How many will we lose in the portal?

[Voyageur]

After the nauseating end of this season, and the ending of a 22 year string of winning seasons, the Badgers ended 2024 like a team that has no identity, leadership, nor desire to compete. To put it bluntly, the better players on the team, some of whom saw limited playing time for some unknown reason, are going to end their time in Madison, by leaving via the portal. I can't blame any of them who leave. Why would you stick around and watch the final dismantling of a historically good program by someone who doesn't seem to listen to anyone about what's happening.

I'm not certain how much it would cost to buy Fickell out, but I think it might be a good idea. He came in to boost the team up, not tear it down, and quite frankly it's up to our new AD to straighten this mess out. It's his mess.

For a new coach, and assistants, it's going to be a long slog getting this team back up where it belongs. It's going to take at least 4 years, and we're going to see a lot of empty seats, and disgruntled fans, and NIL donors along the way. Personally, as long as Fickell is there, I wouldn't contribute one thin dime to the NIL program.

The sad part is, from my perspective, I thought hiring him was a fairly good choice. I'm ready to admit I was dead wrong. We need to see change, and it can't come any too soon.

As for the QB situation, there's no way on earth that I'd let Locke take another snap under center in Madison, and I want to see new blood in that position. If that's the best they could do, recruiting, I think it's time they move along.

But, the money they have to pay out has to be astronomical. They gave this guy way too much too easily.

 

[Firethorn1001]

the better players on the team, some of whom saw limited playing time for some unknown reason

Given the complete lack of effort, I'll say 1/4. They played like a team today where they just checked out knowing it wouldn't matter for next year.

If any part of the answer to that question above is 'they weren't ready' or 'they were freshmen' then that logic needs to be revisited. This isn't like 10 years ago any more where you recruit guys and keep them around and bench them. It's basically a year to year league now. You sit a guy and if the NIL money or playing time isn't to their liking they will leave.

NIL and the transfer portal is an absolute cancer right now.

 

[Pugger]

Given the complete lack of effort, I'll say 1/4. They played like a team today where they just checked out knowing it wouldn't matter for next year.

If any part of the answer to that question above is 'they weren't ready' or 'they were freshmen' then that logic needs to be revisited. This isn't like 10 years ago any more where you recruit guys and keep them around and bench them. It's basically a year to year league now. You sit a guy and if the NIL money or playing time isn't to their liking they will leave.

NIL and the transfer portal is an absolute cancer right now.

It is a real mystery why Fickell, who was so successful at Cincinnati, has this program in such a mess. Is it the strict admissions to Wisconsin? Do other schools like Michigan or Ohio State admit athletes who might not otherwise pass muster for the sake of the football programs which generate huge money to these universities?

 

[Firethorn1001]

7 so far and 1 decommit. Great start.

Amare Snowden basically threw the DB coach Haynes under the bus and given that a total of 4 DBs have decided to transfer is not a good look. Where there is smoke there is fire.

 

[AmishMafia]

Oh my. This sucks. Thought Fickell would do great things. Better than cincinnati because of the greater conference/prestige of the program.

 

[Firethorn1001]

So the entire 2023 DB recruiting class just up and left (6 total). Guessing that coach is really not liked.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Tack on a few more (11 now I think). Seems like the entire 2023 recruiting class is jumping ship.

Kekahuna entering the portal stinks.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Everyone Remain Calm!

I think to get a true feel for what is happening to the Badgers, you have to look at the entire college landscape of portal transfers. This is the NEW NCAA folks and it isn't pretty, it isn't comfortable, but get used to it. For many teams, their seasons aren't even complete yet and some of their players are already announcing that they are leaving.

I used to think that the portal was just a more convenient and efficient way for a player to get a fresh start because their first choice in schools, for whatever reasons, wasn't working out and they would no longer have to sit a year to be eligible again. However, that has all changed. Basically, the portal has become a 2 way door. The first door is one that a player can enter and hope he finds a new home on the other side, I don't have a problem with that door. The more dangerous door/direction of the portal and ultimately the one that I believe needs to be shut, is when a team needs/wants a certain player and they actively go pursue that player, while also using NIL money to encourage said player to hit the portal and come over to their side.

