Division I · Big Ten Conference
University of Wisconsin-Madison Football
Madison, WI · the Badgers · University of Wisconsin-Madison overview
122
Roster
17 over the D-I cap of 105
$41M
Team budget
82nd percentile in Division I
$335,274
Per roster spot
median $79,762
16
Coaches
1 head · 15 assistant
986
APR
98% of players retained
43%
Admitted
top quarter for selectivity
University of Wisconsin-Madison fields a football team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 122 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 15 assistants. Team expenses were $40,903,448, well above the median of $9.1M — $335,274 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 17 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 986, about the median of 964, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $10,704,429 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $25,793 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#48Team budgetof 261 · Division I#47Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#93Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#28APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster122 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 17 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 15 assistant
- Team expenses$40,903,448 for the year
- Operating expenses$6,640,545 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$335,274 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate986 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$10,704,429 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$25,793 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$1,725,093 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Fickell head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put University of Wisconsin-Madison on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →36,797undergraduates · 49,605 students in all
Women 53% Men 47%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →43%admitted · of 63,505 applicants
SAT middle 50%1360 – 1510
ACT middle 50%28 – 32
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 89%
Football
Full picture →122on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105122
17 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate986
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $40,903,448 $335,274 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 15 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $10,704,429
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $1,725,093
Cost
Full picture →$14,216net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $11,205 in-state · $40,603 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.98violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 13 burglaries · 64 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 4 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →17%of bachelor's degrees in business · 25 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research University of Wisconsin-Madison
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program122 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions43% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$14,216 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 17%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 36,797Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.98 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Division III · Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 37 | 112 | $687k | — | 83% | |
| Beloit College Division III · Midwest Conference | 44 | 71 | $435k | — | 57% | |
| Rockford University Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 59 | 101 | $426k | — | 57% | |
| Carroll University (Wisconsin) Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 60 | 126 | $520k | — | 58% | |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville Division III · Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 60 | 115 | $1M | — | 87% | |
| Ripon College Division III · Midwest Conference | 60 | 87 | $446k | — | 84% | |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 70 | 90 | $438k | — | 79% | |
| Loras College Division III · American Rivers Conference | 76 | 97 | $561k | — | 92% | |
| Concordia University Wisconsin Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 76 | 133 | $426k | — | 68% | |
| University of Dubuque Division III · American Rivers Conference | 77 | 123 | $709k | — | 87% | |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Division III · Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 78 | 131 | $756k | — | 87% | |
| Northern Illinois University Division I · Mountain West Conference | 85 | 143 | $13M | 962 | 70% |
Other football programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ohio State University 17 over cap | 122 | $92M | $757,043 | 985 | vs | |
| Pennsylvania State University 25 over cap | 130 | $77M | $595,277 | 982 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 32 over cap | 137 | $76M | $554,182 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Southern California 11 over cap | 116 | $74M | $638,060 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 50 over cap | 155 | $71M | $455,320 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Washington 9 over cap | 114 | $69M | $604,576 | 999 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 34 over cap | 139 | $62M | $443,620 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Oregon 21 over cap | 126 | $61M | $482,916 | 968 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles 16 over cap | 121 | $55M | $456,240 | 944 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 26 over cap | 131 | $51M | $388,506 | 971 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington 9 over cap | 114 | $50M | $440,417 | 969 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $405,275 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $403,373 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 12 over cap | 117 | $45M | $388,484 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison 17 over cap | 122 | $41M | $335,274 | 986 | vs | |
| Northwestern University 4 over cap | 109 | $38M | $347,722 | 995 | vs | |
| Purdue University 21 over cap | 126 | $37M | $295,184 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 15 over cap | 120 | $36M | $295,855 | 956 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference football program · Football budgets ranked