Continuity has been a source of strength for Luke Fickell during his college football coaching career.
He stuck with his alma mater, Ohio State, through difficult circumstances that included a season as an interim coach and not landing the job in the offseason that followed. He worked with a small core of coaches over multiple years at his first head coaching stop at Cincinnati, then brought them with him to the University of Wisconsin when he was hired in November 2022.
Consider that seven of the 14 coaches that Fickell has hired since taking the Badgers job either had worked with or been coached by Fickell in the past. That's why many are circling names of former Fickell assistants as the Badgers search for a new offensive coordinator following Fickell's firing of Phil Longo on Sunday.
People are also reading... Wisconsin high school football state semifinal playoff scores 1849 abortion law has been effectively repealed, liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justices argue Five victims of Verona car crash were cyclists, advocates for diabetes research More Wisconsin communities stop adding fluoride to drinking water Defense attorneys fleeing courtroom of Dane County judge accused of bias, disrespect See 'Top Chef' finalist Dan Jacobs' favorite Wisconsin restaurants Polzin: What I did and didn't like from Wisconsin football's brutal loss to No. 1 Oregon Worker dies after construction site accident in western Wisconsin Wisconsin football assistant arrested for OWI Bo Ryan saw a cohesive unit, and Wisconsin men's basketball proved him right in shocking upset Nationally ranked recruit from Milwaukee gets Wisconsin men's basketball offer Madison ordered investigation of new sexual harassment claims against Ald. Charles Myadze Authorities identify 2 killed in crash on Highway 51 north of Madison A 9-story mural celebrating Madison is going up Downtown Woman who bought gun for woman who used it to kill children, self sentenced to prison
5 takeaways from Wisconsin football's dismissal of offensive coordinator Phil Longo
Fickell's decision on the OC post could be the deciding factor in how long Fickell is the coach at Wisconsin, as another whiff would necessitate a hard look at things from athletic director Chris McIntosh. If Fickell turns to a coach he knows -- or at least can get a strong vouch for, like he did with outside linebacker coach Matt Mitchell from defensive coordinator Mike Tressel -- there are a few strong options out there.
Here's a look at three potential offensive coordinators with ties to Fickell and his staff who could make their way to Madison.
Mike Denbrock, Notre Dame offensive coordinator
Connection to Wisconsin: Fickell's offensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2017 to 2021
Denbrock's relationship with Fickell would need to do a lot of work in this recruitment because Denbrock's got a good thing going at Notre Dame. The Irish are 9-1 in Denbrock's first season leading the offense and Denbrock already is working for a former Cincinnati cohort, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman. Denbrock wasn't a big part of Notre Dame's recruiting last cycle because he was transitioning from the LSU sideline to South Bend, but he's helped build what 247Sports composite ranks as the No. 14 class in the nation for 2025.
4 observations after rewatching Wisconsin football's missed chance against No. 1 Oregon
Fickell could offer Denbrock similar autonomy that Freeman does in running the offensive show, but he'd have to get Wisconsin to pony up big-time cash. Denbrock reportedly makes $2.1 million per year, the highest OC salary in college football per PFF, so it stands to reason Wisconsin would need to exceed that in a significant manner to pull Denbrock further north.
There's no doubting Denbrock's bona fides, though. He helped Jayden Daniels author a Heisman Trophy season in 2023 at LSU and guided the Cincinnati offense to the College Football Playoffs in 2021 to highlight a successful career spanning almost 40 years.
Gino Guidugli, Notre Dame quarterbacks coach
Connection to Wisconsin: Fickell's QB coach at Cincinnati from 2017-20, OC in 2022
Guidugli was supposed to be part of Fickell's first staff at Wisconsin. He signed a contract with the Badgers to coach tight ends before Notre Dame came calling with the chance to lead the QBs in 2023, an opportunity that the former Cincinnati QB jumped at.
Polzin: Wisconsin football fails to finish yet again, leaving Fickell to say 'put that on me'
Sam Hartman did well for Notre Dame last season under Guidugli's guidance. Hartman threw for 2,689 yards and 28 touchdowns on a 63.5% completion rate and added 123 yards and three touchdowns as a runner. Riley Leonard hasn't been as explosive passing, throwing for 1,789 yards and 12 touchdowns through 10 games, but he's added more as a rusher with 641 yards and 13 touchdowns. Fickell wants to have mobility at quarterback, and Guidugli is showing he can coach that kind of player at Notre Dame.
Wisconsin was set to pay Guidugli $600,000 to coach tight ends in 2023, but his salary at Notre Dame hasn't been reported. With revenue sharing coming soon and programs needing to have cash on hand to distribute each season, the cost of an OC is a factor in Fickell's calculus.
Jason Eck, Idaho coach
Connection to Wisconsin: La Crosse native, Badgers football alum (1995-98), played with Badgers assistant offensive line coach Casey Rabach (1996-98)
This would be a little bit of a surprise, but Eck does some interesting things with the Vandals offense that blend the run concepts Wisconsin is successful with and spread formations that create space in the defense.
3 things that stood out in Wisconsin football's heartbreaker to No. 1 Oregon
Eck is 24-12 at Idaho and has made the FCS playoffs both of the past two seasons. Fickell has expressed in the past a desire to have alumni on the coaching staff, and Eck fits that bill. Plus, Eck makes less than $500,000, so offering him a significant raise wouldn't be difficult for the Badgers.
It wouldn't be the splashiest hire, but Fickell's objective is to find an OC he can win with and Eck's teams have the kind of physical identity that dovetails nicely with what Fickell seemingly wants.
Fans questions Wisconsin football's quarterback play as upset of No. 1 Oregon slips away Certainly a drawback Brutal performance Several bad misses tonight The defense deserved better Two wrongs don't make a right Quarterback play has not been good under Fickell Biggest 'what-if' of the season Simmer down Time to make a move has passed An unfortunate series of events I guess we'll never know Interesting thoughts That delay was weird. OL looked confused It's all about the money, money, money Great teams cover The bounce back was a positive The difference between winning and losing ... Process > results? Good question I also asked what does this say about Mabrey? Locke gives them the best chance to win, based on their decisions Math checks out Pockets will be heavier Unexpected, for sure I also don't get Yacamelli's lack of snaps Playing for next year? Got a smirk from me Who cares about redshirts in this era? Injuries are worrisome A fair take Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Colten Bartholomew | Wisconsin State Journal Author email Follow Colten Bartholomew | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today