College Sports is no longer sending all your scouts to high schools around the country, trying to woo those teenagers to come to your school. Nope, its poking around all the other college teams, trying to recruit players who may be unhappy or can be bought.

The Transfer portal and NIL money has made college sports the Wild West and honestly, made me just that much less excited about following teams. I used to enjoy seeing a freshman get some snaps, show some talent and think to myself, "Wow, they landed a good one here, I can wait to see what they do over the next 4 years." That is gone, now its like watching a pro team from year to year, lots of new faces, no real loyalty, just money.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

DL James Thompson Jr. heads to the transfer portal.

Another big loss. Thompson was projected as a potential NFL first round pick prior to the start of the Badgers 2024 season. His torn pec ruined that and he sat out most of the year. Big loss for Bucky.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Everyone Remain Calm!

I think to get a true feel for what is happening to the Badgers, you have to look at the entire college landscape of portal transfers.

I'll admit, I don't know what the average # of transfers leaving every team is. 10? 15? 30? (Looks like Badgers had 17 last year)

I'm not so much concerned about numbers leaving just concerned about the 2 themes :

1. 6 DBs leaving when 1 of those leaving called out the coach specifically for why they were leaving. Then another 5 from that position leave? That seems like a red flag

2. When much of the 2023 class seems to be leaving that also seems odd.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'll admit, I don't know what the average # of transfers leaving every team is. 10? 15? 30? (Looks like Badgers had 17 last year)

I'm not so much concerned about numbers leaving just concerned about the 2 themes :

1. 6 DBs leaving when 1 of those leaving called out the coach specifically for why they were leaving. Then another 5 from that position leave? That seems like a red flag

2. When much of the 2023 class seems to be leaving that also seems odd.

Yeah, I haven't kept track of what the "normal" Transfer portal looks like for any team, even the Badgers. To be quite honest, I don't think anyone really knows just yet what that "normal" is or will be.

The transfer portal is still relatively new, at least the part where players don't have to sit out a year. That 1 year was enough of a "penalty" to dissuade too many players from pulling up stakes and leaving a school that had invested in them. Now, players hear about old teammates seamlessly transferring over to another program and its a mere breaking your apartment lease and moving to another city and wham, you have a whole new situation.

TP and NIL money is still new enough that nobody really knows what happens, on average, to all these players that participate. I am sure some get rich, thrive in their new program and will end up doing the same in their professional sport. I also think some will participate and fail. Not only fail at the sport they are "majoring in", but fail to get a degree.

Just imagine what the NFL would look like if it too had a transfer portal and pay was based on whatever each franchise could/wanted to pay guys.

 

[Voyageur]

A lot of the losses the Badgers have had is not due to NIL money. It's due to coaching. That's what's bothersome. We're losing players who quite honestly were going to be the backbone of a lot of what was done on the field in 2025. Now it's a matter of trying to get the best out of the portal and incoming freshman.

Sadly enough, we're also seeing some of the recruits for 2025 deciding to change schools, and opting out of Wisconsin. My guess is, they have been in contact with players with the Badgers, and see they aren't happy, and some leaving. That's not going to play out very well for Fickell.

When guys like Lowery, Neal, and Kekehauna walk, they're doing it because they see a totally screwed up coaching staff, because they aren't going anywhere for big NIL money.

 

[Firethorn1001]

A lot of the losses the Badgers have had is not due to NIL money. It's due to coaching. That's what's bothersome.

What concerns me. Guys leaving from positions of depth, passed on the depth chart or just needing a different path I get. This just seems like coaches are driving players to the portal and that definitely is concerning.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Sadly enough, we're also seeing some of the recruits for 2025 deciding to change schools, and opting out of Wisconsin. My guess is, they have been in contact with players with the Badgers, and see they aren't happy, and some leaving. That's not going to play out very well for Fickell.

