The clearest sign yet of how Wisconsin fans feel about the Luke Fickell era showed up in the numbers.
The Badgers announced 47,587 season tickets sold, a steep 13.1% drop from last year’s total of 54,780. Ticket sales always move with the mood around a program, and Wisconsin’s latest dip says plenty about where the confidence level stands after a rough run under Fickell.
Since he took over, Wisconsin has gone 17-21. That record has dragged down just about everything around the program, from recruiting to roster retention to development. Fans have seen enough to know the results haven’t matched the standard that used to define football in Madison.
The drop in ticket sales also makes the financial side of the situation impossible to ignore. Losing more than 7,000 season tickets is one more sign that faith in Fickell has thinned out, and it only sharpens the pressure on him heading into his fourth season.
That pressure could eventually reach newly hired athletic director Shawn Eichorst if the losses keep piling up. There’s no immediate expectation that Eichorst will make a drastic move, but a continued slide in a program that should be among the school’s biggest money-makers could force his hand.
For now, though, Wisconsin has a chance to change the narrative. Fickell gets a roster this season that should be more capable of competing, and the coaching staff plus the NIL donors clearly responded by building a recruiting class and roster that can draw attention nationally.
It still falls on Fickell to make it all work. But after a stretch that has worn down optimism in Madison, there’s at least a little of it returning.
In Other News...
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The scrutiny around him has only grown because of the way his arrival is being viewed compared with other portal movement, especially with a reported link to Rasheem Biles, who ended up at Texas. Alliegro is also trying to hold off Riley Pettijohn in fall camp, so the competition is not just about talent but about whether he can separate himself in a crowded room before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
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Wisconsins Rebuilt Cornerback Battle Is Starting To Reveal A Front-Runner
Wisconsins cornerback room entered the offseason with a wholesale reset, as every previous starter moved on and a wave of transfers arrived to compete with redshirt freshman Jaimier Scott for the key jobs. It has been one of the clearest open battles on the roster, and coach Robert Steeples has pointed to the groups overall growth as the players work through a rebuilt depth chart.
Among the names in the mix, Cai Bates has started to separate himself from the pack, giving the Badgers a clearer sense of where the competition may be headed. Steeples has liked the way the young group has developed since spring ball, and Wisconsin is now watching to see whether that momentum carries into the next stage of camp. [Read more 🡒]