Brian Kelly: ‘Take Luke Fickell off that hot seat’ after Wisconsin’s comeback win vs. Penn State

Heading into the 2026 season, there was plenty of hot seat chatter around Luke Fickell at Wisconsin. The Badgers opted to retain him as head coach after missing a bowl game again, but they’re off to a 3-1 start to the year after a thrilling comeback win over Penn State in Week 4. In light of that game, CBS Sports analyst Brian Kelly said it’s time to stop talking about whether Fickell will be in Madison next year. He thinks the Wisconsin coach has put that chatter to rest because of the way the Badgers got that win. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage Wisconsin trailed by as many as 17 points on the road at Beaver Stadium before mounting the rally. The Badgers then outscored Penn State 24-3 en route to the 24-20 win – a signature won for Fickell. To Kelly, that sends a message to the rest of the program about its current trajectory. “Take Luke Fickell off that hot seat finally,” Kelly said on Inside College Football. “… You go to Penn State and you get a victory, and you come back late and get that victory, that sells everything in the locker room to, ‘We’re going in the right direction.” Watch on Fubo (Try for Free) Fickell’s tenure at Wisconsin began with a 7-6 record in 2023, but the Badgers missed a bowl game in each of the two seasons that followed. He entered 2026 with a 17-21 record in Madison, including a bowl game win in 2022 after he took over for Paul Chryst. Despite questions about whether he’d return in 2026, former Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh brought Fickell back and the school invested in the roster. The Badgers started the year by keeping it close against Notre Dame through the first half before the Fighting Irish quickly pulled away after halftime, but have won all three games since. While it wasn’t a perfect game for Wisconsin – the Badgers had three turnovers – Luke Fickell pointed out what it meant to pull off the victory in that fashion. He said it showed a look at the team’s identity as Big Ten play heats up. “This journey is about continuing to build and climb,” Fickell said. “I don’t know if there was a tougher situation than what we were in out there today. To see these guys not falter, to see guys not give up on Colton, that’s what, to me, makes me so proud. … To see how they kept fighting, to see how they didn’t give in, there’s a conviction – we learned a lot about ourselves today.” Next up, Wisconsin will return to Camp Randall Stadium in Week 5 ahead of the bye week. Michigan State will come to town for a Saturday afternoon matchup on Big Ten Network.