MADISON, Wis. — During the previous winter, Luke Fickell expressed interest in having his friend Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach, help out the Wisconsin Badgers football team during spring practices.

While that plan didn’t materialize, Fickell has now brought in a different former NFL head coach.

Jack Del Rio, who has held head coaching positions with the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, is joining the UW coaching team as a senior advisor to the head coach. He will assist with both the offensive and defensive strategies, in addition to supporting Fickell. This hiring was first reported by the Athletic and later confirmed by a UW representative.

Del Rio was the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders over the last four seasons.

As a head coach, he spent nine seasons at Jacksonville (2003-11), leading his teams to a record of 68 wins and 71 losses, including two playoff appearances.

From 2015 to 2017, he was in charge of the Raiders, guiding the team to one playoff appearance and compiling a record of 25-23.

Before coaching, Del Rio had a successful career as a linebacker in the NFL, playing for 11 seasons across four teams. He was selected to the Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings in 1994, during his penultimate season.