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Badgers players believe Wisconsin athletic director won't fire head coach Luke Fickell

Multiple Wisconsin Badgers players expressed their support for Luke Fickell and their belief that he will keep his job. A meeting from athletic director Chris McIntosh may have helped.
Lorin Cox|
Oct 18, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during warmups prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium.
Oct 18, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during warmups prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The job security of Luke Fickell will remain the top story around the Wisconsin Badgers until they either improve or fire him.

But it turns out, his seat might not be as hot as it looks from the outside.

After Wisconsin's 34-0 loss to Ohio State on Saturday, their second-straight home shutout loss, multiple players expressed their support for the head coach and their belief that he will keep his job.

A lot of those voices came from young players in the first or second year in the program who were recruited by Fickell and weren't in Madison under the previous regime.

Endorsements from young players

True freshman linebacker Mason Posa is a leader among the 2025 recruiting class, and he doesn't sense any quit in his teammates.

"We're all in with this staff, and we're all in with Wisconsin," Posa said. "Our time is here. It came pretty fast, but we're destined to great, and our job is to win."

Posa didn't mention the meeting that athletic director Chris McIntosh had with the players, first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal.

But he did endorse Fickell and believes he will stick around next season.

"I think he'll stay. He's a great coach. He motivates us," Posa said. "I have full faith in coach 'Fick.'"

Redshirt freshman cornerback Omilio Agard was among those who echoed a similar sentiment.

It's a far from the temperature of the fan base that started chanting "Fire Fickell" before the end of Wisconsin's first drive against Ohio State.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers fans frustrated with Luke Fickell's conservative approach vs Ohio State

They doubt whether the Badgers will win another game this season. If Fickell finishes 2-10, it would be the team's worst season in 35 years.

Keeping the head coach who lost the final 10 games of the season would be a tough sell for McIntosh, but it sounds like that could be the plan at this point.

Maybe additional losses could change things, if Wisconsin fails to show improvement this season under Fickell.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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