The New Look Badgers - 2023

[Pokerbrat2000]

I agree that they're putting way too much emphasis on last year's failures, to compare this year's team. Yet, it's a new system, on both sides of the ball, and a lot of new guys being plugged in to positions, that haven't played together. It takes a little time to get everyone on the same page.

I'm a believer that if you set the bar at a realistic level, it makes recruiting easier down the road. If you send a message that not winning 10 or 11 games is failure, would-be recruits head elsewhere. In today's game, only two things matter to recruits. NIL money and the notoriety from playing for a program that's on the right track. Playing for an underachiever isn't in the best interests of 4 and 5 star recruits.

If they get that 10th win, and nobody expected more than 8, it says that this coaching staff knows how to turn kids into top players. If you only win 8, and people are saying they could have, or should have won 10, you're saying the coaches failed.

In the back of my mind, I see a possibility of more than 8. But, everything above that is pure gravy, and more accolades for the program, coaches, and school. I want that recognition, to draw in more NIL money, and exposure, so the Badgers can recruit on the top step, not halfway down the ladder. I'm waiting for the rush of 5 star recruits to head to Madison. It could be coming, but not yet.

Even if last years record and results "hurt" the Badgers current rankings, I don't think it had much of a negative bearing on the recruiting done by Fickell and his staff. Whatever they are saying and doing, has already changed the way this program is/was heading. The impressive thing about it, not 1 down has been played with the new staff. So yeah, if the 2023 Badgers are successful, that will be an even bigger positive influence on recruiting.

I honestly think that what McIntosh and other higher-ups at Wisconsin saw with Chryst and the Football program, was a slow erosion of what Alvarez and others had finally accomplished. A program that could go out and recruit at a high level and compete with the big boys. Fickell and his staff seemed to have not just stopped that snowball from rolling downhill, they are pushing it in a direction that even Alvarez and others couldn't.

 

[AmishMafia]

Well, I am sure the recruiters are saying to kids, if Fickell can take a smaller program from Cincinnati and compete for a championship, imagine what he will do with a bigger program at Madison.

For Cincinnati, between 2013 and 2020, in 8 drafts - 7 guys were drafted. Most in the 7th round and the highest was Deguara in the 3rd.

From 2021 to 23, 16 players were drafted from Cincinnati. The highest being Sauce Gardner at 4th overall. Pointing that out to kids will have an impact.

 

[Voyageur]

Well, I am sure the recruiters are saying to kids, if Fickell can take a smaller program from Cincinnati and compete for a championship, imagine what he will do with a bigger program at Madison.

For Cincinnati, between 2013 and 2020, in 8 drafts - 7 guys were drafted. Most in the 7th round and the highest was Deguara in the 3rd.

From 2021 to 23, 16 players were drafted from Cincinnati. The highest being Sauce Gardner at 4th overall. Pointing that out to kids will have an impact.

Good statistical info. The perception these kids get from the coaches, when recruiting, is so important. These kids are winners, or always felt they wanted to be winners, and that's exactly what they want to play for. The only question is how the coaches see them fitting in. That honesty comes through, and it filters down to the kids that are following them in their respective schools.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Well, I am sure the recruiters are saying to kids, if Fickell can take a smaller program from Cincinnati and compete for a championship, imagine what he will do with a bigger program at Madison.

For Cincinnati, between 2013 and 2020, in 8 drafts - 7 guys were drafted. Most in the 7th round and the highest was Deguara in the 3rd.

From 2021 to 23, 16 players were drafted from Cincinnati. The highest being Sauce Gardner at 4th overall. Pointing that out to kids will have an impact.

Most definitely Fickell and his staff are recruiting off of what they were able to accomplish with the Bearcats. Along with that, they are piggy backing the Badgers last 30 or so years of success. A very good combination to have for sure. If I was a recruit or a parent, sitting in a room listening to Fickell's spiel, I would want to be part of what looks like something pretty special that is happening in Madison.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

More great news for the Badger 2024 class. They have landed 4 Star RB Dilin Jones!

BREAKING: Badgers land four-star RB Dilin Jones

The Badgers finish their 2024 class in strong fashion at the running back position.

www.buckys5thquarter.com

 

[Pkrjones]

More great news for the Badger 2024 class. They have landed 4 Star RB Dilin Jones!

BREAKING: Badgers land four-star RB Dilin Jones

The Badgers finish their 2024 class in strong fashion at the running back position.

www.buckys5thquarter.com

They've landed (2) 4 stsr & (1) 3 stsr RB recruits for 2024 already. The talent is there.

 

[Krabs]

Agree.

This is about as favorable of a schedule that the Badgers will see. I agree with your assessment that their 3 toughest games with be against Iowa, OSU and MN. However, with the first 2 of those 3 games, being at Camp Randall, I think they win at least 1 of those. If they roll into Minnesota sitting at 11-1, look out Gophers. I actually think a game that can't be overlooked is their second game of the season @ Washington State Cougars. This will be a good litmus test, for both teams.

