BIG TEN FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 18 OF 18
2026 Season Snapshot • Madison, Wisconsin
4-8 (2-7 Big Ten)
B1G
Live schedule, lines and results for Wisconsin.
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HEAD COACH
Luke Fickell — 4th season at Wisconsin
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
80–45 overall (17–20 at Wisconsin)
Built Cincinnati into a CFP team (13-0 in 2021, first Group of Five program to reach the playoff) before taking over a Wisconsin program accustomed to 10- win seasons. Has not delivered a winning Big Ten record in three seasons and enters 2026 widely regarded as one of the hottest seats in the sport despite a massive new financial commitment from the university.
WISCONSIN ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten), the worst record of Fickell's tenure, including being outscored 181-41 across a 6-game losing streak. Wisconsin closed with ranked wins over then-No. 23 Washington and then-No. 21 Illinois — a flash of the ceiling that's kept Fickell employed into a make-or-break 2026.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$7.7M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
$25M+ (est., more than
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
doubled from 2025) Coach salary per On3 (7-yr deal through 2032, $100K annual raises). NIL figure per The Athletic (cited by OutKick/Badger of Honor): Wisconsin's 2026 roster spending reportedly more than doubled from 2025, crossing $25M, after years near the bottom of the Big Ten in NIL investment. Fickell's buyout was $25.4M after 2025, one of the largest in the sport.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Jeff Grimes — 2nd season • Multiple, run-heavy
Enters year two after replacing Phil Longo's air raid mid-tenure. QB1 Colton Joseph (Old Dominion transfer, 1,007 rush yds/13 TD in 2025, 302.6 total yds/game) gives Grimes a true dual-threat weapon — the exact profile Fickell's best offenses (Desmond Ridder at Cincinnati) have historically been built around.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Mike Tressel — 4th season • Base 4-2-5
The most experienced coordinator on Fickell's staff, providing rare continuity for a program that's otherwise turned over significant portions of its offensive identity and personnel across three years.
2025 RECORD
4–8 (2–7 Big Ten)
Started 2-0 before a 6-game losing streak (outscored 181-41), then closed with ranked wins over Washington and Illinois — the worst record of the Fickell era, but a finish that kept hope alive for 2026.
HOME FIELD
Camp Randall Stadium
Artificial turf (FieldTurf), Madison. Historically one of the sport's great home environments (Jump Around remains a signature tradition) — a real asset the program hopes to reactivate as on-field results improve with the new spending commitment.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Colton Joseph | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Old Dominion transfer; 1,007 rush yds, 13 TD and 302.6 total yards/game in 2025 — a clear dual-threat upgrade brought in specifically to stabilize a position that's been "a revolving door" under Fickell. |
| RB1 | Abu Sama III | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Iowa State transfer; 732 yds, 5 TD, 5.2 ypc and 48 forced missed tackles in 2025. The clear 1A option in a deep, rebuilt committee backfield. |
| WR1 | Jaylon Domingeaux | — | ★★★★★ | Southeastern Louisiana transfer; 57 catches, 802 yds, 11 TD at the FCS level in 2025. Considered a "steady hand" and immediate go-to target in a fully rebuilt receiving corps. |
| WR2 | Shamar Rigby | Jr | ★★★★★ | Oklahoma State transfer (by way of Purdue); flashed with 351 yards and a score in 2025, part of a near-total receiver room overhaul after losing Trech Kekahuna and most of 2025's depth to the portal. |
Old Dominion transfer; 1,007 rush yds, 13 TD and 302.6 total yards/game in 2025 — a clear dual-threat upgrade brought in specifically to stabilize a position that's been "a revolving door" under Fickell.
Iowa State transfer; 732 yds, 5 TD, 5.2 ypc and 48 forced missed tackles in 2025. The clear 1A option in a deep, rebuilt committee backfield.
Southeastern Louisiana transfer; 57 catches, 802 yds, 11 TD at the FCS level in 2025. Considered a "steady hand" and immediate go-to target in a fully rebuilt receiving corps.
Oklahoma State transfer (by way of Purdue); flashed with 351 yards and a score in 2025, part of a near-total receiver room overhaul after losing Trech Kekahuna and most of 2025's depth to the portal.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PJ Wilkins | LT | — | ★★★★★ | Offseason addition projected as the Week 1 starter at left tackle, part of a line beat writers call "vastly better on paper" than Wisconsin's 2025 unit. |
| Austin Kawecki | C | — | ★★★★★ | The "plug-and-play" starter at center entering fall camp, anchoring the interior. |
| Kevin Heywood | RT | — | ★★★★★ | Sliding from left to right tackle for 2026, rounding out a projected starting five of Wilkins, Cubberly, Kawecki, Mandell and Heywood. |
Offseason addition projected as the Week 1 starter at left tackle, part of a line beat writers call "vastly better on paper" than Wisconsin's 2025 unit.
The "plug-and-play" starter at center entering fall camp, anchoring the interior.
Sliding from left to right tackle for 2026, rounding out a projected starting five of Wilkins, Cubberly, Kawecki, Mandell and Heywood.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Hammond Russell IV | DT | Sixth-year veteran (6'4", 320 lbs) projected to fill the departed Ben Barten's run-stuffing role in the middle of the line. |
| Sebastian Cheeks | Edge | One of the most important returners on the entire roster after a breakout 2025; the lead edge rusher and a legitimate three-down player at 250 lbs. |
Sixth-year veteran (6'4", 320 lbs) projected to fill the departed Ben Barten's run-stuffing role in the middle of the line.
One of the most important returners on the entire roster after a breakout 2025; the lead edge rusher and a legitimate three-down player at 250 lbs.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerback room | CB | ★★★★★ | Specifically flagged by beat coverage as one of Wisconsin's top-three strongest position groups for 2026, alongside linebacker and quarterback — one of the position battles to watch in fall camp as specific starters are sorted out. |
Specifically flagged by beat coverage as one of Wisconsin's top-three strongest position groups for 2026, alongside linebacker and quarterback — one of the position battles to watch in fall camp as specific starters are sorted out.
2025 ATS
6-6
50% cover rate — 38th of 82
2025 Straight up
4-8
Point differential -105
Scoring environment
34.4
Combined points per game — 82nd highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-4 · 3-2
Totals 2-10 O/U (1-6 home, 1-4 road)
Points scored / allowed
12.8 per game scored (82nd) · 21.6 allowed (31st)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory -8.7 (71st) · Strength of schedule +5.1
SRS power rating
-3.1
56th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-8.4
71st of 82
Defensive SRS
+8.5
13th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
-8.7 · 71st of 82
Against the spread
6-6 (50%) · 38th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
34.4 · 82nd of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's NIL budget reportedly more than doubled to $25M+ for 2026 after ranking near the Big Ten's bottom — a direct, explicit response to three years of underperformance and a real all-in bet on saving Fickell's job.
A $25.4M+ buyout makes an in-season change unlikely, but national college football media has already flagged 2026 as a likely lame-duck season barring real improvement.
A new starting QB (Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph) is Wisconsin's plan after true freshman Carter Smith was thrown into three late-2025 starts — the QB position has been "a revolving door" under Fickell, per beat reporters.
Wisconsin's identity has historically been built on O-line play — with new money finally flowing to the roster, this trench performance is a key signal of whether the "burn the ships" investment is translating to the field.
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