Wisconsin football losing general manager to another Big Ten program
Wisconsin football is losing a key piece of its recruiting department, as general manager Max Stienecker is leaving for a position with USC.
Luke Fickell will need to replace one of the most impactful staff members in the University of Wisconsin football program's recruiting department.
BadgerNotes confirmed that rising star general manager Max Stienecker is leaving Wisconsin for a front office position at USC, where he will take over as the Trojan’s executive director of personnel.
The move is a significant shakeup for coach Fickell’s recruiting department, as Stienecker was instrumental in reshaping the Badgers’ entire operation behind the scenes the past two years.
At just 24 years old, Stienecker had already made a name for himself in college football personnel circles and has been a fast-riser in the industry. After following Fickell from Cincinnati to Wisconsin in 2023, he quickly rose from director of player personnel to general manager in July 2024, becoming the youngest to hold that title in the Power Four.
His efforts helped the Badgers secure back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes, including their first-ever blue-chip ratio of 50% in 2024. Wisconsin’s 2024 recruiting class set a program record with 11 four-star signees in the 247Sports Composite and finished ranked No. 23 nationally—the second-highest mark for the Badgers in the modern recruiting era. The 2025 class, which signed in December, currently sits at No. 26 in the country.
"He's a visionary," Clint Cosgrove said. "He is a rising star in the college football profession. He's got a GM-type mentality. He understands. He just gets it and is as reliable as they come. He is a master marketer. ..."He has an ability to think outside the box, and then he has a head coach who trusts him to do what he is best at. And that's building relationships, doing things that are outside the box, and he's a great talent evaluator as well.
“Wisconsin is very lucky to have him. To me, the sky's the limit. He's one of the best in America, hands down. Wisconsin is in great shape, and recruiting is in great shape because of Maximus."
Now, he’s heading west to reunite with Chad Bowden, USC’s newly appointed general manager. Bowden, who previously built several elite classes at Notre Dame, is revamping the Trojans’ recruiting department, and Stienecker is viewed as a key piece of that overhaul.
For Wisconsin, this is a tough loss.
Stienecker’s departure comes just as the 2026 recruiting cycle is starting to pick up some momentum and the revenue-sharing model on the horizon, leaving Fickell and his staff with big shoes to fill.
If the Badgers look internally, Pat Lambert, Wisconsin’s current director of recruiting, is a strong candidate to step into the role.
Still, Wisconsin football has plenty of resources allocated to its recruiting department, with talented staffers like Taylor Ewald as director of on-campus recruiting, Marisa Pavone handling recruiting operations, Jared Thompson leading college scouting, and assistant directors of player personnel Zach Zilm, Izayah Green-May, and Brandon Rose.
Either way, the Badgers will need to move quickly.
Stienecker was instrumental in raising both the ceiling and floor of Wisconsin’s recruiting efforts. A well-respected relationship builder, his departure is a significant loss for a program still trying to find its footing under Fickell and has undergone considerable staff turnover once again this offseason.
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Ouch. This one really hurts