The Luke Fickell era hit yet another huge pothole Saturday.
The Badgers lost 27-10 to Maryland – which dropped the Badgers to 2-2 in 2025. Wisconsin is now 15-15 under Fickell with an 8-11 record in Big Ten play. It also marked the Badgers' first loss to the Terrapins in five meetings.
It won't get easier after the bye week. Wisconsin faces No. 21 Michigan, Iowa, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 Oregon in October. It's a brutal schedule which is going to make a winning season difficult to achieve in Madison, Wisc.
Wisconsin's student section broke out "Fire Fickell!" chants in the first half against the Terrapins, and the program has struggled to build the success Fickell had at Cincinnati, where he was 57-18 in six seasons. Moving on from Fickell, however, would be an expensive move. Here is a closer look at Fickell's buyout and potential replacements if Wisconsin goes down that road.
MORE: Will Wisconsin fire Luke Fickell?
What is Luke Fickell's buyout at Wisconsin?
According to ESPN, Fickell has received a one-year extension after each of his first two seasons, which kept him on a seven-year contract. He makes approximately $7.8 million per year, and a potential buyout at the end of the season would be around $25 million, according to CBS Sports. From a financial standpoint, this would be a huge decision to move on.
Wisconsin coaching candidates to replace Luke Fickell
Lance Leipold, Kansas coach
Leipold, 61, would be a leading candidate — and not just because of his FBS résumé. He guided Wisconsin-Whitewater to six Division III national championships from 2007-14, and the Wisconsin native owns a 61-62 record in the FBS between stops at Buffalo and Kansas. Leipold has never expressed interest in leaving Kansas, where his best season was a 9-4 finish in 2023. But would the home-state pull be enough for one more stop?
Jason Eck, New Mexico coach
Is it too soon? Eck, 48, is only three games into his tenure at New Mexico, but the Lobos have already made an impression by competing with Michigan in a 34-17 loss in Week 1 and beating UCLA 35-10 in Week 3. A former Wisconsin offensive lineman (1995-98) and member of the 1998 Big Ten championship team under Barry Alvarez, Eck also compiled a 26-13 record at Idaho in the FCS from 2022-24. If Wisconsin wants to get back to its roots, Eck could be the best candidate.
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Dave Aranda, Baylor coach
Aranda, 48, was a renowned defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and LSU before taking the Baylor job in 2020. He's 33-31 with the Bears – which might not be enough for some Badgers' fans. Aranda, however, was part of a three-year run where Wisconsin compiled a 30-10 record between Gary Andersen and Paul Chyst. He's proven enough as a head coach that Wisconsin could show interest.
Dave Doeren, NC State coach
Doeren, 53, has been at NC State since 2013. The Wolfpack are 90-65 with nine winning seasons in that stretch, a steady proven track record of success that could be attractive for Wisconsin in the 18-team Big Ten. Doeren served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Bret Bielema with the Badgers from 2006-10, a stretch in which the Badgers were 38-14. Doeren is a no-nonsense coach who fits the Wisconsin profile.
Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State offensive coordinator
Kotelnicki, 45, is an up-and-coming offensive coordinator who will generate Power 4 interest in the next few cycles. He played at Wisconsin-River Falls in Division III and was a coordinator at Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2013-14. The Warhawks were 30-0 in those two seasons, and Kotelnicki worked under Leipold. He's been a successful offensive coordinator at Buffalo, Kansas and Penn State since.
Alex Golesh, South Florida coach
Golesh, 41, is on the hot list after a strong start at South Florida this season. He began his career as a student assistant at Ohio State before spending four years on staff at Illinois, giving him Big Ten ties. Golesh later served as offensive coordinator at UCF and Tennessee, where he built his reputation on an up-tempo offense paired with an aggressive defensive approach. Then again, so did Fickell before his arrival from Cincinnati.