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Wisconsin Badgers add two of Luke Fickell's sons as walk-ons in 2026 recruiting class

Luke Fickell will get the chance to coach two of his sons on the Wisconsin Badgers, as both Ashton and Aydon Fickell committed as priority walk-ons for 2026.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell will get to coach two of his twin boys as walk-ons on the football team.
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell will get to coach two of his twin boys as walk-ons on the football team. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers are trippling the number of Fickells they will have on the sidelines this fall.

Luke Fickell will get the chance to coach two of his sons on the Badgers, as both Ashton and Aydon Fickell announced they committed to Wisconsin as priority walk-ons in the 2026 recruiting class.

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The two are twin brothers who played football at nearby Edgewood High School in Madison.

Ashton Fickell comes to Wisconsin as an edge rusher who played with his hand in the dirt but will transition to more of an outside linebacker role for the Badgers.

He finished his senior season with 7.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and 72 total tackles as an all-conference defensive end.

Both he and his brother had Division-I offers from Youngstown State, but chose to walk on at UW instead.

Aydon Fickell appeared in only three games of his senior season due to injuries. He will play tight end at Wisconsin, listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers not done in 2026 recruiting class, could land one more 4-star defensive lineman

As walk-ons, they don't have much chance at earning playing time early in their college careers, but they'll still have the opportunity to practice and participate in team meetings with their dad as the head coach.

They're not the only football family members getting an opportunity with the Badgers.

Fickell's first recruiting commitment in the 2027 class came from offensive lineman Ethan McIntosh, son of athletic director Chris McIntosh.

The Badgers also added a pair of brothers in the transfer portal this winter.

Backup quarterback Deuce Adams came in from Louisville along with his brother Eli Adams, a wide receiver.

In basketball, head coach Greg Gard has his son Isaac Gard on the team, now in his senior season.

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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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