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The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a 34-0 loss to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, marking the team’s second straight 30-point shutout loss at home. NFL scouts from the Giants, Jets, Lions, Packers, Saints, Seahawks, Texans and Vikings attended the Big Ten matchup at Camp Randall Stadium. According to a report from NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell has been blocking NFL representatives from attending practice — making in-game action the Badgers’ only exposure to scouts. “Fickell has been shutting NFL scouts out of practice so games are the only chance for teams to get eyes on Wisconsin players in person,” Brugler reported on Saturday. Fickell was asked about this report after the game on Saturday and defiantly denied it. “No, we have NFL scouts there almost every single day,” Fickell said. “Maybe they can’t watch the whole practice on a Wednesday, but my goodness, we don’t even have much of a restriction.” Luke Fickell denied this report: https://t.co/7skVzmLHqL pic.twitter.com/dSYrnYvk7Z— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) October 18, 2025 One scout responded to Fickell’s denial saying, “he knows he’s lying,” according to senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. “Have confirmed this with several scouts who have been told all of practice is closed to them at various points throughout the year, dating back to August and as recently as last week. Fickell denied Dane’s report in a presser Sat, and one scout said to me: ‘he knows he’s lying,'” Kahler wrote in a follow-up report. Have confirmed this with several scouts who have been told all of practice is closed to them at various points throughout the year, dating back to August and as recently as last week. Fickell denied Dane’s report in a presser Sat, and one scout said to me: “he knows he’s lying” https://t.co/Nml30uQBsC— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) October 20, 2025 More Football: Ravens Get Troubling Lamar Jackson Injury Update After Bye Fickell and the Badgers have dropped each of their last five games since starting the year with a 2-0 record. With Saturday’s loss to Ohio State, Fickell is now 0-9 against ranked opponents since taking over as Wisconsin’s program leader in 2022. Despite these brutal results, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh released a statement voicing his support for Fickell as the team’s leader on Monday. MADISON, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 18: Head coach Luke Fickell of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on in the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) More Football: Eagles Announce Jalen Hurts Milestone After Vikings Game Things don’t get any easier for the Badgers moving forward. This coming Saturday, Fickell’s team will travel to Eugene for a matchup against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks. On Nov. 15, they have another top-10 matchup scheduled against the No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers. Saturday’s game against Oregon will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.
