MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell was preparing his team to play Purdue a day after Boilermakers coach Ryan Walters fired his offensive coordinator four games into the season. Although Fickell said at the time that he didn’t want to speculate on what happened at another program, he did offer one nugget about his feelings: “I think it’s a bad part of our game.”

Seven weeks later, Fickell explained his decision to do the same thing amid an ongoing season. On Sunday, Fickell fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo 23 games into his tenure following a 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon in which the Badgers averaged a season-low 3.6 yards per play. The move came with two regular season games remaining, beginning Saturday at Nebraska and culminating at home against Minnesota.

“This is never something I ever, ever envisioned doing or wanted to do and especially doing it when there are still games to be played in a season,” Fickell said. “But I felt like for all involved and most importantly for our program and the kids in that locker room, what we needed to do right now was to move forward.

“That’s a very tough thing. It’s an unusual situation that everybody is going to have to be able to handle.”

Fickell arrived for his weekly news conference intent on shifting the conversation to Wisconsin’s game against Nebraska, where bowl eligibility for both 5-5 teams is on the line. However, given the magnitude of Fickell’s decision and the uncertainty of the offense’s future, his hope to change gears did not materialize. He seemed to grow more frustrated with the line of questioning as his 18-minute session progressed.

Fickell declined to address specifics about who would call plays for the remainder of the regular season during one of his testiest exchanges when he asked: “Why does it matter?” Fickell then said it would be a collaborative effort and he didn’t want to give people “the ability to point a finger at somebody.” He later said it was part of his philosophy not to make a big deal of the play caller, citing his time as co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State when he called plays but never publicly discussed it despite being repeatedly asked.

A source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic tight ends coach Nate Letton will call the plays for the remainder of the regular season. Letton worked on Fickell’s staff at Cincinnati in 2022 and joined Wisconsin’s program initially as a quality control coach in January 2023. He took over as the tight ends coach a month later after Gino Guidugli left to become the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame.

Longo also was responsible for coaching the quarterbacks and signaling plays from the sideline. The source said wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton likely will help signal plays and there is the potential for more huddling between plays to avoid confusion at the line of scrimmage.

Fickell said Guiton would “be a guy that’s kind of running” the quarterback room and that the quarterbacks and wide receivers would work together. Guiton was a quarterback for Ohio State when Fickell coached there. Guiton also was the interim offensive coordinator at Arkansas for the final four games last season. Fickell said he took into consideration that his staff does not have an experienced play caller and noted of his team, “it only matters what those guys in that room believe and will go out and do.”

“Getting prepared for Nebraska is the thing that’s on our mind … We got a job to do and that’s to finish this thing, especially for the seniors.”@CoachFick meets with the media ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Nebraska.

Full presser: https://t.co/26W089XFtR pic.twitter.com/f4vH6KKQ0p

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 18, 2024

While the timing of Longo’s firing may come as a surprise, Fickell’s decision to move on certainly wasn’t considering the offense seemed disjointed and was nowhere near good enough in two seasons. In six previous seasons as an FBS offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and North Carolina, Longo’s teams never scored fewer than 32.8 points per game or ranked worse than 33rd nationally in scoring offense. His Wisconsin teams never sniffed those marks as he transitioned away from the Badgers’ long-time pro-style system to his variation of the Air Raid.

Wisconsin ranks 57th in rushing offense (169.3 yards), 91st in total offense (363.1 yards), tied for 97th in scoring offense (23.9 points per game) and 102nd in passing offense (193.8 yards) in the FBS. The Badgers are averaging 5.37 yards per play.

For perspective, consider those marks are worse in every category other than passing offense to Wisconsin’s team two seasons ago, during which time coach Paul Chryst was fired and first-time offensive coordinator Bobby Engram was calling the plays.

