J.J. Watt has zero interest in coaching college football

For those of you hoping that J.J. Watt would be in consideration to replace Luke Fickell in Madison, you’re out of luck.

During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the NFL on CBS analyst was asked about the murmurs that he could return to his alma mater by Ty Schmit. Where that speculation exists is anyone’s guess — probably in certain corners of the internet, perhaps on a message board somewhere — but Watt put the kibosh on the idea before it could get off the ground.

“The life of a college football coach has absolutely no appeal whatsoever to me,” Watt said. “I like coaching football, just the pure on-the-field Xs and Os, like helping guys be better at what they do and create the best they can. But, then you add in all the meetings, you add in all the hours, and you add in recruiting and the traveling and having to go to these 17-year-old kids and be like, ‘Hey, you’re the greatest in the world, come to the university.’

“Then, you add the NIL and the boosters, and people coming at you after the game. ‘You didn’t cover the spread, what’s going on…?’ I don’t want to deal with any of that sh*t, man. You could pay me $50 million, and I don’t want to go and do that. I have no interest in it.”

So much for that idea.

Wisconsin’s not getting rescued by its most famous alum. The Badgers are stuck with what they have — for now — and what they have isn’t working.

Fickell’s tenure in Madison has been a disaster. The program that fired Paul Chryst for starting 2-3 in 2022 brought in Fickell with expectations of competing for championships. He went 57-18 at Cincinnati and took the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff. None of that success followed him north.

The Badgers went 5-7 last season and missed a bowl game for the first time in over two decades. This year isn’t going any better. Wisconsin is 2-4 with three straight conference losses, the latest a shutout at home against Iowa last weekend, marking the first time that’s happened at Camp Randall since 1980.

The offense has been unwatchable. Wisconsin scores fewer points than all but five FBS programs this season. They can’t run it. They can’t throw it. The Badgers have lost the ball 10 times through six games. Halfway through the year, not a single running back or receiver has reached 300 yards. Against an Ohio State defense that has been dominant this year, things could get ugly on Saturday.

Fickell overhauled his offensive approach in the offseason, firing coordinator Phil Longo and hiring Jeff Grimes to install a pro-style system. The thinking was that Wisconsin needed something stable enough to survive quarterback injuries and inconsistency. It hasn’t solved anything. The team still looks lost on that side of the ball.

The injuries at quarterback haven’t helped Fickell’s cause, but they don’t explain everything. Tanner Mordecai broke his hand in 2023. Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in 2024. Billy Edwards Jr. sprained his knee in the opener this season. When the intended starter stays healthy for a full year under Fickell, Wisconsin wins nine games. When a backup takes over, the record craters. But even accounting for the injury luck, the program looks uninspired across the board.

Wisconsin hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent since Fickell arrived. The Badgers are winless in seven tries. They haven’t defeated a Big Ten team at home since Purdue last October. That’s more than a calendar year of conference futility in Camp Randall. The team that used to define itself by physicality and toughness now gets described as soft. Iowa and Nebraska look meaner. That eats at former players like Watt, who’ve been vocal about the program losing its identity.

Losing happens, it’s part of the game.

Hearing announcers talk about how much tougher and more physical Nebraska & Iowa are while getting blown out… that’s the issue.

We are Wisconsin.
Physicality, running game, great O-Line and great defense.
That is our identity.

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 24, 2024

Fickell isn’t getting fired tomorrow. The money says he’ll be back next year. But the patience is running thin. Another season like this, and the financial calculus changes. The program that once prided itself on stability and consistency has become a cautionary tale about the risks of making a splashy hire.

As for Watt, he made his position clear. He doesn’t want to recruit. He doesn’t want to deal with NIL. He doesn’t want boosters in his ear.  That means Wisconsin will have to find someone else. Watt’s not interested in saving his alma mater from the mess it’s in.