Chris McIntosh will step down after five years as Wisconsin’s athletic director to become a deputy commissioner with the Big Ten, according to reports published Sunday by the Wisconsin State Journal and Sports Business Journal.
Reports from the State Journal indicate Deputy Athletic Director and football General Manager Marcus Sedberry will replace McIntosh in an interim capacity, while future interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots will lead the search for UW Athletics’ next athletic director.
“To be able to work for the University of Wisconsin and certainly for the last five years as athletic director, to be able to pour everything I had into transitioning Wisconsin into a changing world, it’s just been an honor,” McIntosh told the Sports Business Journal.
The former Wisconsin football All-American (1996-99) has been the Badger’s athletic director since July 2021, presiding over a transformative era highlighted by the new name, image and likeness landscape and a struggling football program.
The university has struggled to adapt to the NIL era, ranking in the bottom third of Big Ten schools in NIL spending, according to the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy.
UW Athletics took steps to expand and improve its NIL impact this past year, like introducing greater funding, more NIL-related positions and legislation. McIntosh also oversaw The Varsity Collective — the university’s “first and only donor and alumni led NIL collective” — and a partnership with in-house NIL Partner Services Manager (PSM) through an expanded collaboration with Altius Sports Partners (ASP) in 2024.
He was responsible for firing longtime head football coach Paul Chryst in 2022 and hiring current head coach, Luke Fickell. Fickell has gone 16-21 overall with the Badgers failing to make a bowl appearance in back-to-back seasons, ending the program’s nation-best 22 year bowl streak.
At the end of this season, Wisconsin did not extend Fickell’s contract, at the coach’s request. Fickell’s contract spans six years and ends in 2032. McIntosh was adamant about keeping Fickell, despite his lack of success, writing an open letter after back-to-back at-home shut outs, standing by the embattled coach and pledging more resources for football.
Despite major heat, McIntosh has also stood by men’s basketball coach Greg Gard. The team hasn’t made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament in McIntosh’s tenure, despite consistent high seeding.
Additionally, former Wisconsin women’s basketball coach Marisa Mosely stepped down last season after her fourth straight losing season and verbal abuse allegations from multiple players. McIntosh hired Robin Pingeton in 2025, who went 16-18 in her first season.
Other major decisions by McIntosh include his signing of a 10-year, $104.5 million renewal with Under Armour and agreement to make UW Health the presenting sponsor of Wisconsin women’s sports.
McIntosh served as the university’s director of business development in the Athletic Department for seven years before becoming athletic director.
He will work under the direction of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti as the deputy commissioner for strategy, a newly created role involving shaping the broad strategy of the conference.
In leaving, McIntosh expressed gratitude for his time at Wisconsin.
“I’ve said along the way that the best thing about Wisconsin is the people. I’ve been surrounded by the best people and people who care about, first and foremost, our student athletes and about the university. They’ve just given everything to making Wisconsin the best it can be.”