Longo was hampered, in part, by the fact that backup quarterback Braedyn Locke started or played meaningful snaps in 12 of Longo’s 23 games because of injuries to the starter. Locke’s career completion rate is 53.1 percent, and Wisconsin is 4-6 in his 10 career starts, with losses in three straight games. He has thrown at least one interception in all seven of his starts this season. Fickell said Locke’s performance didn’t significantly factor into deciding Longo’s fate. He said Locke will continue to be the starter ahead of true freshman backup Mabrey Mettauer.

“It’s a really tough situation,” Fickell said. “We all understand that and we’ve seen that I’m not going to dive as much into it but I’ll just tell you the basic gist of what I told the team. It’s not about play calls. It’s not about points scored. It’s not about touchdowns. It’s moving forward with leadership, and that’s to me what we have to do and why we’re doing it right now.”

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In Wisconsin’s struggle to win big games, Oregon loss is biggest gut punch yet

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As the season progressed there were clear philosophical differences between what Fickell and Longo wanted, with Fickell repeatedly stressing the need to lean on the offensive line and run game more. And while Longo’s offense emphasized the run, he failed to mesh his concepts with Wisconsin’s roster. Perhaps his most notable quote occurred when pressed about the lack of results earlier this season when he said: “I’m here to please coach Fickell.”

Longo did not respond to a cell phone request for comment this week from The Athletic.

Fickell offered his most telling comment Monday off a question that wasn’t specifically related to Longo and instead was about maintaining team morale.

“I think maybe that was one of those issues that was not as good as where we wanted it offensively that it was more about an individual,” Fickell said. “Like, that’s what the program is — it’s complementary ball. It’s so much everybody relying upon each other that any one person shouldn’t matter all that much.

“It’s hard to say, ‘Well they’re the coordinator.’ I hope that it wouldn’t be that much different if somebody else was calling the plays on offense or on defense. That’s my vision for where I want the program to grow.”

Fickell, who is 12-11 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten since the start of last season, has shown he’s willing to change course when something doesn’t work. He fired offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr, who was hired along with Longo from North Carolina, at the end of last season. Fickell replaced him with A.J. Blazek, who has been a strong addition to the staff for his enthusiasm and coaching acumen.

Fickell said he didn’t make the move now with anything other than a view toward what was best for his current team. However, at least part of Wisconsin’s roster could hang in the balance depending on how Fickell moves forward. Wisconsin has 22 scholarship commits in the 2025 recruiting class with the early signing period beginning Dec. 4. The transfer portal window runs from Dec. 9-28. Fickell declined to provide a timeline for when he hopes to hire his next offensive coordinator, saying he was focused on preparing for Nebraska and “the rest of the timelines will probably just be in the back of my head.”

Who could replace Longo?

Several names have surfaced as potential candidates to replace Longo, including Guidugli. He was with Fickell at Cincinnati from 2017-22 as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator and spent his last season there as offensive coordinator. Guidugli briefly followed Fickell to Wisconsin before accepting the Notre Dame job.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was Fickell’s offensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2017-21. His annual salary is $2.1 million, which makes him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the country. Longo had one more year remaining on a three-year deal that paid him $1.25 million annually.

Another name that could be in consideration is Idaho coach Jason Eck, a former Badgers offensive lineman who played with Wisconsin assistant offensive line coach Casey Rabach for three seasons. Eck is 24-12 in three seasons at Idaho and has led the Vandals to the FCS playoffs in his first two seasons. Eck would represent more of a return to Wisconsin’s roots and give Fickell a staffer with previous ties to the program that has been missing outside of Rabach.

Other popular names include Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, among others.

“I do like what we do,” Fickell said. “It’s not like we want to go back and think we’re going to be in 22 personnel. We’ve got to have variety. We’ve got to be able to spread the field. But we’ve got to continue to build upon the things that we’ve done. … Regardless of who’s actually calling the plays, the progression is how you continue to evolve the offense in particular for what best fits Wisconsin. And what best fits Wisconsin is using the things that you do have.”

Fickell said that because he spent 20 years at just two schools (Ohio State and Cincinnati), he doesn’t necessarily have as many relationships with coaches as others have. He said he wouldn’t hesitate to hire someone he hasn’t directly worked with before, as was the case with Longo. But he also valued working with many of the same people for so long.

