Badger Countdown: One goal for Wisconsin football in 2023

Luke Fickell wants to compete for championships

The return of Badgers football is just one day away as the Luke Fickell era in Madison gets underway Saturday at 2:30 versus Buffalo at home. Since he’s arrived at Wisconsin, the hype around the team has reached an incredible high.

Fickell has brought in offensive coordinator Phil Longo and his “Air Raid” offense from North Carolina while defensive coordinator Mike Tressel followed the head coach from Cincinnati.

As a group, they’ve worked to revitalize the culture of Badgers football in Madison as they usher in the next era. Transfer athletes like quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) and wide receiver CJ Williams (USC) have joined the squad and Fickell is only focused on one thing, competing for championships.

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WATCH: Hype video highlighting beginning of Luke Fickell era

Could Luke Fickell turn Badgers in CFB powerhouse?

The hiring of Luke Fickell has a chance, and may already be, one of the most influential moves in Wisconsin football history. Fickell joined the Badgers in November after six seasons as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

While with Cincinnati, he turned that program into one of the best in the country, posting a 57-18 overall record in his time there and even leading them to a 13-0 regular season and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021.

Now in Madison, he has brought with him Mike Tressel, his defensive coordinator from Cincinnati, and reeled in highly-regarded offensive coordinator Phil Longo from North Carolina.

The culture of the football team changed rather quickly and it has become a destination where transfers like quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) and wide receiver CJ Williams (USC) want to end up.

Finally, it seems like the recruiting efforts have stepped up a notch and Madison feels like a place where the top recruits nationally consider.

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Badger Countdown: Talented wide receiver wearing number four in 2023

Could number four be new star in Madison?

The 2023 college football season is here and the Badgers are just four days away from their opener versus Buffalo on Sept. 2 at Camp Randall. After one season with USC, former four-star wide receiver CJ Williams transferred to Wisconsin this offseason.

Williams will wear number four in Madison and he’s set to be a regular option for new quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) this year. The 6-foot-2 athlete was the seventh ranked wideout in the class of 2022 and in the transfer portal, he ranked as 157th best athlete.

Operating in Phil Longo’s “Air Raid” offense under head coach Luke Fickell, Williams could be set to become the next star for the Badgers.

 

Badger Countdown: Wide receiver’s 27 touchdowns are all-time high

The 2023 college football season is fastly approaching and the Badgers are now 27 days from their season opener versus Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The 2023 college football season is fastly approaching and the Badgers are now 27 days from their season opener versus Buffalo on Sept. 2. The Luke Fickell era is almost underway in Madison and part of the hype this season is surrounding the wide receivers, but a former wideout owns the all-time touchdown record with 27.

Lee Evans was a member of the Badgers from 1999-2003, finishing his UW career with 3,468 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns on 175 catches during his college career. The yards and touchdowns are the highest in Wisconsin football history while the catches are third.

With transfers like CJ Williams (USC) and Bryson Green (Oklahoma State) coming in, maybe there will be a new star wideout in Madison this year!

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Top five Big Ten football offensive transfers for 2023

The Big Ten has some intriguing offensive playmakers arriving from the transfer portal #B1G

Welcome to college football in 2023 where the transfer portal is a key factor in building a successful and winning program. This season many big names came to the Big Ten and an intriguing number of them are quarterbacks or offensive skill players.

Evaluating transfers is a bit like evaluating recruiting, it’s not necessarily about snagging the big fish such as Sam Hartman, but making sure the guy you snag can fill a need and fit a role the team needs.

We see many schools grab transfer after transfer, and they flame out not because of their lack of talent, but because the situation was not a great fit to begin with

Here are the five incoming transfers that should check every box as a difference maker for their new team.

BREAKING: Badger wide receiver enters transfer portal… again

As the 2023 Badger football season closes in, the team has seen a few departures over the last week and there was another announcement Friday.

