Luke Fickell Wisconsin FTB coach 2023 Big 10 Football Media Days Team Outlook 7 27 2023.mp3
WISCONSIN FOOTBALL NOTES
*The Badgers wanted a winning coach from winning programs and they got one in the laid back but fiery when need to be Luke Fickell. He was a winning defensive coordinator at Ohio State and for 7 years at Cincinnati where he put the Bearcats in the national spotlight every year going 63-25 overall.
*Wisconsin also hired so they can recruits from New York, Chicago, Ohio, The South, West and not just from in-state.
*The past 30-plus years, the Badgers have always had a vaunted running attack. But in games where they were trailing, it was tough to comeback. So, Fickell brings in a new offensive coordinator in Phil Longo, he of the Air Raid system. The reason is, they brought in SMU transfer QB Tanner Mordecai. In 2 years in Dallas, he passed for 7,152 yards and threw for 72 touchdowns in the all-offense American Athletic Conference. But against Big Ten defenses, he will see the difference.
*Badgers are led in the backfield by both Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi. Allen is the fifth Wisconsin RB with at least a 1,000 yards as a freshman and sophomore.
*Badgers added 4 WR’s from the transfer portal. Three of which will be playing right now, Bryson Green, Will Pauling, who came from UC with Fickell and CJ Williams.
*On defense, Wisconsin said goodbye to veteran DC Jim Leonhard, but they will still use some of his schemes. Fickell brought his DC at Cincinnati, Mike Tressel with him and he is solid as well. He will mix in some of the UC schemes to go with his 3-3-5 alignment.
*Look for ILB Maema Njongmeta to be a pass rusher up the middle of the defense. He had 95 tackles to lead the team last year.
*Coach Fickell usually always runs the punt and kickoff return teams. But he did bring in Matt Mitchell from Grand Valley State University, an NCAA powerhouse team from Allendale, Michigan, to be the Special Teams Coach.
*The placekickers are a battle between Vito Calvaruso and Ohio Bobcats transfer Nathanial Vakos.
*They are replacing 3-year starting punter Andy Vujnovich with senior Jack Van Dyke. Fickell wants him to employ the Australian-sytle rollout punt that Ohio State and Cincinnati used when he coached at those schools.
*Coach Fickell is a firm believer in starters playing on special teams. The Badgers the past two seasons have had games where there were several breakdowns and long gains.
*The Badgers will definitely be a Big Ten West contender along with Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois and Iowa.
*Badgers 2023 non-conference opponents includes: Buffalo, At Washington State and Georgia Southern. They better not over look the latter two teams cause they are very capable of an upset.
