Luke Fickell says 'burn the ships' as Wisconsin more than doubles NIL spending for 2026

Chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports from Capitol Hill where a Senate panel is set to mark up NIL legislation, aiming to regulate college sports amidst ongoing 'chaos.' Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban criticizes the current system for prioritizing money over development, while Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., voices concerns that smaller schools will struggle to retain talent like Josh Allen against larger institutions with significant donor bases.

Wisconsin's football program finally appears to be investing in success on the field.

There used to be a time when the Badgers would consistently win 10+ games a year and appear in major bowl games.

Those days are long gone, and the Luke Fickell experiment has been an unmitigated disaster. The man hired to inject life into the program has done the exact opposite.

He's 17-21 as the leader in Madison, and he now sits on the hottest seat in all of college football.

WISCONSIN FOOTBALL TEAM GETS UNIFORM REVEAL FOR MATCHUP AGAINST NOTRE DAME AT LAMBEAU FIELD

MADISON, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 18: Head coach Luke Fickell of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on in the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. ((Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images))

While Wisconsin's official NIL spending numbers have never been public, there's long been the feeling among fans that not enough was happening. There needed to be significantly more commitment.

That now appears to be happening.

The Athletic reported this week that the Badgers are spending more than $25 million this year on its football roster. That's an elite number, and a clear shift in the thinking in Madison.

The outlet reported that the NIL spending for