There's a very good chance it's going to develop a snowball effect, if it hasn't already. The more premium recruits bail out, the more the remaining players start to wonder how competitive that team can even be without all those players - and thus, what point is there in them staying around?

 

[Voyageur]

There's a very good chance it's going to develop a snowball effect, if it hasn't already. The more premium recruits bail out, the more the remaining players start to wonder how competitive that team can even be without all those players - and thus, what point is there in them staying around?

Exactly. We've been seeing top level recruits opt out along with the portal guys. It has started to snowball on them. Unless they find a way to stop this from getting worse, it's going to end up being a disaster.

One way of stemming the flow on the offensive side would be to get Brian Hartline to join Fickell's staff as the OC. This guy can recruit, and make solid moves to bolster the offense through his game planning abilities. He's also known as a talent developer, who can help kids make it to the next level.

On defense, I am trying to figure out what happened there. Tressel is one of the better DCs in the business. A no nonsense coach, whose work should be exemplary. Even his usage of personnel during a game has been suspect at best. The scheming is often horrible, and ineffective, and there seems to be a disconnect between him, the his assistants, and the players. It's a cluster to be honest. Reparable? I don't know. The defections tell me something needs to change in that coaching tree.

Then we get to Fickell. The guy doesn't have too warm of a demeanor towards the people who make it possible for him to be the head coach. The one problem facing the Badgers is that his buyout on the contract is over $40 mill, so no matter what, they're going to have to live with him for quite a while. His $7.7 mill a year, believe it or not, is only about in the middle of the Big 10 range, which is really how it stands with all Power 4 schools.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

For those wanting to check their Bingo Cards on who leaves the Badger Football Team.

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[Voyageur]

The latest to leave, Riley Nowakowski. He hasn't gotten a lot of reps to be honest. He was a Chryst recruit, and most of them have been treated a little less as well as the new kids brought in by Fickell. Even though he didn't say it directly, I think he believes he was not used as effectively as they should have used him.

Some people are concerned that this is going to hurt the TE room, but I wouldn't worry about it. We still have Ashcraft, and the newbie, Stec, plus several others who just might be pretty darned good TEs themselves. This won't be a problem, in my opinion.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Unless things change at the NCAA level, fans will just need to get used to the Transfer Portal, as well as NIL. Both have drastically changed the college sports landscape. More importantly though, coaches, recruiters and players will need to accept and embrace all of it, if they expect to compete.

College athletes are now able to move from school to school to try and better their situation. Whether its due to NIL money, playing with a better team or seeing more playing time, the NCAA is now a semi-pro league for many athletes.

The elite programs, will have an easy shot to bring in elite athletes. The middle of the road programs will lose and gain athletes in both directions. The bottom dwellers, well, they may feel this the most. The rare athlete that suddenly blossoms and becomes an overnight star for "The Nantucket Nobodies", will soon be lured away with NIL money and the promise of brighter spotlights on their abilities.

Bottom line NCAA.....you decided to make all that money and this is where it got you, no loyalty. I am checking into NIL money for fans, I'm thinking about transferring to the Oregon Football Fan base.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Locke in the portal which is not a loss, but that just underscores how futile it was to play him the last 2 games. I know.. I know.. Mettauer wasn't 'ready'. The days of grooming a QB to sit on the bench for 2-3 years is pretty much over. I've seen people say Carter Smith might be ready to take over in 2027. You really think he will hang around for 3 years to be the starter? Not happening. If Mattauer moves on now in the portal you basically blew off the entire season for a QB that was horrible and left in the portal without trying something different. What was Mabrey going to do? Lose worse?

