2023 Badger Football Thread

They keep stepping up in recruiting. Awesome!
 
TW said:
They keep stepping up in recruiting. Awesome!
Click to expand...
Yeah hopefully they can get to the PSU level next as it seems it has always gone 1 OSU 2 UM 3 PSU then everyone else

Never understood hype for PSU they have always seemed to be UW level of play never being able to hang there with OSU and if lucky be able to be UM level good.
 
Jones and Dupree are a pair of great running back gets. Two of the more highly ranked running backs they've gotten in recent years. Interesting that they get them after they abandon the power run-heavy offense they've mostly used for 3 decades. It'll be fun watching these guys run into light boxes as I think Longo will run a pretty balanced offense. No more 3 yards and a cloud of rubber pellets on 70% of downs. Hopefully they can keep all 3 committed and get them signed.
 
57packer said:
Jones and Dupree are a pair of great running back gets. Two of the more highly ranked running backs they've gotten in recent years. Interesting that they get them after they abandon the power run-heavy offense they've mostly used for 3 decades. It'll be fun watching these guys run into light boxes as I think Longo will run a pretty balanced offense. No more 3 yards and a cloud of rubber pellets on 70% of downs. Hopefully they can keep all 3 committed and get them signed.
Click to expand...
That crossed my mind too. How do you hold onto 3 top RBs? I don't think you do. After their first year, at least one will probably opt to use the portal. Of course that would be the guy getting less field time, or figuring he's fighting an uphill battle to put up impressive numbers.

That's what's unique about how they've been recruiting to date. They're bringing in numbers with talent, knowing some will hit the portal, but that means someone beat them out for playing time. It improves the team across the board, because the second level guys you end up using, are first or second year players, will will be stepping into larger roles the following year. The shelves are better stocked, with talent.
 
Throughout its history, Wisconsin has had a certain stereotypes associated its football program.

Tough, disciplined, blue collar, but lacked the necessary flash and excitement to get you over that hump and compete with the big boys on a regular basis. While that identity has allowed the Badgers to win a majority of its games and compete with just about anybody on any given Saturday, it's a formula that fans grew tired of watching and one that seemingly started to put UW in a steady decline since 2020.

Enter first-year head coach Luke Fickell.

Replacing Paul Chryst, who went 67-26 with the Badgers, but was just 5-12 against ranked teams since 2018, Fickell aims to take UW to new heights and bring a different perception to Madison.

For Fickell, that begins by getting the word out of everything UW has to sell off the field as much as on it.


"I hope. The biggest thing for me, I want to continue to push the outside perception of what an amazing school this is, the level of what schools this is, the national reputation of what I believe in," Fickell told reporters on Thursday. "These guys, everybody in the community realizes how phenomenal this school is. This school is phenomenal. The opportunities in the long run could be amazing.

"I think that all goes together. Whether it's recruiting, the national brand of the school itself, I hope that's what this Big Ten and the evolution it is of what we're doing -- we want to continue to push that."

Fickell comes to Madison by way of Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to a 57-18 record from 2017-22, including two AAC championships. In 2021, Fickell became the first head coach to lead a group of five program to the college football playoffs.

A former Ohio State defensive lineman and interim head coach for the Buckeyes, Fickell reportedly turned down the likes of USC and Notre Dame in previous seasons. When UW athletic director Chris McIntosh called last fall, Fickell had a good idea that Madison was the right fit.

"It has a lot to do with being back in the Big Ten...it really does," Fickell said when asked why he chose to come to UW. "It has to do with the respect I've always had playing against and preparing for Wisconsin. Understanding and recognizing what the culture, what I assumed the culture was like from afar, felt like something that would be really, really in my wheelhouse.

"That's why I said it's exceeded my expectations in just the way I believe I fit and we fit and the things we've been able to do."

While Fickell hasn't wanted to tinker too much with UW's tradition and culture, he's quickly put his stamp on the program.

Adding 15 transfers in the off-season, with more potentially on the way, Fickell also revamped the entire coaching staff, including adding one of the nation's top offensive minds in Phil Longo, who's bringing the spread air-raid to Madison -- a stark difference from UW's traditional methodical ground and pound style.

"It'll look different," Fickell stated. "There's no doubt.

"But my true belief is that it won't be as far from what is always has been. I just mean that -- we understand where our bread is buttered. We understand the traits of our program -- the offensive line, tailback -- those things don't change. Same thing on defense. It's still about people. It's still about players.

"There are changes. There are differences. No matter what, the fundamentals can stay. The values can stay the same. But there's obviously an evaluation to what we're doing as well.

"Intelligent people will find a way to be successful."

As far as expectations go, they've almost never been higher.

2023 will mirror the 2011 campaign when Russell Wilson arrived in Madison as a graduate transfer and 2018 when the Badgers started the season ranked fourth, only to finish 8-5 overall.

Fickell's appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium certainly didn't dampen the hype either.

"We have one objective and that's to play for a championship," he said. "I don't think that will ever change, whether it's year one, year two, three, four, or five.

"That's what our objective is."
Click to expand...
 
