Wisconsin’s offseason reset began with a stunning front-office exit, and it has put the Badgers’ recent slide under a harsh spotlight.
Chris McIntosh, who had been in the Wisconsin athletic department since 2014 and served as athletic director since 2021, left for a job with the Big Ten after the football program posted its worst season since 1990. His most notable move on the job was hiring Luke Fickell, who has gone 16-21 in three seasons in Madison. After backing Fickell and pushing more resources toward football, McIntosh’s departure forced Wisconsin to start over at athletic director.
The replacement arrived last month, when Wisconsin hired Texas deputy athletic director Shawn Eichorst. Eichorst previously worked at Wisconsin as a deputy athletic director from 2006-11 before later serving as athletic director at Miami and Nebraska.
With the administration changing around him, Fickell is now trying to push the program into a better place for 2026, and he laid out just how close last season came to a breaking point. In an interview with The Athletic’s Justin Williams last month, Fickell said McIntosh gave him the option to walk away during Wisconsin’s six-game losing streak.
“[Chris McIntosh] asked me, ‘What do you want to do?’” Fickell said in an interview with The Athletic.
“‘You’re at a crossroads. Where are we headed here?
Either you’re all in, or find an escape route.’”
The next day, Fickell made his stance clear.
“There’s nothing I would rather do than pull ourselves out of where we are,” Fickell told McIntosh the next day, per the report.
McIntosh did not stay to see that plan through. His tenure ended with mixed results, and the biggest problem was Wisconsin’s lagging approach to NIL.
“The falloff isn’t a mystery. Fickell, 52, acknowledges that he and McIntosh were reluctant to embrace the modern roster-budget reality of college football,” Williams wrote. “Wisconsin lagged behind its peers in name, image and likeness dollars and wrongfully believed the new revenue-sharing cap would level the financial playing field.”
Wisconsin is now trying to catch up fast. According to the article, the Badgers’ roster is expected to be worth more than $25 million this year, a massive jump from just $4 million two seasons ago.
McIntosh’s own words showed he understood the need for more support. In the letter announcing Fickell’s return, he said Wisconsin had to do more to give the coach a real chance.
“Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration,” Williams wrote, quoting the letter. “As a department we must provide our coaches the tools necessary to succeed.”
NIL wasn’t the only issue dragging Wisconsin down. Fickell’s hire of Phil Longo as offensive coordinator did not work out, especially because the scheme was so far removed from the style Wisconsin had traditionally thrived on.
Injuries also took a toll, particularly at quarterback. And through it all, the Badgers struggled to settle on an identity after moving away from “Wisconsin” football.
Still, the financial gap loomed largest under McIntosh, and Wisconsin’s late response to the new reality may have cost it valuable time. Now the Badgers have finally started to meet the moment, but the next step has to happen on the field.
Money matters, but it does not win games by itself. Fickell is at a major crossroads, and 2026 will say a lot about where Wisconsin goes from here.
If the Badgers deliver, especially on offense, they should become a more appealing destination for players who can see both the results and the resources. If the struggles continue, Wisconsin may be forced to choose a different path.
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