MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin coach
Luke Fickell announced the hiring of
Mike Brown,
Jack Bicknell Jr., and
Gino Guidugli on Friday, adding to his offensive staff. Brown arrives in Madison as the associate head coach and wide receivers coach, Bicknell will coach the offensive line, and Guidugli will serve as the passing game coordinator and lead the tight ends unit.
"I really think this is a great mesh of guys with terrific experience and backgrounds," Fickell said. "They believe in doing things together and their varied knowledge and styles will help us grow as a team. They know the value of developing relationships with players and the importance of developing young men, both on and off the field."
Brown joins the Badgers' staff after coaching wide receivers at Cincinnati from 2019-2022 and serving as the Bearcats' passing game coordinator in 2022. Brown spent his collegiate playing days at Liberty, playing wide receiver and quarterback, earning a pair of All-America honors. He spent three seasons in the NFL after signing as a free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In 2022, Brown coached Tyler Scott to an 899-yard, nine-touchdown campaign in the Bearcat offense. Scott's 16.7 yards per catch led the AAC and ranked 12th in the nation among players with 50+ catches.
During Cincinnati's record-breaking 2021 season, Brown was instrumental in coaching one of the nation's top offensive units, helping the Bearcats to their first-ever 13-0 record and a College Football Playoff appearance. Brown's receivers helped an offense that broke the school records for touchdown receptions (70), led the AAC in yards per play (6.7) and ranked second in the conference in scoring (36.9).
In 2020, the Cincinnati offense was also impressive, ranking 19th nationally in total offense, 18th in team passing efficiency and 15th in scoring offense. UC finished 9-0 in the regular season and advanced to the Peach Bowl – the Bearcats' first New Year's Six Game since 2009.
Prior to his time at Cincinnati, Brown made stops at Delaware in 2017 (running backs) and at Michigan in 2016 (offensive analyst) after wrapping up his NFL career. In three season with the Jaguars he had 39 receptions for 534 yards and two touchdowns, including a 32-catch, 446-yard season in 2013.
"I'm thrilled to join the Badger football family and be a part of this great program," Brown said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with Coach Fickell, Coach Longo and the rest of the staff. I know the caliber of young men that I'll have the chance to coach here and I am excited to be able to work with them and help them grow as players and as men."
Bicknell, a 35-year coaching veteran with experience at both the NFL and collegiate level, arrives at UW after spending one season as the offensive line coach at North Carolina. Bicknell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo held in the same roles at North Carolina in 2022 and at Ole Miss during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
In 2022 UNC ranked second in the ACC in total offense with 473.6 yards per game. The Tar Heels went 9-4 in the regular season, earning a spot in the ACC Championship Game and a berth in the Holiday Bowl. Under Bicknell's guidance, center Corey Graynor earned All-ACC honorable mention recognition.
Bicknell spent the 2021 season at Louisville, leading an offensive line that helped the Cardinals rank 22nd nationally and third in the ACC in rushing at 209.8 yards per game and 21st nationally in total offense at 446.2 yards per game. Louisville ranked first in the ACC in both sacks allowed (1.54 per game) and tackles for loss allowed (4.77 per game).
Bicknell spent two stints at separate SEC schools, coaching the offensive line at Auburn in 2020 and the offensive line at Ole Miss from 2017-19. Prior to his recent collegiate stops, Bicknell spent seven seasons in the NFL. He held offensive line coaching positions with the Giants, Chiefs, Steelers and Dolphins from 2009 to 2015, winning a Super Bowl title with New York during the 2011 season.
Bicknell was the head coach at Louisiana Tech (1999-2006) before his time in the NFL, totaling 43 victories and earning WAC Coach of the Year honors in 2001. He began his coaching career at Boston College, his alma mater, as a graduate assistant from 1985-86. After a 10-season stint at New Hampshire, Bicknell was back at BC as the offensive line coach for two seasons before moving on to the NFL.
Bicknell played collegiately for his father at Boston College from 1981-85 where he was the center for 1984 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Doug Flutie. Bicknell snapped the ball to Flutie on the final play of the Boston College/Miami game, the Flutie "Hail Mary" game-winning touchdown that sent BC past the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl on Nov. 23, 1984.
