MADISON – Luke Fickell has made two changes to his coaching staff since Wisconsin finished 7-6 in Fickell’s first full season with the Badgers.
He will soon have to make a third.
A source confirmed an ESPN report Thursday that Colin Hitschler, UW’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, is joining Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Alabama.
Get daily updates on the Packers during the season.
Hitschler served as safeties coach for three seasons at Cincinnati under Fickell before coming to UW. He joined the Cincinnati staff in 2018 as a quality control coach in 2018 and served as a senior defensive analyst in 2019 before moving up to safeties coach.
Colin Hitschler, University of Wisconsin football assistant, 2023
A native of New Jersey, Hitschler was heavily involved in helping land nearly half of the 22 players in UW’s 2024 class.
The players Hitschler helped UW sign in the 2024 recruiting class include Pennsylvania cornerback Omillio Agard, New Jersey athlete Raphael Dunn, Maryland running back Dilin Jones and Pennsylvania offensive lineman Kevin Haywood.
Fickell previously hired a new wide receivers coach (Kenny Guiton) and a new offensive line coach (AJ Blazek). Guiton replaced Mike Brown, who joined the Notre Dame staff. Blazek replaced Jack Bicknell Jr., who was reassigned to an off-field role with UW.
Hitschler is familiar with the state of Alabama.
He joined Fickell’s staff at Cincinnati after after four seasons at South Alabama. He started out as a defensive graduate assistant in 2014, served as director of football operations in 2015 and 2016 and then coached safeties in 2017.
More: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who’s heading out and who’s heading in? Latest: Tackett Curtis, Elijah Hills
More: What to know about Wisconsin football recruit Michael Roeske of Wautoma
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football is losing assistant coach Colin Hitschler to the new Alabama staff
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