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Wisconsin football alumni: 'This is beyond embarrassing'

Former Wisconsin Badgers football players called for change in the program after Wisconsin was shutout at home by the Ohio State Buckeyes
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell reacts in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell reacts in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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After back-to-back games in which the Wisconsin Badgers have been shut out on Barry Alvarez Field inside Camp Randall Stadium, tensions between the new regime and former players appear to be at an all-time high. Several Wisconsin football alumni used their platforms on Saturday to voice their displeasure with UW head coach Luke Fickell's performance in his three years in Madison.

A 34-0 loss at the hands of the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes may have been easier to swallow in another season. In 2025, however, it came immediately following a 37-0 drubbing on homecoming weekend by the Iowa Hawkeyes. It is the first time Wisconsin has been shut out at home in consecutive weeks since 1968.

Wisconsin football alumni: "Fire everyone"

Coming off the previous week, and as UW's record sat at 2-4, expectations were incredibly low. Former Badgers linebacker Vince Biegel said he has "never seen the sentiment around the program as low as it is right now," calling Saturday's game a "big day for the Badgers and the pride of the program," prior to kickoff.

The few fans in the stands quickly erupted into chants of "Fire Fickell," as they have in most games this season.

Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Jake Maxwell believes his alma mater is the worst high-major college football team in the country. The Badgers' offense has only scored 15.5 points per game this season, the third-worst mark among power conference teams, ahead of only the Oklahoma State Cowboys (who have already fired head coach Mike Gundy) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (led by first-year college head coach Bill Belichick).

A fourth-quarter scamper by UW punter Sean West excited former Badgers punter Brad Nortman. West's 20-yard gain was the most on the ground in a single play achieved by any player for either team in the game.

Fellow former Wisconsin special teamer Vitaly Pisetsky enjoyed being welcomed back to Camp Randall as a two-time Rose Bowl champion, but said the current on-field product "has to change."

Former Wisconsin football safety Eric Burrell suggested UW leadership should "bring some Alumni back and let's run it."

As the game went final, Maxwell agreed with some of his fellow alumni that a change in leadership is necessary. "Fire everyone," the Greendale native said. "This is beyond embarassing."

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Kedrick Stumbris
KEDRICK STUMBRIS

Kedrick Stumbris has covered the Wisconsin Badgers since 2022 with a focus on the Badgers football, men's basketball, and women's hockey programs. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

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