Shawn Eichorst is back in Wisconsin, and his first order of business has nothing to do with splashy promises or quick fixes. The new athletic director says the real goal in year one is to build a firm base by getting to know the people and the place all over again.
The Wisconsin Badgers introduced Eichorst last week, and he spoke to the media for the first time on Tuesday. A Wisconsin native, he returns at a pivotal moment for the athletic department, which is trying to get stronger in the NIL space and climb back toward the top tier of college football.
There’s also plenty of attention on the future of head coach Luke Fickell, who will need better results in 2026. Bringing in a new athletic director only adds another layer to that conversation.
Eichorst made clear that he sees this opening stretch as a listening-and-learning phase. When asked what a successful first year would look like, he pointed first to relationships and understanding the department from the inside out.
“For me, building deep relationships, really having a deeper understanding,” Eichorst said when asked. “It’s been 15 years since I’ve been on campus, so I don’t want to assume anything.
I want to revisit everything and anything. And so for me, it’s having deep relationships not only within the athletics department, but more importantly across the aisle in academics.
I’m a big collaborator. I really want to lean into the educational piece of what we’re doing and try to build some collaborations that are unique to us.
“And then of course, our stakeholders. I really want to get to know our stakeholders, our ticket holders, our donors, our student-athletes, our head coaches.
So, a successful first year for me is to really understand who we are and where we are, and then we can start thinking about moving forward. Of course, we’re going to move quicker along the way, but if you ask me, that would be a successful first year to really get a solid footing on what’s going on at Wisconsin.”
That emphasis on connection matters, especially since Eichorst already has some history on campus. He was at Wisconsin with Greg Gard during his first stint with the school from 2006-11, a detail that underscores the kind of familiarity he’ll be leaning on as he settles back in.
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