As the much-anticipated 2023 Badger football season closes in, the team has seen a few departures over the last week or so and there was another one announced Friday. After two seasons with Wisconsin, wide receiver Markus Allen will be entering the transfer portal.

This is the second time that Allen has entered the transfer portal, having done so last fall following the firing of head coach Paul Chryst, ultimately returning to Madison after Luke Fickell took over. Now operating in a crowded WR room with Wisconsin after the team added multiple wideouts via transfer moves, including C.J. Williams (USC) and Bryson Green (Oklahoma State).

Pair that with the off the field legal issues he’s been dealing with, Allen will look for a fresh start elsewhere. He’ll finish his UW career with 10 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown over eight games during his two campaigns in Madison.

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Wisconsin Football transfer class ranked in top 10 by On3

As the Badgers head into their much anticipated 2023 football season, On3.com ranked their transfer class within their top 10 in the country.

As the Badgers head into their much anticipated 2023 football season, On3.com ranked their transfer class within their top 10 in the country. Paired with the addition of head coach Luke Fickell as well as other new staff members, On3 ranked their transfer portal haul as the 10th best in college football.

Wisconsin added 14 transfers from the portal this offseason, headlined by the likes of former four-star quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) and four wide receivers including former four-star C.J. Williams (USC) and three-star Bryson Green (Oklahoma State).

With Phil Longo and his “Air Raid” offense coming to Madison in 2023, Badger fans are especially excited to see some of the new offensive players in action this season.

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Badger football fans use Twitter to predict team award winners for 2023

Who do Badgers fans think will stand out in 2023?

With the college football season about 100 days away, Badger football fans were prompted on Twitter to predict which players would win the team awards in 2023.

As the Luke Fickell era officially gets ushered in this season, Wisconsin will look to improve upon the 7-6 record they had in 2022. The offense in particular has generated a lot of buzz as new offensive coordinator Phil Longo takes over with his “Air Raid” scheme.

Transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) is expected to be under center in 2023, joining Wisconsin after two 3,000-yard, 30-touchdown with the Mustangs and he has been joined by multiple wide receivers from across the country.

In total, thanks to the coaching additions and many transfers, the Badgers are one of the most intriguing teams in college football next season.

Here’s who Badger fans think will stand out in 2023:

Wisconsin offers three-star wide receiver from Tempe

The Badgers offered Raiden Vines-Bright, a three-star class of 2025 wide receiver from Tempe, Arizona on Tuesday.

The Badgers offered Raiden Vines-Bright, a three-star wide receiver from Tempe, Arizona on Tuesday. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound athlete is a sophomore at Corona Del Sol High School and is a member of the class of 2025 recruiting class.

To this point, Vines-Bright has now received seven Division 1 offers, including Michigan and home state schools Arizona and Arizona State. With the Badgers now a more offensive focused team under Phil Longo’s guidance, Wisconsin has as good a shot as any to land the wide receiver.

With additions like wideouts CJ Williams and Bryson Green in the transfer portal this season, the Badgers will have a chance to prove why they’re a good destination for offensive weapons.

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Wisconsin’s new offensive coordinator ranked in top 10

The Badgers’ new offensive coordinator Phil Longo was ranked in the top 10 in On3.com’s OC rankings by Nick Schultz on Tuesday.

The Badgers’ new offensive coordinator Phil Longo was ranked in the top 10 in On3.com’s OC rankings by Nick Schultz on Tuesday. Longo came in at number four overall heading into his first season in Madison.

Longo joined Luke Fickell in swapping schools this offseason, taking control of the Badgers’ offense after four seasons at the helm of North Carolina’s offense. In his time there, amongst others, Longo developed quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye under center.

The offensive coordinator’s “Air Raid” offense has been the topic of much conversation and with the additions of athlete’s like SMU-transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai and USC-transfer wide receiver CJ Williams this offseason, Badger fans are on the edge of their seat heading into the 2023 campaign.

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