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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN editor-in-chief
Wisconsin has hired longtime NFL coach Jack Del Rio to its staff, where he will serve as a senior advisor to Badgers coach Luke Fickell, the team told ESPN on Thursday.
Del Rio, a former Jaguars and Raiders coach, most recently served as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator until he was fired in November. He will work with both Wisconsin’s offense and defense and assist Fickell, who begins his second season at the school Friday against Western Michigan.
A former linebacker for USC and four NFL teams, Del Rio has spent his entire coaching career at the professional level. The 61-year-old held defensive coordinator positions with Carolina and Denver before coming to Washington in 2020.
Fickell had hoped that Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans coach and close friend of the Ohio State team, would be with him in the Wisconsin program this season. But Vrabel is a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.