Understand portal loses will be a thing going forward, just that the loses this year feel driven by coaches/program direction rather than guys wanting a chance or flipping to an elite school. And that is worrisome.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Locke in the portal which is not a loss, but that just underscores how futile it was to play him the last 2 games. I know.. I know.. Mettauer wasn't 'ready'. The days of grooming a QB to sit on the bench for 2-3 years is pretty much over. I've seen people say Carter Smith might be ready to take over in 2027. You really think he will hang around for 3 years to be the starter? Not happening. If Mattauer moves on now in the portal you basically blew off the entire season for a QB that was horrible and left in the portal without trying something different. What was Mabrey going to do? Lose worse?

Understand portal loses will be a thing going forward, just that the loses this year feel driven by coaches/program direction rather than guys wanting a chance or flipping to an elite school. And that is worrisome.

No surprise on Locke, this is his 2rd transfer and when he lands somewhere, his 3rd program. Funny thing is, he still has 3 years of eligibility. After his performance this season, his chances of starting at Wisconsin in 2025 were low. He will end up at some school like Kennesaw State and then transfer to a top 100 school in 2026.

No longer do athletes have to feel like they aren't playing up to their abilities, just blame the school/coaches and move on.

 

[Voyageur]

Locke in the portal which is not a loss, but that just underscores how futile it was to play him the last 2 games. I know.. I know.. Mettauer wasn't 'ready'. The days of grooming a QB to sit on the bench for 2-3 years is pretty much over. I've seen people say Carter Smith might be ready to take over in 2027. You really think he will hang around for 3 years to be the starter? Not happening. If Mattauer moves on now in the portal you basically blew off the entire season for a QB that was horrible and left in the portal without trying something different. What was Mabrey going to do? Lose worse?

Understand portal loses will be a thing going forward, just that the loses this year feel driven by coaches/program direction rather than guys wanting a chance or flipping to an elite school. And that is worrisome.

You're not wrong on them giving Mabrey a shot at it. The kid could light it up in HS. In fact, I think the reason Locke is pulling up stakes is that he realizes Mettauer is going to pass him in spring practice anyhow, and he wants to get a shot at playing elsewhere.

The thing that concerns me most is that Longo was the guy who recruited him after Fickell took over. If he feels uncertainty about the situation, we just might see his name in the portal as well in a day or so. It all depends on the new OC, and how Mabrey is told he'd fit into the program. I'm not certain how Grimes sees it to be honest. He's a run first coach.

At the same time, Mettauer can scamper around the field fairly well when he has to. He's not fast, but he has good field vision, and can make good decisions on the move. I had the opportunity of watching him play three times in HS down here in Texas, and quite honestly, he just might make a good QB in the Badger system.

Still, I think the Badgers are going to trying to get one of the top half dozen QBs who are hitting the portal who have the leadership skills needed to move the team.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The Badgers official schedule was released today. Tough road ahead of them. Games @ Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota. Home against the Buckeyes.

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[Pokerbrat2000]

WR Trech Kekahuna is exiting the transfer portal and returning to the Badgers, according to his recent Instagram post.

 

[Voyageur]

WR Trech Kekahuna is exiting the transfer portal and returning to the Badgers, according to his recent Instagram post.

So, what changed his mind for him? Coaches? Yeah, but the carrot was probably the fact that they weren't going to have Locke as their QB next year. They were getting someone who could play the position through the portal, or Mettauer could be ready.

I think those options are what changed Trech's mind. It also leads me to believe that the players were disappointed in their QB enough that they'd bail if he stayed.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

So, what changed his mind for him? Coaches? Yeah, but the carrot was probably the fact that they weren't going to have Locke as their QB next year. They were getting someone who could play the position through the portal, or Mettauer could be ready.

I think those options are what changed Trech's mind. It also leads me to believe that the players were disappointed in their QB enough that they'd bail if he stayed.

He isn't the first and won't be the last to flip on a decision to leave a school. Maybe someone offered him some NIL money to stay at WI? Probably a bunch of things, including a good sales pitch by coaches.

I also have to wonder if some athletes that "hit the transfer portal", do so because they know that they are failing academically and instead of waiting for that card to fall, they just enter the portal. Might save them from having to take finals.