Wisconsin Badgers AD says he has the money to fire Luke Fickell, but won't

Chris McIntosh shot down the notion that Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell is returning in 2026 due to the size of his buyout

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is seen during the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, October 11, 2025, at Camp Randall in Madison | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Much to Wisconsin football fans' irritation, the Wisconsin Badgers have made a final decision on head coach Luke Fickell's 2026 fate. University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced on Thursday that Fickell will return for a fourth season in Madison. On Friday, McIntosh further clarified that a record buyout payment that would be due to Fickell if Wisconsin were to part ways with the head coach was not a factor in the decision.

"Coach Fickell has had my confidence throughout the season," McIntosh said Thursday. "And we've had many, many conversations about how this season, and some of the challenges that we've faced have gone."

In McIntosh's second year as UW Director of Athletics, he fired former head football coach Paul Chryst following a 2-3 start to the 2023 season. Wisconsin and Chryst came to an $11 million separation agreement that pales in comparison to Fickell's potential buyout. The Badgers would owe Fickell a lofty $27.5 million if UW terminated his employment without cause at the close of the 2025 season.

Wisconsin Badgers AD 'wouldn't hesitate' if he needed to fire Luke Fickell

In an interview on Friday morning with ESPN Madison, the fifth-year athletic director put it in no uncertain terms: McIntosh has the financial means to fire his head coach with a 0-9 record against ranked opponents, but still believes in Fickell's ability to succeed in Madison.

"If I felt that there's a change that needed to be made, I wouldn't hesitate in making that change," McIntosh said. "This program means everything to me. I mean, this program changed my life. I have an intimate understanding to how important it is. Not just to our athletic department, but to our university, to the state of Wisconsin."

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The former Wisconsin football offensive lineman added that he understands just how important the Badgers football program is to him and "anybody that's ever put the helmet on in Camp Randall."

Under Fickell's stewardship, the Wisconsin Badgers have amassed a 14-19 overall record, have not won a game against a power conference opponent in over a year, and are winless in their last four games with rivalry trophies on the line.

"If I felt like we needed a leadership change, I wouldn't hesitate," McIntosh reiterated. "I just feel like the best path for us to position ourselves to be successful–successful as soon as 2026–is with Luke Fickell as our head coach."

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