Wisconsin reaches out to its past as it attempts to recapture its identity as a winning program

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin reacted to back-to-back losing seasons by tackling the dual challenge of restocking its talent base through the portal while making sure those transfers understood what it takes to win.

Embattled coach Luke Fickell responded by reaching out to players from past Wisconsin teams that contended for Big Ten titles. That helped the Badgers discover the threads linking the best teams in this program’s recent history.

“There was a consistency that you heard from whoever the leaders were that you talked to from those teams, that really held out throughout all those teams,” Fickell said.

How well the Badgers respond could determine whether Fickell’s tenure lasts beyond this season.

Former Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh brought Fickell back even after Wisconsin followed up a 5-7 finish in 2024 by going 4-8 last year — a stunning fall for a program that posted 22 straight winning seasons from 2002-23. Rather than switching coaches, Wisconsin made a greater financial investment in the program as Fickell added 34 transfers, including 27 from other Bowl Subdivision programs.

As many as 11 of those transfers could start in the season opener Sunday night against No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin had to upgrade its roster to have any shot at contending in the Big Ten.

The NFL didn’t draft any Wisconsin players this year for the first time since 1978. Only two Badgers were drafted last year, both in the seventh round. No Badgers have been selected in the first three rounds since 2023, when offensive lineman Joe Tippmann and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton went in the second.

“If we don’t develop and recruit and get NFL players, in this league, you’re not winning,” Fickell said.

Wisconsin's best teams had more NFL-caliber players. They also had an attitude that Wisconsin’s recent teams lacked.

Fickell described a video the team received from Chris Orr, who played linebacker for Wisconsin from 2015-19. Orr specified that the Badgers need to be a brotherhood rather than just acting like a family.

The gist of Orr’s message was that while families often take care of each other no matter what, brothers fight and hold themselves accountable.

“It motivated me,” said quarterback Colton Joseph, an Old Dominion transfer. “The one thing we’re sticking to this season is, ‘Burn the boats. Give it everything we’ve got.’ We’re not turning back.”

That approach could revitalize Fickell’s tenure and impress new athletic director Shawn Eichorst, who arrived after McIntosh left to become the Big Ten's deputy commissioner for strategy. After going 53-10 and earning a College Football Playoff berth his last five years at Cincinnati, Fickell has posted a 17-21 record at Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s encountered bad luck. The Badgers’ intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of their 37 games the last three years because of injuries.

Yet the Badgers also haven’t responded well to adversity. They believe that can change if they follow the example set by Wisconsin’s best teams.

“What stood out about every team in the study that we did was the teams were so player-led,” safety Matt Jung said. “The coach was great, but if the coaches stepped aside, they would still have a great practice because if someone simply didn’t touch the line, it wasn’t just the leaders, it wasn't just the captains getting on them. It was every single player holding the standard. That’s what Wisconsin football needs to be."

Getting back to playing Wisconsin football also means running the ball effectively and playing suffocating defense.

Wisconsin ranked next-to-last among all Bowl Subdivision teams — ahead of only UMass — in points per game (12.8), yards per game (253.1) and yards per play (4.37) last season. The Badgers believe that Joseph and Iowa State transfer Abu Sama, who rushed for a combined 1,739 yards last season, can change that.

The defense has a couple of building blocks in sophomore linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, but this unit must create more big plays. Wisconsin recovered only one fumble the entire 2025 season and had six total takeaways to match the lowest total of any FBS team.

“A confident defense is a defense that finds a way to create turnovers,” Fickell said.

Wisconsin will get an immediate indication of how far it has come, and perhaps how far it still must go.

Rather than opening the season with a lightweight program, the Badgers face a potent Notre Dame team that has plenty of motivation after getting left out of the playoff last year. The Badgers will learn right away how much of a gap might separate them from the nation’s top programs — and how to go about closing it.

“In the long run," Fickell said, "I think it’s going to help us.”

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here