Badgers Football - 2025 Season - Fickell Back in 2026

Kerb Hohl · Post #681 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 3:21 pm

Kind of the same thing when everybody was clamoring for Mettauer last year (remember my, "Locke isn't as bad as you think" takes?) but Smith may have a bit more of a future...

There's an interesting angle. Yeah, duh, you may have "nothing to lose." But it's going to be a weird situation almost certainly. If he's bad - whatever, we kind of expect that...but I guess that tempers excitement. If he's solid, we get into a weird situation where if Fickell is somehow still here, we probably should be paying somebody to start over Smith but will make the decision weird for bringing in a new guy/Smith staying If he's somehow incredible...I mean, that would rock but I guess it drives up the price.

I still wonder if he's actually going to play. Simmons is so bad that you might as well, though and I am still wondering if O'Neil doesn't want to get injured for his next destination.

MVP2110 · Post #682 » by **MVP2110** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 6:48 pm

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trwi7 · Post #683 » by **trwi7** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 7:01 pm

Kerb Hohl wrote:Kind of the same thing when everybody was clamoring for Mettauer last year (remember my, "Locke isn't as bad as you think" takes?) but Smith may have a bit more of a future...

There's an interesting angle. Yeah, duh, you may have "nothing to lose." But it's going to be a weird situation almost certainly. If he's bad - whatever, we kind of expect that...but I guess that tempers excitement. If he's solid, we get into a weird situation where if Fickell is somehow still here, we probably should be paying somebody to start over Smith but will make the decision weird for bringing in a new guy/Smith staying If he's somehow incredible...I mean, that would rock but I guess it drives up the price.

I still wonder if he's actually going to play. Simmons is so bad that you might as well, though and I am still wondering if O'Neil doesn't want to get injured for his next destination.

If our schedule is as easy as you keep telling everybody next year then a solid QB should be enough to get us 8 wins.

Kerb Hohl · Post #684 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 7:47 pm

trwi7 wrote:
Kerb Hohl wrote:Kind of the same thing when everybody was clamoring for Mettauer last year (remember my, "Locke isn't as bad as you think" takes?) but Smith may have a bit more of a future...

There's an interesting angle. Yeah, duh, you may have "nothing to lose." But it's going to be a weird situation almost certainly. If he's bad - whatever, we kind of expect that...but I guess that tempers excitement. If he's solid, we get into a weird situation where if Fickell is somehow still here, we probably should be paying somebody to start over Smith but will make the decision weird for bringing in a new guy/Smith staying If he's somehow incredible...I mean, that would rock but I guess it drives up the price.

I still wonder if he's actually going to play. Simmons is so bad that you might as well, though and I am still wondering if O'Neil doesn't want to get injured for his next destination.

If our schedule is as easy as you keep telling everybody next year then a solid QB should be enough to get us 8 wins.

It's not easy but we finally aren't getting essentially the hardest schedule in the country as we have the past 2 years.

Who knows what Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota, UCLA, Michigan State, and Purdue will be, though.

MVP2110 · Post #685 » by **MVP2110** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 9:48 pm

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MikeIsGood · Post #686 » by **MikeIsGood** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 9:55 pm

No surprise, and I think likely the right move. Even if you don't believe in him at all, there are just way too many job openings this season - not to mention his huge buyout.

Post #687 » by **ReasonablySober** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:03 pm

Good move as long as this financial investment is legit.

Kerb Hohl · Post #688 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:04 pm

I am coming around to it more and more.

We've gone over the crappy luck forever and I understand the losses to Maryland and such are the real issue. However, he has some good, young talent. Keep it in place and get a healthy QB and let's see what he can actually do. To me, this is preferable to having to start from scratch paying out the buyout in the background.

MVP2110 · Post #689 » by **MVP2110** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:08 pm

Gotta think he'll be the betting favorite for first P4 coach fired

Wisky4life · Post #690 » by **Wisky4life** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:09 pm

If we can go get some guys in the portal, i am fine. I dont want to run it back next year with the same crew.

Go get a top QB.

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DingleJerry · Post #691 » by **DingleJerry** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:26 pm

MikeIsGood wrote:No surprise, and I think likely the right move. Even if you don't believe in him at all, there are just way too many job openings this season - not to mention his huge buyout.

Right, there's just so much logistically that makes sense to give it one more year and hope for a step in the right direction. That's the way its looked all along, but then they've been so completely inept you just weren't sure if you could keep him. Or with how badly its coached if he even wants to be here and what kind of effort is being put in. Seems he hasn't checked out then at least, which is a good sign. ITs not like he could've forgotten how to coach all of a sudden.

As someone said a few weeks ago here, if the words Air Raid were never brought up this all might be looking much different. I know with these schedules you weren't gonna win win no matter what, but I think they'd look like a real team

MVP2110 · Post #692 » by **MVP2110** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:36 pm

If you want to be optimistic.

