‘I believe in the plan he has for us’: Players voice support for Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell

MADISON – While former players vent and fans criticize the state of the Wisconsin football programunder Luke Fickell’s leadership, the Badgerssecond-year coach hasn’t lost the locker room.

That was the word from several players following the team’s 24-7 loss to Minnesota Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.

The loss left the Wisconsin program in a state of disrepair fans haven’t seen in decades.

Gone are 22-year runs of being bowl eligible and having a winning record. The Badgers’ five-game losing streak is their longest since 1991.

There is a lot to worry about, but players didn’t waver about the program’s leadership.

“I’ve seen a lot of college football in five years. I’ve been here a long time,” senior defensive tackle Ben Barten said. “I believe in Coach Fick. I believe in the plan he has for us.

“A lot of people go straight to the coaches and say ‘Oh they should have did this’. We’re the players. Coach Fick can’t go score a touchdown or Coach Fick can’t go sack a quarterback. We’ve got to go do that, so I want people to realize I full-on believe in him. There is nothing that has steered me away from him.”

The Badgers’ win total has been in decline since 2019

With this year’s 5-7 record, the Badgers are 13-13 during Fickell’s 26-game tenure as head coach.

UW, in comparison, went 16-10 during the two seasons prior to his first full season. That said the program has been in decline for the past few seasons. Wisconsin has gone 10 wins in 2019 – we’re discounting the four-win, seven-game 2020 COVID season – to nine in 2021 to seven in ’22 and ’23.