Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell gets 1-year extension on contract that runs through 2031

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is receiving a one-year extension on a contract that will now run through the 2031 season.

The school’s athletic board approved the one-year extension recommendation Wednesday.

Fickell originally agreed to a seven-year contract paying him an average of $7.8 million per year when Wisconsin hired him away from Cincinnati in December 2022. That contract calls for him to get an annual review that would result in a one-year extension based upon satisfactory performance, the athletic director’s recommendation and the athletic board’s approval.

Fickell has received a one-year extension after each of his two seasons on the job, assuring he remains on a seven-year deal. With this new extension, his contract runs through March 31, 2032.

This latest extension comes after Wisconsin finished 5-7 in 2024 for its first losing season since 2001, snapping a string of 22 straight bowl appearances. The Badgers ended the season with five straight losses.

Fickell owns a 13-13 record during his Wisconsin tenure, which started with a 24-17 victory over Oklahoma State in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Badgers went 7-6 in 2023, Fickell’s first season.

He came to Wisconsin after going 57-18 in six seasons at Cincinnati, including an undefeated regular season and College Football Playoff berth in 2021. Fickell’s overall head coaching record is 76-38 in nine seasons.

Wisconsin’s athletic board also approved one-year extension recommendations for volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield, women’s soccer coach Paula Wilkins and men’s soccer coach Neil Jones. They’re on five-year deals that will now run through Jan. 31, 2030.

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