In its quest to make a year two leap under coach Luke Fickell, Wisconsin is reportedly turning to a familiar NFL name.
The Badgers are hiring ex-NFL coach Jack Del Rio as a senior advisor to Fickell, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Bruce Feldman of .
Del Rio, 61, most recently served as the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders from 2020 to 2023. His tenure was marked by on-field inconsistency—the Commanders fielded a top-five total defense in 2022 and the league's worst total defense in '23—and off-field controversy.
This will be the first college coaching gig for the USC product, who was a consensus All-American linebacker with the Trojans in 1984.
As a professional, Del Rio made the Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings in 1994. He worked parts of 12 seasons as a head coach, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars (in 2005 and 2007) and Oakland Raiders (2016) to the postseason.
Wisconsin is scheduled to open its season Friday against Western Michigan.
