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Wisconsin Badgers transfer portal class is under pressure to save Luke Fickell's job

Luke Fickell's job security depends on how well his Wisconsin Badgers perform this fall. He's counting on his winter transfer portal class to keep him employed.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the first quarter against the Washington Huskies at Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the first quarter against the Washington Huskies at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Luke Fickell's job security depends on how well his Wisconsin Badgers perform this fall.

He's counting on his winter transfer portal class of over 30 new players to be the difference makers that keep him employed.

These transfers were identified by The Athletic as one of the groups under the most pressure in 2026 because of their coach's past struggles.

Fickell’s back is against the wall after some ugly seasons. These transfer additions, particularly on offense, will ultimately be under pressure to buy him more time at Wisconsin.
Antonio Morales, The Athletic

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Writer Antonio Morales pointed to the Badgers' offensive struggles in particular as holding the team back, noting that the team hasn't finished higher than 93rd in scoring since Fickell took over.

That has largely been due to injuries at the quarterback position, and now Wisconsin is counting on Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph to buck the trend.

Related: How Colton Joseph compares to other recent Wisconsin Badgers transfer portal QBs

Morales was complimentary of the Badgers' transfer class, finding optimism in new weapons like running back Abu Sama from Arizona State and wide receiver Jaylon Domingeaux from Southeast Louisiana coming in and making a difference.

Add in some new pieces to retool a defense that performed well in 2025, and it's not hard to imagine this Wisconsin team playing much better in 2026.

Fickell's job will depend on it.

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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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