Luke Fickell claims there is no bigger fan of Kirk Ferentz than him

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is a competitor. Nonetheless, he can’t help but admire one of his biggest foes in the Big Ten.

“I’ve studied Iowa for a long time. From when I was a defensive guy, the way that they play defense, to the longevity that coaches had, to the way that [head coach Kirk Ferentz] has done things with the type of kids and people that he’s had there, there’s not a bigger fan from the outside of all the things that he’s done,” Fickell said.

At 49 years old, Fickell has had half his life to study Ferentz. The Iowa head coach is entering his 25th year at the head of the program. Under Ferentz, Iowa boasts 115 Big Ten Conference victories. Further, the program has been invited to 20 bowl games since 2001.

Despite Iowa’s all-around success, Fickell specifically admires Ferentz’s defensive strategies. The Hawkeyes’ defense consistently ranks in the top 10 in the country, ranking second nationwide last season.

Fickell utilized Ferentz’s style while leading Ohio State‘s defense from 2005-16. The defense-first attitude showed up in the stat sheet. The Buckeyes’ defense had an average ranking of No. 17 and earned its highest rank of No. 3 in 2016 while under Fickell.

Although Fickell admired Ferentz, the legendary head coach wasn’t who initially drew Fickell’s attention to the program.

“Growing up a little bit of an Iowa guy, my idol was Dan Gable. Being a wrestling guy, I always kind of held that in a different esteem. I’ve always watched and studied from afar on all things that [Iowa] has done. So, it’s unique to be now thrown into a situation where that is a rivalry game,” Fickell said.

Dan Gable is considered by many to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Gable wrestled at Iowa State but coached at Iowa once retired from the sport. The talented grappler propelled the Hawkeyes to unprecedented success, leading his teams to 21 Big Ten championships and 15 NCAA Division I titles.

While Fickell was a highly-touted talent on the gridiron, he was also a three-time state wrestling champion. Fittingly, Fickell admired Iowa from both perspectives. Now, Fickell will use that admiration as a weapon against the Big Ten foe.

“Knowing the Big Ten, I think that has to do with it. You know where teams come from and where they are, hoping you have a better grasp of who they are,” Fickell said.

Iowa and Wisconsin will face off on Oct. 14 in Camp Randall Stadium.