How Luke Fickell sold recruits on coming to Wisconsin Badgers after rough 2025 season

Recruiting in modern college football is largely about money, but Luke Fickell still had to sell his incoming class of freshmen that the Wisconsin Badgers are heading in the right direction after a 4-8 season.

Oct 25, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell instructs players during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Recruiting in modern college football is largely about money, but Luke Fickell still had to sell his incoming class of freshmen that the Wisconsin Badgers are heading in the right direction after a 4-8 season.

The task seemed especially challenging on offense, where the team scored its fewest points per game average in over 30 years.

In his early signing day press conference, the head coach had to walk the line of not falling back on excuses while also trying to explain to recruits the reasons behind the struggles.

"You've got to have some awareness of what happened to us," Fickell said. "We're not at a point now where we're making excuses, but there's a reality behind it, right? Look at the majority of the college teams that played with a backup quarterback andj ust try to evaluate how they did. And then maybe look at some of them that played with their third team."

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The Badgers were down to their fourth-string quarterback in true freshman Carter Smith, though the switch to him was not due to injury to thrid-stringer Hunter Simmons.

No team is having success that far down their quarterback depth chart, though that doesn't fully explain away Wisconsin's struggles with the running game and the offensive line.

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

Fickell acknowledged that it's not the easiest thing to sell to recruits, but he still landed a top quarterback along with a running back, two receivers, a tight end and an offensive lineman in the 2026 class.

"There's a reality to the things that we did and how we had to go about them, but we've got to fix that," Fickell said. "I know that seeing is believing, but there is some blind faith in the things that some of these guys have got to believe in."

Now he has to make that same pitch even strong in the transfer portal as he looks to bolster his roster with veteran talent.

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