Wisconsin’s football team took the field at UW-Platteville for its first preseason practice of the Luke Fickell era with a focus on the future, one month out from the opener at home against Buffalo. But before the first drill had even been completed, the omission of two players on the team’s roster released Wednesday morning stood out.

Tight ends Jack Eschenbach and Clay Cundiff are no longer with the Badgers after voluntarily leaving the program, according to a school official. Eschenbach previously opted to return for a sixth year of eligibility. Cundiff would have been a fifth-year senior but was coming off season-ending injuries in consecutive years. Eschenbach and Cundiff had accounted for more receptions than any other tight ends on the roster.

Eschenbach caught 19 career passes for 179 yards while Cundiff caught 12 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Eschenbach had been one of four tight ends who took reps with the first-team offense in the spring. Cundiff, who didn’t participate in live reps this spring while recovering from a broken left leg, was thought to be an ideal fit for Phil Longo’s offense because of his combination of blocking and pass-catching ability. Cundiff did not respond to a text message request seeking comment.

Wisconsin began practice Wednesday with seven scholarship tight ends on its roster: Hayden Rucci, Cam Large, Cole Dakovich, Riley Nowakowski, Jack Pugh, JT Seagreaves and Tucker Ashcraft. Large, who did not play last season while battling injury, was at practice but in street clothes. Tucker, a true freshman in his first practice, participated but wore a yellow non-contact jersey.

Rucci is the leading returning receiver among the tight ends after catching six passes for 75 yards with a touchdown last season. Seagreaves caught one pass for 3 yards in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The rest of the tight ends have yet to catch a pass in a college game.

Longo said Tuesday during Wisconsin’s local media day that the three tight ends in the mix for the most reps this season would be Nowakowski, Pugh and Rucci. He called Nowakowski and Pugh “the two best total package guys” by the end of spring practices. Nowakowski, a converted fullback, was the first tight end up with the No. 1 offense Wednesday.

“Riley was with the first team primarily because he’s the most consistent guy in that room right now,” Longo said. “He probably wouldn’t blow you off the chart if he was testing with a 40 time or the height or the weight. But as far as being a great total package guy, he is. He did a good job running routes, did a great job catching the football, is physical, gives great effort in the box, is really sound mentally. He just overall was a really good total package guy. So the spot he had at the end of the spring he earned.”

Here are some other key takeaways from preseason practice No. 1:

• This was the first opportunity reporters had to see wide receiver Bryson Green during a full practice, and he did not disappoint. Green, an Oklahoma State transfer, didn’t participate in live reps during the spring while recovering from injury. He worked Wednesday on the outside with the second-team receiver group. Keontez Lewis was on the outside as well, with Skyler Bell in the slot. Longo and quarterback Tanner Mordecai have both said one of Green’s best attributes is his physicality as a pass catcher, and that was evident throughout the day.

Green made a nice catch reaching up with his hands to grab a pass from second-team quarterback Braedyn Locke. He hauled in a pass down the right sideline against transfer cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean and demonstrated his strength when he plucked a ball out of the air over the middle with freshman cornerback Jonas Duclona right on top of him.

Wisconsin’s first-team wide receivers were the same as when spring practice ended, with Chimere Dike and CJ Williams on the outside and Will Pauling in the slot. Green gives Wisconsin a different dynamic and seems to be a good bet based on the first practice to be a key part of the rotation.

Pauling produced a couple of standout plays, which included shaking Fourqurean in the end zone during 1-on-1 red zone drills from the 5-yard line and catching a touchdown that resulted in oohs and aahs from teammates. Dike made an excellent catch reaching out for a Mordecai pass with his fingertips down the left sideline for about 40 yards while being covered by two defenders.

The third-team receivers were Quincy Burroughs and Tommy McIntosh on the outside with Vinny Anthony in the slot. Freshman receiver Trech Kekahuna, a speedy slot candidate, wore a boot on his left leg and had a crutch under his right arm for balance as he watched drills.

• There weren’t a ton of big plays out of Wisconsin’s quarterbacks during the unpadded practice. Mordecai handled all the first-team reps while Locke remained the second-team quarterback. Locke was off target on several passes, throwing behind Green in modified team drills, underthrowing Lewis on an interception by safety Preston Zachman and throwing behind Pugh.

Walk-on Marshall Howe closed the spring as the No. 3 quarterback but transferred to Yale. His departure has allowed Myles Burkett to elevate into the third-team role ahead of Oklahoma transfer Nick Evers, who did not take snaps during 11-on-11 reps.

• Wisconsin’s first-team offensive line opened the same way it closed spring practice with Jack Nelson at left tackle, Joe Huber at left guard, Tanor Bortolini at center, Michael Furtney at right guard and Riley Mahlman at right tackle. Cincinnati transfer Jake Renfro, the expected starting center, was the No. 2 center as he continues to work his way back from a stress fracture in his left foot sustained during spring practice.

The rest of the second-team offensive line featured Nolan Rucci at left tackle, Joe Brunner at left guard, JP Benzschawel at right guard and Trey Wedig at right tackle. Wedig did earn first-team snaps at left guard in place of Huber late in practice. The third-team offensive line was Max Rader at left tackle, Kerry Kodanko at left guard, Dylan Barrett at center, Sean Timmis at right guard and Barrett Nelson at right tackle.

