With Wisconsin football at 2-5 amid heightened speculation about coach Luke Fickell’s job status, athletic director Chris McIntosh sent a letter to Badgers fans Monday expressing “disappointment” in the team’s performance, while also indicating his support for Fickell and plans to increase investment in the football program.

“Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration,” McIntosh wrote in a letter addressed to “Badger Nation.”

#Badgers AD Chris McIntosh with a message to fans. Talks about supporting Luke Fickell and additional financial investment in the program. pic.twitter.com/zA1gz6O3MN

— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 20, 2025

Wisconsin has lost five games in a row, including back-to-back shutout losses for the first time since 1977. The Badgers are 15-18 overall and 8-14 in the Big Ten in their third season under Fickell, who originally signed a seven-year contract in November 2022. He received a one-year extension in February 2025 through the 2031 season, and will earn $7.825 million this season, according to the USA Today coaching database. Fickell’s buyout, if fired by Wisconsin, would pay him 80 percent of the remaining compensation on his initial contract, which would be north of $25 million after the 2025 season.

“While we still have a lot of football to play this season, with the support and significant involvement of Chancellor (Jennifer) Mnookin, Athletics is committed to elevating the investment into our football program to position us to compete at the highest level,” McIntosh wrote. “As a department we must provide our coaches the tools necessary to succeed.

“The results of this elevated support may not be immediate, but we are confident that the impact will be positive and long-term,” McIntosh added.

McIntosh hired Fickell away from Cincinnati in 2022 after firing coach Paul Chryst five games into his eighth season. Fickell went 57-18 in six seasons with the Bearcats, including a trip to the four-team College Football Playoff in 2021 — a first for a Group of 5 program, with Cincinnati competing in the American Athletic Conference at the time.

Fickell, 52, has failed to translate that success to Wisconsin, which has been hampered by injuries at quarterback during his three seasons at the helm. After a 7-6 record in 2023 and loss in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Badgers went 5-7 in 2024, recording the first losing season since 2001 and snapping the program’s streak of 22 consecutive bowl game appearances.

The Badgers go on the road to face No. 6 Oregon on Saturday.

What this means for Wisconsin

McIntosh’s vote of confidence is not surprising considering he fired longtime coach Chryst midway through the 2022 season, then spurned former Badger and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as Chryst’s successor to hire Fickell. McIntosh’s career is tied to this move, so he’s going to see it through to the end.

Wisconsin has lost 10 straight games to power-conference opponents by an average score of 32-10. Only once in those games have the Badgers scored more than 14 points, and they’ve been shut out in consecutive Big Ten games. Against its five Power 4 opponents this season, Wisconsin has totaled 34 points.

It won’t get any easier for Wisconsin. The Badgers play five teams with a combined record of 28-7 overall and 14-6 in Big Ten play. They play at No. 6 Oregon (6-1, 3-1) this week, then host Washington (5-2, 2-2) after a bye. Wisconsin travels to No. 2 Indiana (7-0, 4-0) and then greets former coach Bret Bielema and No. 23 Illinois (5-2, 2-2) before finishing the season at rival Minnesota (5-2, 3-1).

McIntosh has come under fire, and he’s owed 75 percent of his remaining compensation — $6.3 million, thus a $4.725 million payout — through June 30, 2029. Perhaps McIntosh’s letter is designed to diffuse the anxiety around the program, but it only delays the tension. — Scott Dochterman