Why did Wisconsin football hire Luke Fickell and not Jim Leonhard?

According to reports from Athletic staff writer Justin Williams, Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of Wisconsin football.

ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel broke the story around 10 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Intriguingly, Fickell would leave Cincinnati, a team on its way to the Big 12, for Wisconsin. The larger question on the mind of many Badger fans is, “What happened to Wisconsin hiring Jim Leonhard?”

The job was Leonhard’s for the taking

Leonhard was Wisconsin through. Leonhard played at Wisconsin from 2002-04 under legendary head coach Barry Alvarez. After a long NFL career, Leonhard returned to Madison and joined the coaching staff in 2016, first as defensive backs coach and then as defensive coordinator.

When Paul Chryst was fired in October, most concluded it was to allow Leonhard to have the most extended job interview in the history of job interviews. Leonhard had the chance to inject life into the program that began to struggle. Wisconsin was 19-13 after a 10-win 2019 and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

The Badgers had no juice in recruiting, and quarterback Graham Mertz had shown no signs of developing.

Enter Leonhard. His debut was about as great as you could script, albeit against one of the five worst teams in the Power Five, Northwestern. The Badgers decimated the Wildcats 42-7. Graham Mertz threw five touchdown passes, and Braelon Allen ran for 135 yards and threw a touchdown pass of his own.

First, it giveth, then it taketh away. The following week, the Badgers fell to Michigan State 34-28. The Badgers allowed nearly 400 yards and 34 points against a Spartans team that finished 5-7 this year. The one aspect of the program Leonhard could not fix was the inconsistent play on offense and defense.

Worst of all, the Badgers lost the axe for the second consecutive year.

So, why Luke Fickell? 

The simple answer is Fickell is proven. The Cincinnati Bearcats became the first Group of Five team to make the college football playoff last season. Cincy has won the previous two AAC titles. One of the more impressive feats for Fickell was the nine players drafted from last season’s team, including Ahmad “Sauce” Garner, who is arguably the best rookie in the NFL this season.

Wisconsin had five players drafted, none in the top 60.

The question is, “What did Wisconsin promise Fickell to lure him from Cincinnati?” Moving to the Big 12 seemed like it would keep Fickell at Cincinnati for years to come. Being in a Power Five conference would give the Bearcats yearly access to the College Football Playoff, especially in an expanded format.

Wisconsin is a solid program, but not one of the elite programs in the country. They are not close to Ohio State or Michigan in terms of facilities, assistant coaching salaries, or recruiting. Initially, Fickell turned Wisconsin down. The Badgers increased its offer to Fickell.

Unfortunately for Leonhard, Fickell is a home run hire for Wisconsin.