Del Rio signs up with Badgers personnel in first college venture

• Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

  • Elder WriterAug 29, 2024, 02:45 PM ET Close College football press reporter.
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
  • Graduate of Northwestern University.Wisconsin has employed longtime

NFL coach Jack Del Rio to its staff, where he will serve as senior consultant to Badgers coach Luke Fickell, the team informed ESPN on Thursday.Del Rio, the former Jaguars and Raiders coach, most recently served as Washington Commanders protective planner till he was fired in November. He will deal with both the offense and defense at Wisconsin and assist Fickell, who starts his 2nd season at the school Friday against Western Michigan.A former linebacker at USC and with 4 NFL teams, Del Rio has actually invested his whole training career at the professional level.

The 61-year-old held defensive planner roles with Carolina and Denver before coming to Washington in 2020. Editor’s Picks Fickell had intended to have previous Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, his buddy and previous colleague at Ohio State, around the Wisconsin program this season. But Vrabel is acting as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.