in a two-year, $7.5 million deal on Sunday.
The $3.9 million Ingold will receive in 2026 and the $3.75 million average per year puts him in a tie as the NFL's highest-paid fullback.

The signing reunited Ingold with former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who serves as the Chargers' offensive coordinator and coached Ingold for the last four seasons in Miami. Ingold earned a Pro Bowl selection for the Dolphins in 2023.

Chargers signing FB Alec Ingold to a 2-year, $7.5M deal. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/geqGlFr0au
— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2026

Known for his versatility as a blocker and pass-catcher, Ingold has played 107 games over his seven-year NFL career and has contributed 667 total yards and six touchdowns. He is also a three-time nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2020, 2022, 2024) and established the Ingold Family Foundation in 2022 to create programming and financial support for children in the welfare system.

Beginning his collegiate career at linebacker before transitioning to fullback, Ingold played in 51 games with 11 starts with the Badgers, carrying the ball 103 times for 343 yards and 17 TDs in addition to 14 receptions for 185 yards and four touchdowns.

On the goal line, between the 20s, screens, you name it: very easy to see why Chargers OC Mike McDaniel wanted FB Alec Ingold back pic.twitter.com/kA4UdIAd8R
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) March 9, 2026

He spent three seasons in the same huddle as Biadasz, who also signed a multi-year deal with the Chargers and is expected to become the team's starting center in the fall.

According to Pro Football Focus, Biadasz posted an overall grade of 71.5 last season, good for ninth among all players at that position with at least 800 snaps. He was ninth among centers with a PFF pass-blocking grade of 67.1 and was 11th with a run-blocking grade of 71.2.

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2021, Biadasz has played 5,191 total snaps, which ranks second among all centers in that timeframe.

Biadasz was the first Rimington Trophy winner in school history, given to the nation's top center, and the second consensus first-team All-America center in UW history (Cory Raymer, 1994). He played all 41 career games with two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor, helping Taylor become the first player in FBS history to rush for 6,000 yards in just three seasons.

Harbaugh coached eight seasons with Michigan and won the 2023 national championship before returning to the NFL. He had a winning record against 11 of the 13 conference schools, going 3-5 against Ohio State and 3-3 against Wisconsin, two of those losses coming with Badgers teams that featured Biadasz or Ingold.