I'm not worried about the Cougars at all. I think the Badgers will have a chip on their shoulders from last season and will whoop them.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'm not worried about the Cougars at all. I think the Badgers will have a chip on their shoulders from last season and will whoop them.

We can only hope. The Cougars defense really stifled the Badger Offense last year in their upset win in Madison. Of course, that was with Mertz at QB and Conservative Chryst calling the plays.

 

[Krabs]

We can only hope. The Cougars defense really stifled the Badger Offense last year in their upset win in Madison. Of course, that was with Mertz at QB and Conservative Chryst calling the plays.

That's exactly right. The addition of Tanner Mordecai should help moving the ball. They won't be able to stack the box and that will also free up Allen and Mellusi is back to give him a spell. They also now have legit WRs as weapons in Williams, Pauling and ****. The oline is big and experienced. I don't see the Cougars having the ability to stop all that. Add in the addition of a new offense and I feel like it amounts to a whooping in the Badgers favor. I'm looking forward to this one.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

That's exactly right. The addition of Tanner Mordecai should help moving the ball. They won't be able to stack the box and that will also free up Allen and Mellusi is back to give him a spell. They also now have legit WRs as weapons in Williams, Pauling and ****. The oline is big and experienced. I don't see the Cougars having the ability to stop all that. Add in the addition of a new offense and I feel like it amounts to a whooping in the Badgers favor. I'm looking forward to this one.

The first game at home against the Buffalo Bulls, should be the typical NC, Camp Randall-opener, cake-walk. We might see a general glimpse of the change in the Badgers. However, I think the game at 33,000 seat Martin Stadium in Pullman, WA, will be the first "prove it" game for Fickell and his staff.

I know we are all excited about the New Badgers, but talk is cheap, time to see it on the field. I don't expect the Badgers to look like Ohio State, by week 2, but I do expect to see a much improved, wide open offense. A PC coached Badger team might go into Martin stadium looking to scratch out a win. I expect a Fickell coached Badger team to go in there and want to put on a show. A show that other Big10 teams will see and say "Oh crap...this guy is legit and the Badgers are officially dangerous."

 

[Voyageur]

Fortunately the Badgers have a warm-up game prior to taking their game to a better level, against a more competitive team. That will help. Mordecai could end up being a good one, but like anything else, the chemistry needs to be there. I think we'll see some interesting football. They could be ready for the Wildcats, but we'll have to see if that happens. It could be a close one. Let's hope our defense is one of the best in the nation again. Give that offense time to come together, to be special.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

They could be ready for the Wildcats, but we'll have to see if that happens. It could be a close one. Let's hope our defense is one of the best in the nation again. Give that offense time to come together, to be special.

Wildcats? Northwestern? With the firing of Fitzgerald and the first lawsuit filed against him and the school over the hazing incident, I think that program is going to be a mess. Maybe you meant the Cougars?

Anyway, yes, the offense is going to need time to jell and I don't expect it to fully happen in the offseason. Even with how well the Badgers did in the portal, this is still a lot of PC's guys playing. Not that they are bad players, but it will take some time for the merger of the new with the old.

New Badger DC Mike Tressel might have the most difficult job. Yes, he is taking over a pretty decent defense, but he lost some key players. Benton, Herbig, Shaw, Torchio, Dort and Clark). Not to mention that Tressel is taking over from a very successful and popular Jim Leonhard. If the defense struggles at all, the media and fans, that are used to a solid defense, might grumble.

 

[Voyageur]

Wildcats? Northwestern? With the firing of Fitzgerald and the first lawsuit filed against him and the school over the hazing incident, I think that program is going to be a mess. Maybe you meant the Cougars?

Anyway, yes, the offense is going to need time to jell and I don't expect it to fully happen in the offseason. Even with how well the Badgers did in the portal, this is still a lot of PC's guys playing. Not that they are bad players, but it will take some time for the merger of the new with the old.

New Badger DC Mike Tressel might have the most difficult job. Yes, he is taking over a pretty decent defense, but he lost some key players. Benton, Herbig, Shaw, Torchio, Dort and Clark). Not to mention that Tressel is taking over from a very successful and popular Jim Leonhard. If the defense struggles at all, the media and fans, that are used to a solid defense, might grumble.

Oops! I meant to say Cougars. The second game of the season. Washington State. Northwestern I don't know at this point. They only won 1 game last year, and a lot of their players could be opting to use the portal at this point.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Northwestern I don't know at this point. They only won 1 game last year, and a lot of their players could be opting to use the portal at this point.

That program is a mess right now. Even their baseball team and its coach is in trouble. I always respected Northwestern and Fitzgerald, but hazing was halted a long time ago, as it should have been. This reminds my a bit of the OSU wresting program and all the cover-ups, to this day Jim Jordan denies he knew anything. I'm anxious for the Documentary to come out, should be very interesting to see just how devious and corrupt these programs can get, all in the name of power and money.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Along with the Hazing at Northwestern, ex-players have stepped forward to talk about what they felt was a racist environment under Fitzgerald. This really isn't looking good for their program. It sounds like they want to temporarily halt what was going to be an $800M upgrade of Ryan Field.

