Longtime NFL coach to join Luke Fickell's staff at Wisconsin

It takes a village to create a winning college football program, which makes hiring more than just a head coach important.

Everyone from the coordinators to even the gameday staff can make a difference between winning and losing. And they certainly can make a difference in the culture of a winning program.

That's exactly what Luke Fickell is trying to build at Wisconsin. That may be why he decided to bring in an advisor who knows a few things about high-level football: Longtime NFL coach Jack Del Rio. This according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, who hears that Del Rio will advise Fickell on both sides of the football.

Del Rio was fired in November 2023 from his last role as defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, but that doesn't take away his wealth of football experience and insight — especially in a role as senior advisor.

Del Rio was a prolific college football player for USC, where he was a consensus All-American linebacker in 1984. A third-rounder in the 1985 NFL Draft, he had an 11-year NFL playing career before getting into coaching.

Running down his NFL resume, Del Rio was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-11 and head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2015-17. He had been in the NFL as an assistant or head coach ever since 1997, so he without a doubt has the knowledge to help out a Wisconsin team that has several big-time games on its schedule this season.

No. 5 Alabama, No. 23 USC, No. 8 Penn State, No. 25 Iowa and No. 3 Oregon are all on Wisconsin's schedule for the 2024 campaign.