Will Luke Fickell make any coaching staff changes after Badgers' disappointing season?

The Wisconsin Badgers are standing behind Luke Fickell after a disappointing 4-8 season, but that doesn't mean changes won't happen on his coaching staff.

He might not be in position to make any drastic moves, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a new assistant coach or two in Madison next year.

For example, changing either coordinator seems unlikely at this point.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes just joined the program last year on a three-year deal. While the offense struggled mightily due to injuries at quarterback and other key spots, it would be a tough sell to the players to bring in their third new OC in three seasons.

Grimes was far from perfect, but he came up with some creative ways to get the running game going and jump start the offense at times, while dealing with a difficult set of circumstances on the roster.

Luke Fickell running it back with Jeff Grimes in a make-or-break offseason for the #Badgers with his job on the line? Bold move. Funds might be tight but Fick could justifiably take a pay cut after his first two hires have failed to produce.
— E From GB (@E_FromGB) December 1, 2025

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Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel has been Fickell's right-hand man dating back to their time together at Cincinnati. The Badgers defense generally performed well this season, despite very little support from the offense.

With those two intact, that would leave the only changes to come among assistants.

It's hard to scapegoat any one position coach as the source of Wisconsin's problems this season. Just about every position group on offense disappointed, but a lot of that is tied to injuries and/or a lack of consistent quarterback play.

Tight end was about the only group that played close to expectations, but it wouldn't be a total shock to see any of the other offensive position coaches replaced.

Related: Is Luke Fickell's new recruiting strategy forward-thinking or a sign of desperation?

Fickell could also opt to just add to the coaching staff instead of firing anybody.

Some other programs have coaches who are designated as "passing game coordinator" or "running game coordinator" on either offense or defense, but the Badgers currently do not.

Wisconsin also does not have any coaches listed as "assistant head coach" or "associated head coach" while other schools do.

The staff also has two coaches working double duty that he could opt to split between multiple people.

Tressel is inside linebackers coach in addition to his work as defensive coordinator, and Matt Mitchell serves as both the outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.

Fickell hasn't been afraid to move on from or simply reclassify coaches and their job titles in year's past. Any changes to the current staff are likely to happen in the coming weeks, if at all.

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