MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin is set to hire Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell as soon as Sunday afternoon.

The UW Board of Regents has called a special meeting for 4 p.m. Sunday to consider contracts for a new coach and reports are that Fickell has already informed Cincinnati administrators and his team that he is leaving for the Badgers. The news was first reported by ESPN

The move will be a stunning turn for Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh, who in his first major hire since taking over the position from Barry Alvarez looked poised to take the interim tag off Jim Leonhard. After Wisconsin became bowl eligible on November 19 with a win over Nebraska, the UW Athletic Department posted the job with a closure date set for November 26.

But the Badgers went just 4-3 under Leonhard’s watch, including Saturday’s disheartening 23-16 loss to Minnesota in which UW’s defense suffered breakdowns and the Badgers’ offense continued to operate in neutral. In the final three games of the season, the offense scored two touchdowns or less.

Fickell was one of three candidates the Badgers reportedly pursued in addition to Leonhard - joining Baylor head coach Dave Aranda (who was Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator from 2013-15) and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold (who was a UW graduate assistant from 1991-93) – but was reportedly not interested in the job.

The hiring of Fickell would bring an established presence to the Wisconsin program. The Ohio State native, and longtime Buckeyes assistant coach, led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff last season and has gone 57-18 in six seasons. Cincinnati went 13-0 last season to and became the first Group of 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats went 9-3 this season.

According to ESPN, Fickell's “attraction to the Badgers' brass, along with his record and roots in the league, is his ability to build a program. Fickell turned Cincinnati into one of the country's best development programs, taking modest recruits and consistently churning out strong teams.”

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