The Wisconsin Badgers football program has seen better days. Their 2025 season ending with a dismal 4-8 seemed to put a nail in the coffin when it comes to the state of this football team. Head coach Luke Fickell was brought in with hopes of building a championship caliber program. Instead, Wisconsin has gone backward, big time.
Now, they’ve lost their director of player personnel.
Badgers Football Loses Director Of Player Personnel Ethan Russo
Following just one season with Wisconsin, Ethan Russo reunites with Eric Morris as Oklahoma State’s Executive Director of Player Personnel, as first reported by Matt Zenitz.
Dillon Graff of Badgers Notes highlighted what this move means for Wisconsin:
Russo was hired in March 2025 to help absorb many of the relationship-building, evaluation, and roster management duties that had previously fallen under Stienecker’s umbrella. This move ultimately cleared the runway for Marcus Sedberry to step into the team’s general manager role.
In that sense, Russo’s arrival was less about reinventing the wheel and more about replacing a skill set. Wisconsin needed experience and someone comfortable navigating the increasingly fluid recruiting landscape. Russo fit that profile, bringing with him a background steeped in player evaluation, transfer portal management, and roster oversight.
His path to Madison also came with a personal connection to the program. Russo’s brother, Colin, worked as a strength intern under Director of Strength and Conditioning Brady Collins, giving Ethan a level of familiarity with the culture and infrastructure he was stepping into.
Pre-Wisconsin Career Highlights For Ethan Russo
- North Texas (2023-2024): Assistant Director (2023) → Director of Player Personnel (2024). Quick rise under Eric Morris.
- UNLV (2022): Director of Player Personnel.
- Utah (2019-2022): Various personnel/recruiting roles; contributed to top-5 classes and Pac-12 title.
- Rice (2018): Player Personnel & Recruiting Analyst.
- NFL Experience: Top 30 Operations Intern (Indianapolis Colts, 2018); Game Charter (Cleveland Browns, 2016-2018).
- Start: Student Manager at TCU football (2015-2017); graduated TCU 2017 (Communication Studies).
References:
- University of Wisconsin Athletics Official Bio: https://uwbadgers.com/staff-directory/ethan-russo/1202
