Wisconsin football is at a crossroads. And HC Luke Fickell is standing right in the middle of it. 2023 may be excusable when they fell 7-6. At least it’s his first year in Madison. But now it’s taken a downturn. A painful regression from his first-season record to a dismal 5-7 record in 2024. This has put him on a hot seat as national analysts dissected his struggles, citing that the program isn’t seeing much improvement. But the question is—does the blame fall entirely on him or is Wisconsin football as much to blame for this stagnant development? Or could a Chip Kelly emulation save his coaching reputation? 

Blake Ruffino and Joe DeLeone found themselves locked in a heated Luke Fickell debate on February 24. In a new episode on The Ruffino and Joe Show, DeLeone didn’t sugarcoat anything when it came to Wisconsin’s performance. “7-6 in year one regression to 5-7 in year two,” he stated. “They had the 27th ranked recruiting class this past year. They were 55th in the transfer portal. I am not seeing the direction of a program that’s getting better. I just don’t.” But Blake Ruffino took this statement to defend Fickell while throwing shade on Wisconsin’s inability to keep up with the modern NIL-driven landscape. 

For Ruffino, the core issue stems from the unwillingness of an administration to back him with the necessary NIL support to compete at an elite level. “They’re not backing him at all,” he defended. “The administration and fan base from an NIL perspective is not backing him.” He also highlighted the fact that Miami poached one of Wisconsin’s starting safeties—Xavier Lucas—despite the Badgers signing a lucrative TV revenue deal. “This ain’t got nothing to do with Luke Fickell for me right now,” he continued. “This is a Wisconsin issue. Listen, longer are the days where you’re going to recruit and develop like how you’ve been doing. You got to go out there and spend money and get top level dudes.” 

Still, Joe DeLeone finds a problem with the Badgers HC. While he agreed that Wisconsin’s NIL situation is undeniably problematic, some of the blame still goes to Luke Fickell. “He took a great job with a recognizable brand,” DeLeone argued. “If he can’t sell this thing a little bit more than he’s doing right now, some of the blame still needs to go on his shoulders. If he can’t galvanize the athletic department to financially support him better, that’s on him. He needs to be able to do more.” The problem is that the product on the field has not inspired confidence with a lack of consistency and clear identity under Fickell’s leadership. And where should he run to if expectations aren’t met in Year 3?

A desperate Chip Kelly backup plan?

Blake Ruffino thinks a 6-6 record will be able to save Luke Fickell’s job in Wisconsin because “they’re stuck.” And here’s why. “There comes a part where who’s going to want to come in there when you let Luke Fickell who was in the playoffs when you hired him and you didn’t back him. What coach is going to want to go there?” he said. And when Joe DeLeone dug for answers, the solution was for the HC to take a step back to move forward. “He takes a DC’s job at a very prestigious school and goes the Chip Kelly route but then waits to get hired again,” Ruffino suggested.

With Wisconsin’s struggles mounting, he proposed a potential backup plan for Fickell if things go south—follow the path of Chip Kelly. When his HC career stalled at UCLA after six seasons, he stepped down to take up a smaller position at Ohio State as the OC and QB coach in 2024. And after winning a national championship for this prestigious Big Ten team, he expanded his scope to join the Las Vegas Raiders as the OC. Could this be a solution for the Badgers’ coach?

Luke Fickell is entering a make-or-break season in 2025. For now, the ultimatum is clear—show significant improvement in year 3 or step back from the HC role.