This is big news, even if it’s “routine” and part of the yearly extensions worked into the contracts of the UW coaches. This was supposed to be the year to decide if Fickell should keep his job or not, but Wisconsin decided not only to retain but to extend. He now will have seven more years on his contract (one more year than his original contract) and a much longer leash than before.

Wisconsin finished last season 12th in the Big Ten and 5-7 overall. Fickell and the Badgers lost five straight to end the year, and fans were ready to burn the program to the ground. It was a failure of a year after it was surmised that he failed the year before, too.

In 2023, the program went 7-5 and lost to LSU in the Reliaquest Bowl. This looked at the time like it was going to be a progressing forward year, but then the wheels came off in 2024, leading to missing a bowl in a year that was supposed to be a bigger improvement. Now, he has even more time to prove himself and a longer leash to do it.

The terms have not yet been released for Fickell’s extension, and exactly what goes with the contract extension. There could be a hope that it was to change some of the buy-outs or something, but it does appear that it’s simply an extension of what he’s already doing. Indications are that it was an automatic extension already built into his contract. It was announced at the same time as three other coaches in the program.

It still feels surprising, even if it was “automatic.” This is a football program that has a proud and rich history with a winning tradition, and now they are allowing a coach who is clearly struggling to continue to coach.