Luke Fickell attempted to modernize the Wisconsin offense and change the program’s philosophy. However, his journey with the program has been hampered by injuries at quarterback and other positions, leaving him in a hot seat with just 9 wins over the last two seasons.
Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin Tenure Under Fire as QB Woes Continue
In the latest episode of the “Josh Pate’s College Football Show” on Sunday, Josh Pate spoke on Fickell’s run at Wisconsin, pointing to ongoing instability and misfortune at the quarterback position.
“Wisconsin has a problem,” Pate said (57:28). “It just never saw that coming. Never saw it coming. Also, the quarterback has been totally snakebitten for them. Yeah, Tanner Mordecai the first year, and it just wasn’t anything special. But then Tyler Van Dyke came there and was hurt nearly immediately in year two.
“Then they had Billy Edwards there, and he was hurt nearly immediately in year three. And so, they really haven’t even had a shot. Now, it’s Colton Joseph’s turn, who is a transfer from Old Dominion, I believe.”
Joseph has become Wisconsin’s primary hope for a reset under Fickell, as he is a dynamic dual-threat playmaker who recently earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors. He ranked 8th nationally in the 2025 season, averaging 302.6 total yards per game. He also set an Old Dominion quarterback record with 1,007 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 158 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per rush.
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Joseph finished last season with an 84.2 grade in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric and is now seen as the central hope for Fickell’s offense. Between 2005 and 2019, Wisconsin’s lowest win total in a season was seven, which is currently Fickell’s best year at the school.
Fickell told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Thursday that he understands Wisconsin’s “backs are against the wall” and that the urgency surrounding the program remains constant. Pate also thinks Fickell may have miscalculated parts of the rebuild.
“Here’s the thing, I think if Luke Fickell could apply all the knowledge he has now and go start over again at Wisconsin, he’d be fine,” Pate said. “He would not have made the offensive coordinator move he made. He wouldn’t have tried to pivot nearly as hard as he did in terms of overall offensive and team philosophy, and they would be fine. But, that’s not the way it works.”
With no spring game scheduled for Wisconsin, Fickell enters the 2026 season under heavy pressure to produce immediate improvement or risk the collapse of his tenure. He managed to keep his job through the 2025 season while other high-profile coaches like James Franklin and Brian Kelly were fired. However, expectations are now even higher, and the margin for error is much smaller heading into 2026.