“I can tell you this,” Fickell said. “It’ll be the right one, the right person.”

Fickell can’t afford for it not to be.

(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday that could determine whether the swing state’s top elections official, who has been the target of disproven Republican election conspiracy theories, will remain in her post.

Republicans who control the state Senate tried to fire Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe last year, leading the commission to sue in an effort to keep Wolfe on the job.

The commission argues that the state Supreme Court should uphold a lower court’s ruling in Wolfe’s favor, which would allow her to remain in her position and not face a confirmation vote by the Senate.

But Republican lawmakers argue that the commission must appoint a commissioner, either Wolfe or someone else, so the Senate can vote on confirming that person. Wolfe can’t be allowed to remain in the position as a holdover, they contend.

Wolfe was first appointed for the nonpartisan position in 2018 and confirmed to a four-year term by the GOP-controlled state Senate in 2019. The commission is overseen by a bipartisan board that is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and Wolfe is head of the nonpartisan staff.

Wolfe was targeted for removal by Republican lawmakers who were unhappy with the 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden. President-elect Donald Trump won Wisconsin this year, just as he did in 2016. Unlike after his loss in 2020, Trump backers are not alleging widespread fraud in this year’s election.

Wolfe was the subject of conspiracy theories and targeted by threats from election skeptics who falsely claim she was part of a plot to rig the 2020 vote in favor of Biden. Biden’s win by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin withstood two partial recounts, a nonpartisan audit, a conservative law firm’s review, and multiple state and federal lawsuits.

When Wolfe was up for reappointment in 2023, all six members of the commission voiced support for her. Three Republicans voted to reappoint, but the three Democrats abstained, resulting in a deadlocked vote. Had she gotten a fourth vote in support, her appointment would have been sent to the Senate, which then could have voted to fire her.

Even though her appointment was not forwarded to the Senate, Republican senators voted in September 2023 to fire Wolfe over objections from Democrats and the Legislature’s nonpartisan attorneys. They argued that the Senate didn’t have the authority to vote at that time because Wolfe was a holdover in her position and had not been reappointed.

The commission sued to challenge that Senate vote. Republican legislative leaders changed course and claimed in court filings that their vote to fire Wolfe was merely “symbolic” and had no legal effect.

Republicans asked the judge to order the elections commission to appoint an administrator for the Senate to vote on.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Ann Peacock, in a 2023 ruling, said Wolfe is legally serving as administrator of the elections commission as a holdover given that the commission did not have a majority vote to appoint her. The Senate’s vote to remove her had no legal effect and the commission has no duty to appoint a new leader while Wolfe is serving as a holdover, Peacock ruled.

Republican leaders of the Legislature appealed and the state Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday. It will issue a decision weeks or months from now.

Wolfe was asked about the case during a news conference the day after this month’s election and whether she was committed to remaining in her position “for the long haul.” She made no promises.

“I’m completely committed to seeing through this election and making sure that this election is certified,” Wolfe said.

The state Senate is charged with voting on approving appointees such as Wolfe. However, the GOP majority starting in January will shrink from 22-11 to 18-15 as a result of this month’s election. That means Republicans can only lose one vote on their side and still have a majority.

A missing Wisconsin man died in a Chicago-area crash, it has been revealed.

Ben Oberto, 45, had vanished Wednesday night, last seen leaving a restaurant in Crystal Lake just before 9pm on Wednesday.

The wine seller had been in town for a work appointment, and he had told his wife over the phone how he would be home in time to put their son to bed.

However, that was not the case – and he never showed up. A massive interstate search ensued – one lasting more than 60 hours.

Police managed to track the man’s phone to Rosemont, where he was found Friday morning.

There, troopers from the New Berlin Police Department, with help from Illinois State Police, pulled the dad-of-two from an overturned Subaru Impreza found submerged in a local creek.

Once retrieved, the body was positively identified as Oberto.