Former NU players describe racist environment in football program

Three former Northwestern football players described a “culture of enabling racism” to The Daily, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players. All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations...

dailynorthwestern.com

 

[Voyageur]

Along with the Hazing at Northwestern, ex-players have stepped forward to talk about what they felt was a racist environment under Fitzgerald. This really isn't looking good for their program. It sounds like they want to temporarily halt what was going to be an $800M upgrade of Ryan Field.

Former NU players describe racist environment in football program

Three former Northwestern football players described a “culture of enabling racism” to The Daily, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players. All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations...

dailynorthwestern.com

The last time I was at Ryan Field was 1972. It wasn't a good stadium, but not bad. There was no room for appreciable expansion, but I don't think Northwestern ever cared about filling the stands. They get their money out of media rights. It's hard to pinpoint their actual athletic budget because they're not a public school, therefore don't have to disclose their budgeting.

They're in the Big 10 from the past, when they were a nice doormat for each team to kick around most years, and to make it look like the Big 10 is academics first, which is only true to a few schools.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The last time I was at Ryan Field was 1972. It wasn't a good stadium, but not bad. There was no room for appreciable expansion, but I don't think Northwestern ever cared about filling the stands. They get their money out of media rights. It's hard to pinpoint their actual athletic budget because they're not a public school, therefore don't have to disclose their budgeting.

They're in the Big 10 from the past, when they were a nice doormat for each team to kick around most years, and to make it look like the Big 10 is academics first, which is only true to a few schools.

Yeah, I have been there a few times, pretty dumpy facility for a Big10 program.

Fitzgerald had been able to make the Football program relevant. Landing some decent recruits, but also I think getting a lot out of his players. That all went up in a Hazy smoke. Back to the cellar for the MildCats.

 

[Krabs]

Here's a good read that breaks all the positions down: https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/lists/wisconsin-preseason-two-deep-depth-chart-prediction-defense/

The Badgers are pretty stacked at all positions. It will come down to QB play, to take the team to the next level, and adjusting to a new offense. They will win games because the oline is great and they have awesome running backs. If they want to win the West they will need Mordecai to elevate the offense. If they can stretch the field this will be a really hard offense to stop.

 

[Krabs]

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

Weird change of pace here. Wonder what they will do at TE now.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

Weird change of pace here. Wonder what they will do at TE now.

Saw that and they were already "thin" in talent with those 2 guys. Currently, the TE depth chart looks like this:

Starters: Jack Pugh, Hayden Rucci

Backups: Cam Large, Riley Nowakowski

I think Rucci is the only one that has played in any games for the Badgers. But with only 6 catches, not much game experience. Pugh was a 4 Star recruit, so I could see him doing just fine as a starter. Time for him to shine in a new offense, with a new QB.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Bucky came out of the gate slow today. The new Air Raid offense, looked a lot like the old one. It sputtered and looked ugly at times with dropped passes and poor throws/decisions by the QB. I think only being up by 4 at half, against an inferior team, made Fickell say "oh hell, let's go back to Wisconsin Football and pound it down their throats. Luckily, the Badgers have potentially the top RB tandem in college football to do that. Allen and Melussi had a heck of a second half!

The Badger defense did not look all that good either. Lots of things to clean up for next week and Washington State.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Mordecai looked like the last 30 years of Badger QBs save for Wilson.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Mordecai looked like the last 30 years of Badger QBs save for Wilson.

I was actually a bit shocked when I saw his stat line and rating for today. Not as bad as I would have thought. However, most of his completions were short screens, with the receiver doing most of the work. 2 ugly interceptions, but that bomb to Skyler Bell was perfect and Bell dropped what would have been a 60 yard TD.

Good game to learn off of. I'm not going to worry to much about him improving.

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

 

[Firethorn1001]

I was actually a bit shocked when I saw his stat line and rating for today. Not as bad as I would have thought. However, most of his completions were short screens, with the receiver doing most of the work.

Ya. I'm not going to write him off for the season or anything. Hopefully 3-4 games into the season, we still aren't looking at a 6 yard average with horrible interceptions, because then that's just Graham Mertz.

 

[Voyageur]

Buffalo came out playing nothing but pass defense so the Badgers kept them honest, throwing the ball around the field, but utilized their running game for over 250 yards. If you combine it with the passing game, they had over 430 yards of offense. I don't think for a moment they made a mistake in taking what was out there based on the defense across from them.

As for the first half, it was time to go to school. They learned well, and turned up the heat in the second half. Remember, this is a new process, and they were all getting accustomed to it. They did just fine.

On defense, Buffalo owned us on 1s and 2nd down, but on third downs and fourth downs, they were unable to move the ball. It will get even tougher for offenses to move the ball down the road. They are still a work in process. Give it some time.