Urban Meyer claims there is 'no chance' Wisconsin buys out Luke Fickell for $25 million

Now at 2-2 and coming off back-to-back losses in his fourth season in charge, coach Luke Fickell is once again feeling the heat at Wisconsin. But will his current struggles lead to an ousting?

The Triple Option podcast tackled the question of coaches in distress on a recent episode, with former coach Urban Meyer weighing in on both Fickell and Florida coach Billy Napier. He’s got ties to both.

“The first is close to my heart,” Meyer explained. “Luke was on my staff for several years and one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. Great family, great everything.”

Personal ties aside, Meyer noted he’s been concerned for Luke Fickell from the moment he took the Wisconsin job. That was ahead of the 2023 season, following a remarkable stint at Cincinnati.

“I was a little worried when he first went there because Wisconsin is not the same job it was before the four teams from the Pac-12 came in,” Meyer said. “And then they moved the West division to now it’s just the best two. Wisconsin was a very good job, is a very good job, but it’s not the same job. As a result, I think they’re in trouble.”

The FOX Sports analyst would expand on why, but suffice it to say, Wisconsin has struggled to keep up in the current transfer portal and NIL era. The talent level simply isn’t the same.

That was apparent to Meyer when he watched Luke Fickell’s team a year ago. He’s seen more of it since.

“I watched them play,” Meyer said. “I just don’t see — remember we did their game last year against Alabama, and I stood on the field and I just, they always had a Melvin Gordon or an explosive player that took your breath away a little bit? Sometimes they had two.

“I remember playing when they had Jonathan Taylor and Melvin Gordon, and they would do the fly series with Melvin Gordon and then they had the downhill with Jonathan Taylor. Monsters (on the O-line), I mean, one of the best offensive lines in college football.”

That largely hasn’t materialized for Wisconsin during the Luke Fickell era. The program has gone 7-6 and 5-7 under his watch. Now, in Year 3, the program is 2-2 and still has games against ranked Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Illinois squads on tap.

So how does it end? The Triple Option podcast asked Meyer. Not the way it might sound based on the above laid-out path.

“I’m worried about this one,” Meyer said of Luke Fickell. “But I’ll say this again: Wisconsin doesn’t have that money. There’s no chance they’re writing a check for $25 million. It’s not happening this year, so…”