Luke Fickell shares the message he gave to Wisconsin recruits amid Badgers’ struggles

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Luke Fickell, with a current record of 15-19 (.441) overall, and being 2-6 (.250) so far this season, has an uncertain future at Wisconsin. That doesn’t then just affect the staff and players currently with the program, but also the 14 commitments that they have right now who are supposed to come to Madison.

Fickell discussed his recent message to recruits amidst hot-seat rumors surrounding him during his press conference on Monday. He said the Badgers used their bye week to check in not only with their current commitments but with their present players too considering where things could stand coming out of this fall.

“We’ve done a lot. Obviously, in where we are and the noise that’s out there, you have to do a great job of communicating with these guys,” said Fickell. “You know, you’ve got to do a great job of communicating with your own guys. You’ve got to do a great job of communicating with your own guys, and sometimes even their families, just with the landscape of where college football is, right. They can hear things, and they don’t know what to believe. So, there’s an enormous amount of time spent in doing those things, and it’s important, you know.”

Wisconsin has 14 commitments at the moment as part of the 2026 recruiting cycle, which includes a pair of four-stars and a dozen three-stars per Rivals’ Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. That class ranks right now at No. 45 in the nation per Rivals’ 2026 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, which rates in at 13th among the classes coming to programs in the Big Ten.

With that, a lot could change as far as what next season’s roster looks like, especially if a change in leadership were to take place in the next few weeks with Wisconsin. That’s with National Signing Day being a month out on December 3rd and the lone window of the NCAA Transfer Portal set to open on January 2nd.

A lot can change over this final month of the season for the Badgers. Until then, though, Fickell is going to keep doing his job, which includes recruiting until those prospects can be signed during that first week of December.

“And so, yes, even this weekend of having a chance to be able to get out and, you know, be able to see guys and get face to face, and a little bit of the things that you’re allowed to be able to do? It was important for me and for all of our coaches, you know,” said Fickell. “And that’s not something that’s going to change in the next month until, you know, that signing day happens.”

“But, you know, that’s not anything that’s abnormal from college football. It’s just maybe a little bit different in today’s world,” Fickell said.

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