Clark Lea at Vanderbilt is the test case for this. Really bad first 4 seasons there, and then an influx of $ and all of a sudden they are in the CFP conversation. Tony Elliott at Virginia is another example of this type of thing working

Post #693 » by **ReasonablySober** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:46 pm

MVP2110 wrote:If you want to be optimistic.

Clark Lea at Vanderbilt is the test case for this. Really bad first 4 seasons there, and then an influx of $ and all of a sudden they are in the CFP conversation. Tony Elliott at Virginia is another example of this type of thing working

It's happening everywhere. A&M, Indiana, Miami, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Tulane...

MVP2110 · Post #694 » by **MVP2110** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 10:49 pm

ReasonablySober wrote:
MVP2110 wrote:If you want to be optimistic.

Clark Lea at Vanderbilt is the test case for this. Really bad first 4 seasons there, and then an influx of $ and all of a sudden they are in the CFP conversation. Tony Elliott at Virginia is another example of this type of thing working

It's happening everywhere. A&M, Indiana, Miami, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Tulane...

I was specifically looking at coaches who had struggled with their existing coach and turned it around with the same coach

Post #695 » by **humanrefutation** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 11:20 pm

I don't know how to feel about this, to be honest. I'd like to believe that he'll get things together with a better recruiting class. And I'd rather spend the money on that over his buyout.

But I'm more worried about what will happen if we still suck next year after dumping millions into the program. Has Fickell poisoned the well? Is it too late for him to bring us back?

And any coach we hire after him will want a boatload of guaranteed NIL investment on top of their deal. Is whoever we're tapping into to invest in the program going to be willing to do that again?

MVP2110 · Post #696 » by **MVP2110** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 11:22 pm

humanrefutation wrote:I don't know how to feel about this, to be honest. I'd like to believe that he'll get things together with a better recruiting class. And I'd rather spend the money on that over his buyout.

But I'm more worried about what will happen if we still suck next year after dumping millions into the program. Has Fickell poisoned the well? Is it too late for him to bring us back?

And any coach we hire after him will want a boatload of guaranteed NIL investment on top of their deal. Is whoever we're tapping into to invest in the program going to be willing to do that again?

If Wisconsin wants to have sustained success they need sustained investment from their donors. This cant be a 1 year thing, it has to be a every year thing, or at minimum pick and choose their years to go "all in"

Post #697 » by **paulpressey25** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 11:27 pm

Not a fan of this. I’d fire them both.

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Post #698 » by **humanrefutation** » Thu Nov 6, 2025 11:28 pm

MVP2110 wrote:
humanrefutation wrote:I don't know how to feel about this, to be honest. I'd like to believe that he'll get things together with a better recruiting class. And I'd rather spend the money on that over his buyout.

But I'm more worried about what will happen if we still suck next year after dumping millions into the program. Has Fickell poisoned the well? Is it too late for him to bring us back?

And any coach we hire after him will want a boatload of guaranteed NIL investment on top of their deal. Is whoever we're tapping into to invest in the program going to be willing to do that again?

If Wisconsin wants to have sustained success they need sustained investment from their donors. This cant be a 1 year thing, it has to be a every year thing, or at minimum pick and choose their years to go "all in"

I mean, I agree with you. But we haven't really seen it here. We have a few big money donors, but not enough to rely on for the kind of investment needed year in and year out.

We really just need a CBA so that we can get a cap going and bring back some competitiveness. Otherwise SEC and a handful of blue bloods otherwise are going to make it impossible to compete.

Kerb Hohl · Post #699 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Fri Nov 7, 2025 1:13 am

humanrefutation wrote:But I'm more worried about what will happen if we still suck next year after dumping millions into the program. Has Fickell poisoned the well? Is it too late for him to bring us back?

Money is 90% of the equation now. If he has an awful season next year, if they want to keep investing, they can get Jason Eck or whatever other name and give him a bunch of money and have a chance to be good. If they choose not to do that, they don't want to play in the big leagues and were screwed regardless.

I get what you're saying reading the rest of the post, though. Maybe people will have soured on trying. I don't know if we've really tried that hard (in terms of roster NIL). We paid a coach but I don't think are paying a ton to players. And most of the NIL $ ends up walking around on the sideline in sweats since we can't keep a QB on the field.

dogswithbeesintheirmouths · Post #700 » by **dogswithbeesintheirmouths** » Fri Nov 7, 2025 1:35 am

Fickell is a lifeless dud and his coordinators have been somewhere between replacement-level and trainwreck. Even if there is this supposed influx of cash it's not like they know what to do with it. Getting humiliated by Iowa and Maryland is an easy counterpoint to whatever rationalization you can come up with for keeping these losers.

Let's say they "improve" in 2026 and spend a fortune to win like 5 games. Well, now Fickell just bought his way into 2027. Hell, instead of firing Fickell, they should be giving him an extension.