Marcus Sedberry Eager to Lead Wisconsin Forward in Whatever Time He Has

MADISON, Wis. — Admittedly, Marcus Sedberry may not have thought things all the way through. When the University of Wisconsin Chancellor, Jennifer Mnookin, first approached him about stepping into the interim Athletic Director role, vacated by Chris McIntosh, who left for a job in the Big Ten Conference, Sedberry’s initial instincts weren’t to analyze the hundreds of questions at hand and what it may mean for his future at the university.

Sedberry’s impulse was to run into the fire and help.

“It’s easy to start to go down the ‘what ifs’. I did that, but I quickly came back to what an amazing opportunity,” Sedberry told reporters during a 30-minute interview at Camp Randall Stadium. “It’s a place that I have come to truly love, with people that I care deeply about. And for somebody to feel like they could put their trust in me in this moment that some might consider to be a pivotal, critical moment, not just athletics in our university system, that means a lot.

“If you’re like me, and you’ve prided yourself on being able to step into challenging situations over the course of my career, to consider yourself a builder, to consider yourself one who has the ability to bring people together, to have a clear vision and galvanize people around those types of things — What an amazing opportunity that is.”

McIntosh, whose son Ethan McIntosh is committed to play football for Wisconsin next season, stunned the state earlier this month with his decision to step down from AD and accept a role as Deputy Commissioner for Strategy. Needless to say, the last two weeks have been a blur for Sedberry, trying to fill the void and pick up the pieces. Sedberry was traveling with the men’s hockey team during their run to the NCAA title game when he was first approached by Mnookin about the interim tag, but the former track athlete at Nebraska can’t even recall where he was at the time as different hotel rooms began to blend together.

Among the big questions Sedberry chose to leave unanswered, at least for now, is what does this mean for his role as general manager of the football team? Should Sedberry not become UW’s full-time AD, is that GM job still available to him, or is he back on the market following this stint? There’s also the question of Mnookin, who is departing for Columbia University to become its next President. What will the new campus leadership think of Sedberry?

In the end, Sedberry determined it’s not about him. It’s about Wisconsin.

“It didn’t take me long to say, ‘I’ll run through a wall for this place,” Sedberry stated.

How Long Will Sedberry Remain Interim AD?

Sedberry, who also served as Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer for the Badgers, was overseeing roughly 350 staff members in his prior role. That number has since roughly tripled as AD. Coming to Wisconsin by way of Baylor, Sedberry held the title of Senior Associate Athletics Director and also spent time at Arkansas, Central Florida, and with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

Sedberry said he hasn’t been given a formal timeline of how long he’ll be in this interim role or really any formal direction of how to carry the Wisconsin Athletic Department forward.

“I don’t have a clear picture there,” said Sedberry. “If I’m honest with you, it is better for me to focus on the here and the now. What I know is I have 900 people who are looking for a leader right now…What I know right now is I have the responsibility, the privilege to serve those folks, to represent the state in a way that really honors who Wisconsin is.”

While Sedberry declined to comment as to whether or not being the AD at Wisconsin in a full-time role, at this point in his life, is the end goal, he has had those aspirations in the past. Sedberry recalled a conversation with his mentor at Nebraska, who opened his eyes to a future where his passion for sports and business could combine.

Sedberry stated that he’s not aware of what the process will be moving forward for a search committee, or if one has even been established yet. According to Sedberry, he also has full control of the athletic department and hasn’t been instructed by Mnookin to only make minor changes. Even still, Sedberry wants to get a thorough view of the athletic department inside and out before putting his fingerprints on any wholesale changes.

“I don’t believe in making hasty decisions, because I just don’t think that’s good practice,” he said. “There are times when you have to do that, but I think there are also times where you need to gather more information and to get a better understanding of what’s going on. While I’ve been a part of the department, I have not been a part of every angle of the department, so I think there’s a lot of things that you just need to come in and ask some questions, which is what I’ve been doing, trying to get an understanding of what’s important to people, what’s on their mind. How can we tackle those things together?