• One true freshman with enormous potential (and size) to keep an eye on is cornerback Amare Snowden. A left-handed pitcher who can throw in the low 90s, Snowden gave up a promising baseball career to pursue football because of his trust in Fickell. He is listed on Wisconsin’s preseason practice roster as 6 feet 4 and 199 pounds. No defensive back on the roster has the length that Snowden possesses, and he made two nice plays Wednesday in his first college practice.

He intercepted a pass on an underthrown ball in 1-on-1 drills. Late in practice while working with the third-team defense, Snowden caused havoc at the line of scrimmage by reaching up to slap the ball into the air on a Burkett pass that came right back to Burkett.

• Wisconsin used a variety of combinations on defense. The first-team defense to open 11-on-11 work was James Thompson Jr. and Rodas Johnson on the defensive line with Darryl Peterson and T.J. Bollers at outside linebacker and Maema Njongmeta and Jake Chaney at inside linebacker. Alexander Smith and Ricardo Hallman were the cornerbacks on the outside with Jason Maitre in the slot. Hunter Wohler and Travian Blaylock were the safeties. Goetz earned first-team reps at outside linebacker while paired with Peterson, and Isaiah Mullens also took first-team snaps on the defensive line.

The second-team defense also had multiple pairings. Curt Neal and Gio Paez were on the line with Goetz and Jeff Pietrowski at outside linebacker. Paez is listed on the roster as a defensive end after previously being a nose guard. Jordan Turner and Tatum Grass were at inside linebacker. Zachman and Kamo’i Latu were at safety with Jonas Duclona and Jace Arnold at corner on the outside and Owen Arnett in the slot. Outside linebackers Kaden Johnson and Marty Strey took some snaps with the second-team defense as well. Strey stripped the ball from walk-on running back Grover Bortolotti and recovered the fumble with the third-team unit.

Turner, a starter and the team’s second-leading tackler last season, did earn a drive with the first-team defense alongside Njongmeta. Turner recently was reinstated less than two weeks after being suspended for violating the athletic department’s student-athlete discipline policy stemming from traffic citations and an OWI.

Fourqurean and Air Force transfer Michael Mack II also earned reps with the second-team defense. Mack had been awaiting approval from the service academy on a waiver to compete this season. Temple defensive line transfer Darian Varner was limited at practice.

• Wisconsin added Atticus Bertrams on scholarship to address its punting issue, but he is going to have to beat out Jack Van Dyke for the job. Van Dyke handled the initial reps Wednesday, with Bertrams going second. Bertrams, who is a left-footed Aussie, is a natural at the Australian rollout style of punting that Fickell likes, but hang time and distance will be key as the staff evaluates the group. Dike, Pauling, Williams and Anthony were among the players in the punt return group.

• Several walk-ons who were on the spring roster no longer are on the team, including offensive lineman Drew Evans, inside linebacker Luna Larson, cornerback Lee Hutton, receiver Cole Toennies and cornerback Amaun Williams, who exited spring as the second-team slot corner. Long snapper Zach Zei, kicker Gavin Lahm and offensive lineman Peyton Lange are on the team but not in camp.

• Several players changed their bodies during the offseason since spring practices ended. Here are updated weight differences (at least 5 pounds gained or lost) for players, based on Wisconsin’s preseason practice roster.

Gained

  • OL Max Rader +16 (267 to 283)
  • TE JT Seagreaves +11 (234 to 245)
  • S Kamo’i Latu +11 (196 to 207)
  • TE Angle Toombs +10 (235 to 245)
  • P Jack Van Dyke +10 (218 to 228)
  • WR Bryson Green +10 (205 to 215)
  • WR Keontez Lewis +9 (187 to 196)
  • OL John Clifford +9 (295 to 304)
  • DL Gabe Kirschke +8 (242 to 250)
  • OL Barrett Nelson +8 (284 to 292)
  • OL JP Benzschawel +7 (305 to 312)
  • WR Vinny Anthony +6 (177 to 183)
  • CB Jace Arnold +6 (180 to 186)
  • QB Nick Evers +6 (190 to 196)
  • RB Braelon Allen +5 (240 to 245)
  • DL Tommy Brunner +5 (245 to 250)
  • WR Quincy Burroughs +5 (203 to 208)
  • TE Cole Dakovich +5 (250 to 255)
  • OLB C.J. Goetz +5 (235 to 240)
  • CB Ricardo Hallman +5 (180 to 185)
  • WR Tommy McIntosh +5 (200 to 205)
  • WR Alex Moeller +5 (175 to 180)
  • TE Jack Pugh +5 (252 to 257)
Lost

  • DL Gio Paez -9 (319 to 310)
  • OLB Aaron Witt -7 (265 to 258)
  • OL Jake Renfro -6 (316 to 310)
  • RB Jackson Acker -5 (240 to 235)
  • TE Cam Large -5 (242 to 237)
Click to expand...
 
WI ranked 21st in coaches pre-season Poll. Other Big Ten Teams Mich (2), OSU (4), PSU (7).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top