Ex-Titans coach Mike Vrabel may land at Wisconsin, Luke Fickell says
The former NFL head coach could return to school.
Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel could join Luke Fickell’s staff at Wisconsin next season in some form or fashion, the Badgers’ head coach confirmed. Fickell and Vrabel are longtime friends after rooming together during their Ohio State careers. Vrabel, and three-time Super Bowl winner and 2021 NFL Coach of the Year, did not land an NFL head-coaching job after the Titans fired him in January with 54-45 record over six years.
“I talked to him, I think, on Saturday, and we hadn’t communicated for probably a week or so just because the process was going,” Fickell said Wednesday during an interview with ESPN Wisconsin’s Wilde & Tausch. “He sounded like a new man. And I’m not sure exactly if this was his choice, or what it is the future it looks like, but I know that we’re going to have a visitor here that’s going to spend a little bit of time, hopefully around us. Starting, coming up in the spring and some things like that, see how much, how deep we can get involved with my buddy and get him around here.”
Vrabel helped Tennessee reach the playoffs three-consecutive years from 2019-21 and was one win shy of playing in the Super Bowl in 2019.
“Earlier today, I spoke with Mike Vrabel and told him about my decision to make a change at head coach,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “As I told coach Vrabel, this decision was as difficult as any I’ve made as Controlling Owner. I appreciate Mike’s contributions to the Tennessee Titans both on and off the field. Anyone who has ever met him knows how passionate and genuine he is, and he’s been a strong supporter of the Nashville community. We wish Mike, Jen, and the Vrabel family nothing but the best in the future.”
Fickell’s first season at Wisconsin didn’t go as planned. He never thought he would be fighting for bowl eligibility down the stretch with the Badgers in Year 1, but Wisconsin squeaked out seven wins with narrow finishes in late November against Nebraska and Minnesota.
Part of the issue was inconsistent play on offense under first-year play-caller Phil Longo for a team that was slotted inside the top 20 before the season. Four times Wisconsin scored 14 points or fewer this fall, all occurring over a 1-4 stretch during Big Ten play.