"I'm excited to be in Madison and part of the Wisconsin football family," Bicknell said. "I have tremendous respect for the history of excellent offensive line play in this program and look forward to helping continue that tradition. In my short time getting to know the players, I've been very impressed with their character and desire to be great and I look forward to working with them and helping them develop into the best players and people they can be."
Guidugli joins Fickell's staff in Madison after his first season as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. A former standout quarterback at Cincinnati, Guidugli joined the Bearcats' staff in February 2017 as the running backs coach.
In 2018, Guidugli began coaching Bearcat quarterbacks, eventually mentoring national star Desmond Ridder to the most prolific career in UC history. Ridder was the second quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, going in the third round (No. 74 overall) to the Atlanta Falcons.
Ridder, the back-to-back AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, a 2021 Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist and 2021 Maxwell Award semifinalist, won the third-most games in FBS history (44). Ridder developed into the school's all-time leader in yards and touchdown passes under Guidugli. He also finished his career as the AAC career leader in touchdowns (116) and total yards (12,419), breaking Guidugli's UC records in the process. Guidugli helped guide the Bearcats offense to a 37.1 points per game mark across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the 10
th highest average in the nation.
Before his return to Cincinnati, Guidugli was named Central Michigan's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach following the 2016 campaign after previously serving as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. He originally joined the Chippewas staff in 2009 as a graduate assistant. The Chippewas averaged nearly six yards a play and almost 400 yards per game in 2016 on the way to a berth in the Miami Beach Bowl.
Guidugli played professionally in the Arena and Canadian Football Leagues. He had two stints with the Green Bay Blizzard of AFL2 in 2007 and 2009. Before his pro career, he assembled a historic stretch of four seasons at Cincinnati. Guidugli set program records for passing yards (11,453), attempts (1,556), completions (880) and TD passes (78) during his time at UC.
"The history and tradition of Wisconsin football speaks for itself and I'm excited to be a part of that," Guidugli said. "I'm grateful to Coach Fickell for giving me this opportunity and I'm looking forward to helping this offense maximize its potential. I can't wait to start working with the tremendous young men we have in this program and helping them succeed both on and off the field."
| Brown's Coaching Career |
| Year |
School/Team |
Position |
| 2016 |
Michigan |
Offensive Analyst |
| 2017 |
Delaware |
Running Backs |
| 2018 |
Liberty |
Running Backs |
| 2019-21 |
Cincinnati |
Wide Receivers |
| 2022 |
Cincinnati |
Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator |
| 2023-present |
Wisconsin |
Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers |
| Bicknell's Coaching Career |
| Year |
School/Team |
Position |
| 1986 |
Boston College |
Graduate Assistant |
| 1987-92 |
New Hampshire |
Defensive Line |
| 1993-96 |
New Hampshire |
Offensive Line |
| 1997-98 |
Louisiana Tech |
Offensive Line |
| 1999-2006 |
Louisiana Tech |
Head Coach |
| 2007-08 |
Boston College |
Offensive Line |
| 2009-11 |
New York Giants (NFL) |
Assistant Offensive Line |
| 2012 |
Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) |
Offensive Line |
| 2013 |
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) |
Offensive Line |
| 2014-15 |
Miami Dolphins (NFL) |
Assistant Offensive Line |
| 2017-19 |
Ole Miss |
Offensive Line |
| 2020 |
Auburn |
Offensive Line |
| 2021 |
Louisville |
Offensive Line |
| 2022 |
North Carolina |
Offensive Line |
| 2023-present |
Wisconsin |
Offensive Line |
| Guidugli's Coaching Career |
| Year |
School/Team |
Position |
| 2010-12 |
Central Michigan |
Graduate Assistant |
| 2013-16 |
Central Michigan |
Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator |
| 2017 |
Central Michigan |
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2017 |
Cincinnati |
Running Backs |
| 2018-19 |
Cincinnati |
Quarterbacks |
| 2020-21 |
Cincinnati |
Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2022 |
Cincinnati |
Offensive Coordinator/QBs |
| 2023-present |
Wisconsin |
Passing Game Coordinator/Tight Ends |
