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Luke Fickell Coaching Record & Bio
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
Luke Fickell is back for his second stint in the B1G. The former Ohio State assistant and Cincinnati head coach accepted the role as successor to former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst at the end of 2022. Fickell is 13-13 as the Badgers’ head coach entering 2025.
Luke Fickell Coaching Record
- Cincinnati (6 seasons): 63-25
- Wisconsin (3 seasons): 13-13
Luke Fickell Coaching Record at Wisconsin
| Season | Record (B1G) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 5-7 (3-6) |
| 2023 | 7-6 (5-4) |
| 2022 | 1-0 |
Luke Fickell Coaching Experience
- 1999: Ohio State — Grad assistant
- 2000-01: Akron— Defensive line coach
- 2001-02: Ohio State — Special teams coordinator
- 2004: Ohio State — Linebackers coach
- 2005-10: Ohio State — Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
- 2011: Ohio State — Interim head coach
- 2012-2016: Ohio State — Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
- 2017-2022: Cincinnati — Head coach
- 2023-present: Wisconsin – Head coach
Luke Fickell Bio
Wisconsin was consistent under Paul Chryst: a great defense complemented by an average to below-average offense. It was time for a change in Madison when Fickell was hired out of Cincinnati.
Fickell has been a head coach in college football since 2017 and has yet to have a truly “bad” season. The Bearcats went 4-8 in his first season, but it’s tough to blame a new head coach taking over at a smaller conference school that went under .500 the year prior.
Fickell quickly flipped the script, finishing the 2018 season 11-2 with a Military Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. They won 11 games in Year 3 under Fickell, too.
The 2020 season is overlooked because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Cincinnati was incredible that season, too, losing just once for a final record of 9-1 with an AP Poll finish of No. 8.
What really cemented Fickell as one of the nation’s top young coaches was Cincinnati’s 2021 season. The Bearcats blitzed through the regular season with a 13-0 record. This forced the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, likely after some kicking and screaming, to give the Bearcats the final Playoff spot.
The results of the semifinal game are irrelevant (27-6 loss to Alabama, the future champs). After 5 years and 4 seasons of winning, Fickell had taken the first non-Power 5 conference program to the College Football Playoff.
The Bearcats lost a lot the following season, but still posted a respectable 9-3 record under Fickell. He was then hired by Wisconsin and left for Madison immediately, leaving interim HC Kerry Coombs to lose the Fenway Bowl.
He went 7-6 in Year 1 in Madison and led Wisconsin to a bowl game, but the Badgers slipped to 5-7 in 2024.
Fickell was named the AAC Coach of the Year 3 times in 6 seasons. Cincinnati has won 11 games in a season 5 times, and Fickell is responsible for 3 of them. In 2021, Fickell was named Coach of the Year by 7 separate awards, including the Eddie Robinson, Bobby Dodd and Home Depot Coach of the Year awards.
Something each of Fickell’s previous teams have in common is a strong defense, something that will fit with Wisconsin traditionalists well.
Fickell had 14 years of B1G experience as an assistant at Ohio State, coaching all over the defensive side of the ball, including a co-DC role during Ohio State’s 2014 national title victory over Oregon. Fickell also served as Ohio State’s interim head coach in 2011 after Jim Tressel resigned. The Buckeyes finished that year 6-6.
But he’s learning that being a head coach in the B1G is a different game.