As it stands, the wine representative’s car appears to be the only one involved, as Oberto’s wife issued a statement explaining what she and police who probed the man’s last moments believe had happened.

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Police managed to track the man’s phone to Rosemont in Chicago, where he was found Friday. There, troopers from the New Berlin Police Department with help from Illinois State Police pulled the dad-of-one from an overturned Subaru Impreza submerged in a local creek

‘The news I have to share is not what any of us want to hear,’ wrote 38-year-old New Berlin resident Laura Leatherberry in a post to Facebook.

‘Early this morning, we received confirmation that Ben’s car and body were found.’

She went on to recount: ‘On Wednesday, November 13th, at approximately 9:47 pm, Ben’s car left the freeway as he navigated a challenging turn towards home on a dark, rainy, and foggy night. 

‘He did not survive the accident,’ she added.

Statements from police said more of the same, with both the New Berlin Police and Illinois State Police confirming Oberto died after his vehicle veered off the ‘challenging’ stretch of freeway his wife had been referring to.

The road in question, the I-90 eastbound ramp to I-294 northbound near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, has a pronounced curve, photos show.

The crash is currently under investigation, cops in Illinois said – with all departments involved categorizing it as a ‘single-vehicle accident.’

The car is believed to have overturned at the bottom of the embankment, before going over the median and ending up submerged in the creek below.

The dad-of-two died while making a ‘challenging’ turn on the freeway, while on his way home to his family

Cops were seen at the scene late Friday – as divers worked relentlessly to retrieve the body.

Leatherberry, in turn, wrote hours later: ‘I don’t yet have the words to truly express the deep sorrow I’m experiencing, but you deserve to know the truth and not wait in agony anymore.

‘These past 60+ hours of searching, wondering, and fighting to find my husband has been excruciating, but the overwhelming love and support from our family, friends, and community has helped me through this,’ she continued.

‘Together, we will get through this too.’

She and cops were able to piece together his final moments thanks to combination of information garnered from tolls and data from his iPhone that pinged him in Rosemont near the airport.

Officers went on to discern the traveling salesmen never got on any flights, and that his phone had gone dead.

Police proceeded to sweep the area only to find no signs of Oberto – nor his car, his phone, or any reports of his body being brought to a local morgue or hospital. 

A father of two, Oberto is now being remembered by his family and those who knew him

She and cops were able to piece together the wine rep’s final moments thanks to combination of information garnered from tolls and data from his iPhone that pinged him near O’Hare airport

Officers went on to discern the traveling wine salesmen – who worked for an importer based in New York City – never got on any flights, and that his phone had gone dead. He was found not far away, his car submerged in the creek

Eventually, more than two days into the search, cops came across the submerged Subaru. 

‘Ben was not just my husband; he was a loving father, a cherished son, a caring brother, and a true friend to so many,’ Leatherberry wrote, after being interviewed by stations such as CBS News as officers looking into her spouse’s disappearance.  

‘His vibrant spirit, loving heart, and unmatched generosity left an indelible mark on every life he touched.

‘As we mourn this profound loss, let us also celebrate the love and joy he brought into our lives.

‘Thank you from the depths of my heart for your support and kindness during this unimaginably difficult time.’

Oberto’s company, New York City-based wine importer Massanois LLC, also issued a statement in response to his passing.

‘Ben was not just my husband; he was a loving father, a cherished son, a caring brother, and a true friend to so many,’ Leatherberry said after being interviewed by CBS News during the search. ‘His vibrant spirit, loving heart, and unmatched generosity left an indelible mark’

‘It is with a heavy heart that we write to inform you that Ben Oberto, while driving home to his family, passed away in a tragic car accident on Wednesday, November 13th,’ it read. 

‘Our hearts go out to his wife, Laura; his children Collette and Augie; and his immediate family. 

‘Ben’s levity, kindness, and enthusiasm will be dearly missed by his friends and colleagues. 

‘We look forward to gathering to celebrate Ben’s life together, with both tears and laughter, as we mourn his loss.’