A quick glance at Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell

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Penn State will face a variety of head coaches this season, some that they are familiar with and some they may never have faced before or even heard of. This week, they will be facing a head coach with an esteemed past but one who could face a highly uncertain future

Here is more about Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell.

Luke Fickell, Wisconsin head coach

  • Overall record: 82-46
  • Record against Penn State: 0-2
  • Record against ranked teams: 9-26
  • Record against Big Ten: 13-21

Luke Fickell is the first Big Ten coach the Nittany Lions will face this season, and definitely has a richer history in the conference than people initially believe. Having played guard at Ohio State, that is where the foundation of his coaching career started. While he got his first job with Akron, he became the special teams coordinator for the Buckeyes in 2002 in Jim Tressel's staff. That year, the Buckeyes won the national championship. In 20024, he becambe the linebackers coach and later co-defensive coordinator and wasn named assistant coach of the year in 2005.

In 2011, Fickell took over for Jim Tressel initially as a head coach after Tressel was suspended for five games , but after Tressel's resignation, stayed the whole season. Finishing with a .500 record, he was not considered for the job and was replaced by Urban Meyer. He stayed on as co-defensive coordinator and was part of Meyer's staff when the Buckeyes won the 2014 national title as well. However, that would not be the landmark achievement of his career.

In 2016, Fickell was named head coach of the Group of 6's(at the time) Cincinnati Bearcats. They saw Fickell as someone who could turn around the program. While the Bearcats went 4-8 in his first season, just two years later, Fickell led them to only their third ever 11 win season, finishing with a Military Bowl win. Still, higher heights would come for the Bearcats. Another 11 win season came in 2019, but 2020 is where Fickell started to showcase his coaching prowess. In a COVID-shortened season, Fickell's Bearcats went 9-1 and finally faced an elite Power 4 conference opponent in a bowl game against Georgia. While they led for most of the game, they ended up losing by 3. However, they announced themselves to the nation as a new college footballing force.

In 2021, Fickell made history. His Bearcats went undefeated in the American, and for the first time, went to the College Football Playoff as a Group of 6 team. In the 4 team CFP era, this was unprecedented and potentially allowed the CFP committee to consider expansion to 12. That season paved the way form more mid-majors to have a seat at the table with college football's elite. While Fickell resigned in 2022, he had left an indelible impact on Cincinnati's program.

In November of 2022, Fickell became head coach of Wisconsin, expecting to elevate the Badgers back to national relevancy. In his first season, there were sings of improvement as the Badgers went 7-5, with a loss to LSU in their bowl game. However, the 2024 season was highly chaotic and warning bells were ringing in Madison. Several off-field issues befell Fickell, but the firing of Phil Longo as offensive coordinator practically midseason was most alarming. Most importantly, the Badgers finished at 5-7, which meant missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 years. Last season with a lot of changes made to the staff, Fickell had his worst season in Madison with a 4-8 record. Questions about his future arose and didn't really quieten at any point in the season.

Now, Fickell enters Big Ten play this season with a 2-1 record and a chip on his shoulder. Everywhere else he was, he had success. But a 19-22 record with the Badgers just won't cut it. He needs signature wins on his resume in order to ensure his job security. Can he get one on the road against the Nittany Lions?

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: A quick glance at Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell

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