The Wisconsin Badgers’ decision to bring back Shawn Eichorst as athletic director drew a generally favorable response from fans, according to this week’s Reacts poll.
Wisconsin introduced Eichorst at a press conference on Tuesday after finalizing the hire last week, setting the stage for the school’s next chapter following Chris McIntosh. A Wisconsin native, Eichorst previously worked at the university from 2006-11 before taking athletic director jobs at Miami and Nebraska. Most recently, he served at Texas as Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer.
The timing matters. Wisconsin is trying to reshape its football program after three uneven seasons under Luke Fickell, and there are signs of movement after more financial investment this offseason. The Badgers are currently slightly favored to clear their 6.5-game win total on FanDuel Sportsbook, which would mark their best finish under Fickell.
There’s also a solid foundation in basketball. Greg Gard and the program have done strong work over the past few years, even if Wisconsin still hasn’t matched the financial firepower of the top programs in the country or even some of its Big Ten peers.
For now, though, the early read on Eichorst is encouraging. In the poll, the largest share of voters gave the hire a “B” grade at 41 percent. Another 15 percent handed out an “A,” while 27 percent settled on a “C.”
Eichorst has plenty to prove, and much of that will be tied to how he navigates the football program during and after this season. But at least at the outset, fans seem to like the move.
In Other News...
Tyler Herro Just Reopened Wisconsin's Oldest Recruiting Wound
Tyler Herros latest stop in Milwaukee brought an old Wisconsin recruiting scar back into view. During an NBA Summer League interview in Las Vegas, the former Badgers commit revisited the decision to back away from Wisconsin and head to Kentucky, a move that still sits as one of the programs most frustrating what-ifs. Now with the Bucks after a trade from Miami, Herro was asked about the path that got him here, and the answer only underscored how much his basketball journey has been shaped by choices made years ago.
Herro framed the flip as a business decision, noting that staying with Wisconsin would likely have changed the entire arc of his career and left him in a very different place than the one he occupies now. He also spoke warmly about his relationship with the Heat organization, adding another layer to a story that Badgers fans have never quite stopped revisiting. For Wisconsin, it is a reminder that the recruiting loss was never just about one player leaving the state, but about a door that closed on a version of the future the program still wonders about. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce West Could Be The Badgers Answer In The Secondary
Bryce Wests arrival gives Wisconsin a different kind of option in the secondary, one that comes with Big Ten pedigree and some real flexibility. The former Ohio State cornerback has already seen the field in multiple games for the Buckeyes, and after entering the transfer portal he heads to Madison with three years of eligibility left and a chance to become part of the Badgers plans for 2026.
What makes West especially intriguing is how the staff expects to use him. Wisconsin sees enough versatility to move him around and keep him on the field depending on the opponent, which matters for a defense that wants more answers in the back end. If West settles in quickly, he could end up being one of the more important additions to the roster before the season even gets here. [Read more 🡒]