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Luke Fickell announces hiring of new Wisconsin coordinators Phil Longo, Mike Tressel

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Wisconsin has made it official. Phil Longo and Mike Tressel will serve as Luke Fickell’s coordinators on his first Wisconsin staff.

The program made a formal announcement Tuesday.

“I’m extremely excited for our players and our program to add Phil and Mike,” Fickell said. “I’ve built a relationship with Phil over the past six years and am happy to finally be able to work side-by-side with him. He’s a very innovative and well-rounded football coach. He’s a tremendous person and family man and truly cares about his players.

“I’ve known Mike for 20 years and he is a great coach and person. He has incredible experience, including a terrific background in the Big Ten. Over the last two years coaching together I was impressed with his ability to adapt both as a coach on the field and to the culture of a program. We are very fortunate to have both Phil and Mike on staff.”

Longo arrives from North Carolina with a reputation as an offensive guru. UNC excelled at both running and passing during Longo’s 4 seasons.

“I am elated to be joining Coach Fickell and his staff at Wisconsin,” Longo said. “The welcome from around the state has been tremendous. My wife Tanya and I are excited to get settled in. I can’t wait to hit the ground running with our players and staff!”

Tressel follows Fickell from Cincinnati, where he was defensive coordinator the past 2 seasons. As Fickell mentioned, Tressel has B1G familiarity as a former Michigan State staffer (2007-19).

“I’m beyond excited to join the Wisconsin football family and look forward to carrying on the tradition of elite defenses here in Madison,” Tressel said. “This is a program I’ve always admired and it’s great to be back in the Big Ten. I’m most excited to be able to work with the tremendous young men here. They have already demonstrated to me great work ethic, intelligence and ability.”

Reports linked Longo and Tressel to Fickell’s Wisconsin staff in December.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.