“Then we’ll devise a plan if there are things that need to be addressed that feel like wholesale shifts. I’ve been given the authority to be able to do that if necessary.”

With or without McIntosh, the standard remains the same.

“The competitive excellence of competitive success that we desire, that doesn’t change in my mind, because, again, part of the reason why I came here is I believe in Wisconsin athletics has the ability to be as successful as any program in the country across the board,” Sedberry said. “So, the idea that we would take our eye off the ball of competitive success like that doesn’t make sense to me.”

Sedberry, who’s already met with numerous head coaches, added that a priority of his this spring will be sitting down with external stakeholders, donors, supporters, and alumni, because they “deserve that.”

“There are business decisions we need to make, we’re going to make to help put us in the best position moving forward,” he said. “Some of that’s expense related, some of that’s revenue. Driving new revenue, so we’re spending a lot of time on that as well.”

Could Sedberry Regain His Role as General Manager?

Sedberry was hired as general manager of the football program in February of 2025 under head coach Luke Fickell. Credited for bringing an NFL-style front office to Wisconsin, Sedberry and the Badgers signed more than 30 prospects from the transfer portal this offseason, a group that ranked No. 15 in the On3 transfer portal rankings.

Football once consumed “80-90 percent” of Sedberry’s day. Now in a bit of a rhtyhim as interim AD, Sedberry said that percentage is “not anywhere close” to the same. In fact, he and Fickell have discussed hiring a new GM. Whether or not that’s a full-time gig or under the interim tag yet is still to be determined.

“I don’t know that I have a definitive direction on it just yet,” he said. “Just know, we have been discussing all possibilities. I think it is important to note that the football program needs to know who the GM is and that there is clear partnership trust between that person and Luke, and that we’re able to move forward.”

On Thursday, Fickell said he’d like to get through the remainder of spring ball, which features just three more practices, before hiring a new GM. Adding to that, Sedberry said things are in a “good spot” with the football program, which has people in place to help out in the short term. There are also no contracts that currently need to be renegotiated, and high school recruiting is off to a strong start in the 2027 class, with eight players verbally committed before summer official visits.

For those reasons, Sedberry feels comfortable taking a step back from football and leading the entire athletic department in whatever window of time that may be.

“It’s one that I take very seriously. It’s an opportunity I’m humbled by. I’m excited by the opportunity and willing to do everything I can to make sure that I’m continuing us forward as an athletic department,” he said.

Does Anything Change With Fickell?

Fickell was McIntosh’s hand-picked head coach after Wisconsin moved on from Paul Chryst midway through the 2022 season. Fickell’s tenure has gotten off to a rocky start with the Badgers, who are 17-21 in the last three seasons, including 10-17 in Big Ten play.

With Sedberry now temporarily Fickell’s boss, does anything change in the immediate future?

“I don’t think it changes one bit,” said Sedberry. “I think Luke is really clear on what he wants to do and needs to do. I don’t think me in this role, or anyone in this role, really changes that.

“For the sake of all of Badger Nation, we all want Badger football to be successful. I don’t think there’s any person associated with the program who doesn’t want that. The chief among them is Luke. And, he’s committed to doing that. I’m committed to supporting him doing that, and I think we’ve put ourselves in a position to give us a chance at that.

“I’m excited about that.”

As previously stated, Wisconsin had one of the top transfer portal classes in the country. Granted, that was due to the sheer numbers. Only LSU, Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma State signed more scholarship players from the portal than the Badgers, and all but the Buffaloes were building rosters from scratch due to head coaching changes.

Prior to McIntosh’s departure, he committed a substantial financial investment into the football program, one that Sedberry expects to pay off this fall.

“The portal season that we had was challenging, of course, but I feel like we were in the right position to have meaningful conversations with people who would help us move the needle,” said Sedberry. “I think as a result of that, we’re going to put together a football program that will be one of the deepest since I’ve been here. One of the most talented since I’ve been here. You gotta believe that with those things, we’re going to see some success come with that.

“I felt like we had a plan, a strategy. And, we’re committed to operating in a way that honors who we want to be as a program.”