Former Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh hired Luke Fickell to take the Badgers from good to great. Fickell’s Cincinnati track record backed up that expectation. Though the coach flashed potential in his debut season, the last two years have pushed his future with the Badgers into uncertainty. ESPN’s way-too-early list put the coach in the hot seat tier. But Wisconsin’s new AD, Shawn Eichorst, is ready to support Fickell.

“I hadn’t really had a chance to know or work with Luke [Fickell] up to this point, but my deal is I’m just going to immerse myself in everything they’re doing over there and listen and learn. And nobody’s going to be a bigger supporter than me relative to what he’s got going on, and I will say that about everything in this department,” said Eichorst during his July 6 appearance on ESPN.

Eichorst joined Wisconsin after Chris McIntosh left to take a role in the Big Ten league office. During the search for a new AD, Marcus Sedberry served as the program’s interim AD. Eichorst had previously worked with the Badgers from 2006 to 2011 before taking higher roles in the SEC.

“There’s going to be a ton of support, and there’s going to be times for us to step back and reflect and evaluate and all that other sort of stuff. But at this point in time, I’m just trying to build relationships, trying to get to know people, and understand how they work and how they think, and then I can help them from a support perspective,” added Eichorst.

But is the AD’s support enough for Luke Fickell to bring success in 2026? During his first year at Wisconsin, Fickell finished with a 7-6 record. However, the following year, Wisconsin lost its 22-year streak of bowl appearances. And there were reasons for optimism when the head coach was hired.

Before joining Wisconsin, he led Cincinnati to its CFP appearance, becoming the first G5 coach to do so. But at Wisconsin, he hasn’t touched that level. Even last season, the Badgers had a disappointing 4-8 record. Now, if he leads Wisconsin to a successful 2026 season, his journey with the program can continue; otherwise, it will end before his guaranteed seven-year contract expires.

This season, Wisconsin’s schedule doesn’t have powerhouses like Indiana, Michigan, and OSU. So, the Big Ten program has a chance to become bowl-eligible. Yet nothing is fixed. The Badgers have to face Notre Dame in their season opener. If Wisconsin loses and struggles to find its rhythm, ESPN’s too-early list could be accurate, and the Badgers could part ways with Fickell.

But if that situation doesn’t come, Luke Fickell will get constant support from Wisconsin’s new AD. Even Eichorst echoed that sentiment, saying, “I’ve never coached, so you know, I never tell them that I’m going to put myself in their shoes. I just sit back and listen and try to provide support.”