Wisconsin athletic director leaving for job in Big Ten office
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh is leaving the school for a position in the Big Ten office, according to multiple reports. McIntosh had been Wisconsin's AD since 2021, when he took over for Badgers legend Barry Alvarez. He made significant moves during his time leading the department, headlined by the hire of Luke Fickell to take over the football program in November 2022.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, McIntosh is leaving to become the Big Ten's deputy commissioner for strategy. McIntosh's departure is significant news. Specifically, it creates a major subplot for Wisconsin's upcoming football season.
The next athletic director won't have the same ties to Fickell, which could heighten the pressure on the fifth-year coach. That storyline will lead headlines as Wisconsin makes its new hire and as the Badgers work to return to their first bowl game since 2023. Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh will join the Big Ten as deputy commissioner for strategy, sources confirm to ESPN.
Per sources, the move gives the Big Ten another practitioner in the conference office. He’d been the AD at Wisconsin since July of 2021. Wisconsin State Journal first… pic.
twitter. com/x9oM2ZEDwD — Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 13, 2026 Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh takes new job with Big Ten