What Shawn Eichorst hiring means for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin
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One of the biggest storylines coming into the 2026 season is how much longer Luke Fickell has in Wisconsin.
The Badgers' football coach hasn't been great in his first few seasons, and some believe he's tanked the program and is nowhere near bringing it back to where it once was.
Others would point to his class of 2027 and disagree, though those recruits can't save the team he's putting on the field here in 2026.
Thankfully, Wisconsin hit big in the portal with running back Abu Sama and quarterback Colton Joseph. They've got enough defensive playmakers to make a splash, but they just hired an athletic director who historically doesn't give coaches many opportunities to prove themselves.
Shawn Eichorst was hired by Nebraska in 2013 and fired Bo Pelini in 2014. Pelini was replaced by Mike Riley, who had gone 93-80 at Oregon State. Safe to say, that didn't go according to plan. He was just 19-19 in three seasons with the Cornhuskers and was fired after the 2017 season, which coincidentally is when Nebraska fired Eichorst as well.
Universities have to take risks to succeed, but is firing Fickell too big of a risk to make at this point in time? That's for Eichorst to decide. He's immediately met with his first big decision, one that will come with plenty of feedback, no matter how it plays out.
It's far too early to tell if Fickell's job is safe, but for now, all Badgers fans can do is look at Eichorst's track record, one that led to a firing that didn't work in Nebraska's favor.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: What Shawn Eichorst hiring means for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin
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