Sorry kids. Jim Leonhard is not coming back. His path to a head coaching job is going to be in the NFL, that’s the reality even though he’s a “Wisconsin guy”. He’s not coming back to Madison to then spend what little free time he has has hitting the road to Podunk, WI to recruit high school kids and losing time with his family, and why would he? That chapter has closed. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s deal with the present.
But where do we go from here?
If we want to label the Luke Fickell era a disaster we have to admit now that also means Wisconsin can no longer be a potential premiere destination an up and coming coach. They’ll ask themselves the hard questions about stability, support, and whether they’ll be given time to succeed. First and foremost, if Chris McIntosh isn’t fired along with Fickell, then any hire could be made by a lame duck athletic director who might be shortly out of a job anyways. And if a new AD is eventually brought in, he may want to bring in his own coach regardless of whatever short term success is happening on the field. That’s a brutal reality.
The sweater vests don’t want to hear this but there were dozens upon dozens of programs, big name and/or ambitious programs, that would have jumped at the chance to have 2022 Luke Fickell take over their program. USC tried, so did Notre Dame, and those are only the ones we know about publicly. He turned down those lucrative offers over the years, and eventually landed on, surprisingly, Wisconsin.
On paper it should have been a win/win situation: a proven program builder taking over a consistent, stable, albeit stagnant, Big Ten program with a loyal fan base and rich tradition. But it wasn’t. The outcome has been far from the dream scenario, but quickly that perception shifted. Any coach with a reputation looking for their first big job will think twice about UW.
This brings us back to where many people wanted the program to go in the first place, a “Wisconsin guy”. It’s the safe solution that would heal the soul of Wisconsin fooball via rose colored nostalgia But I think the past three years and the toxicity of the fan base and the alumni base could show that any potential home run homecoming could turn quickly into another Scott Frost type situation.
You know, it’s funny I’ve done videos and written pieces before on the idea that Wisconsin is not becoming the new Nebraska, because historically you can’t really compare the levels of success between the two schools. Wisconsin never reached the mountaintop Nebraska once stood proudly upon. But now, however, I can see the similarities.
The fickle (pun intended) nature of the fan bases, the impatience, the eagerness to turn on people...it’s all there. And it isn’t just frustration, it’s almost delight in tearing down whoever is in charge the second things don’t look perfect. I don’t think fans realize how detrimental an attitude like that is to a football team. The good will be compared to the old standards that can’t be reached due to changing context. The bad is amplified as straying from “The Way” because it’s straying from the long beaten path. Why would Jason Eck or Sean Lewis or any other rising coach for that matter want to come here when they could take jobs closer to where they are now, away from the message boards, away from the noise, away from the relentlessly unfulfillable hearts and minds of their “hometown” fans?
So what are you left with? Alumni who are position coaches and analysts, some of whom have been quite vocal in their disdain for the athletic department, who also carry DeShaun Foster levels of head coaching experience. Sure, a couple of them might win the press conference. They might have the charisma, the charm, the personality to recruit. And yes, Super Bowl rings do impress dads sitting in living rooms that’s for sure. But none of that solves the actual problems that plague the football team. A shiny name or a warm connection to the fan base doesn’t fix the offensive line, doesn’t create depth at quarterback, doesn’t modernize the program, and doesn’t bridge the gap between Wisconsin’s traditional identity and the realities of the new Big Ten landscape.
That leaves us with swinging for the fences on a retread or a has been. Dusting off a former big name coach who’s on a redemption arc at a mid major or working as a TV analyst waiting for a second chance? Now given the recent news out of Stillwater, OK I can’t help but be intrigued by the possibilities but every option comes with risk. Retreads are looking for new jobs for a reason. Career position coaches or coordinators aren’t used to the pressure of program leadership.
And the simple question that any potential head coach and any potential AD hire as well is going to ask themselves is, “Why Wisconsin?” And here’s the thing: the fans can’t answer that for them. For us, the answer is simple. It’s Wisconsin. It’s Madison. It’s Camp Randall. It’s Jump Around. It’s Barry Alvarez. It’s nostalgia, pride, tradition, and decades of moments that made us drink the Kool Aid. But a coach coming in can’t afford to wear rose colored glasses. They need to look at the program top to bottom with clear eyes, see what it is today, and decide if it’s worth their career gamble.
If there is a coaching change, the roster will be gutted. I don’t care what anyone thinks. There will be players many players, and especially the highly sought after ones who have developed strong relationships with Coach Fickell and his staff. They’ll take it personally if their coach is fired, because in their eyes it’s tied directly to what they did on the field. The kids aren’t the reason for the divorce we all know that but try explaining that to 19 year olds who bought in and feel like they’re being abandoned. Ask the parents of recruits and players. They care way more about relationships, and when you sever that bond it’s hard to hold on to them. We saw it in 2022, and it would be amplified in 2025.
Next year’s schedule will be easier, of course, but as it’s been said time and time again, the Big Ten is changing. Whoever comes in has to be someone willing to build a program in the image of modern football. That means going against the core tenants of “Wisconsin Football” knowing the second they do that they instantly lose a large portion of the fan base. The already uphill battle is now even steeper. Or they can go 100% the “Wisconsin Way” pound the ball, recruit locally, live in the past and slowly but surely fade into irrelevance, clinging to a bygone era and striving for a status the program never actually achieved but the fan base will insist it did. Either way, it’s lose lose.
Do I think Luke Fickell is on his way out? Yes very likely, barring an absolute miracle. Is it fair? Football isn’t fair. It just is. Excusing everything to injuries and bad luck can only take you so far, and Fickell knows that better than anyone. Everyone probably needs a fresh start instead of waiting around for luck to turn when we all know deep down it probably won’t. And if it doesn’t, it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. But let the last two plus seasons be a warning to any potential new hire. THIS is Wisconsin football. The pressure, the politics, the fan base, the expectations, the contradictions. Are you sure you want the job? You better want it all, and you better be prepared for everything that comes with it, because if you’re not willing to work to change EVERYTHING about the program, then you’re not changing anything. And the vicious cycle will simply start over again.
That, or and here’s the simplest scenario some people get healthy, players get on the same page, Wisconsin wins a couple games, and we move forward. It really is that simple.