Tag: Luke Fickell

Watch: Badger quarterback explains reason for staying

Although the Badgers brought in many new options in the transfer portal, redshirt freshman QB Myles Burkett said that he’s never leaving.

Although the Badgers brought in many new options in the transfer portal, redshirt freshman quarterback Myles Burkett said that he never considered leaving Wisconsin following the 2022 campaign.

Burkett is expected to be a depth option again in 2023 behind the likes of transfer quarterbacks Tanner Mordecai (SMU) and Braedyn Locke (Mississippi State), but he seems to be more focused on the team as a whole.

The Franklin, Wisconsin native appeared in two games last season, completing 4 out of 5 pass attempts for 84 yards in relief of Graham Mertz. With Mertz (Florida), Deacon Hill (Iowa) and Chase Wolf (Unspecified) leaving the quarterback room following last year, Burkett seems dedicated to see Luke Fickell and his staff through in 2023.

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Badgers offer class of 2025 wide receiver from Texas

Wisconsin offered Tanook “Nu Nu” Hines, a 6-foot class of 2025 wide receiver from Houston, Texas on Tuesday.

Wisconsin offered Tanook “Nu Nu” Hines, a 6-foot class of 2025 wide receiver from Houston, Texas on Tuesday. The sophomore at Dekaney High School still has two more seasons of football before he’d potentially make the leap to the collegiate level.

To this point, Hines has now received six Division 1 offers, with Wisconsin providing the first Big Ten offer. None of the major Texas schools have offered him yet, but they’ll likely do so in the future.

For the class of 2025, Wisconsin is a long way from finding out what players will ultimately commit to join them. That being said, with Luke Fickell and Phil Longo in town at head coach and offensive coordinator respectively, there is as high of a chance as ever that offensive talent will choose Madison.

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Son of NFL legend attends Badger football practice

Landon Pace, son of NFL Hall of Famer Orlando Pace and class of 2025 recruit visited Madison on Thursday.

Landon Pace, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Orlando Pace and a class of 2025 recruit, visited Madison on Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete still has two more years of high school football at St. Louis University before he would make the leap to a collegiate program.

The Badgers offered Pace in January, and he made his official visit this week, bringing his dad with him. His father played 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle, mostly with the St. Louis Rams, winning a Super Bowl in 1999. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2016.

Landon Pace has received seven Division I offers, including one from his dad’s alma mater, Ohio State. Considering the family connection, Pace seems likely to end up in Columbus, but Luke Fickell spent many years with the Buckeyes and could draw the recruit to Madison.

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Watch: New Badger QB hits familiar wide receiver for touchdown

The Badgers had their first outdoor football practice of the season Saturday, with many of the new faces making plays on the field.

The Badgers had their first outdoor football practice of the season Saturday, with many of the new faces, including quarterback Tanner Mordecai, making plays on the field.

The SMU transfer signal-caller was able to hit wide receiver Chimere Dike in stride for a touchdown at practice, which could be the first of many for that pair in 2023.

With offensive coordinator Phil Longo joining Luke Fickell in Madison this year, his air raid offense is expected to help Wisconsin make a substantial leap through the air.

Along with Mordecai, the Badgers brought in wide receivers C.J. Williams (USC), Will Pauling (Cincinnati) and Bryson Green (Oklahoma State) among others this offseason.

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WATCH: Wisconsin’s objective is simple this season

WATCH: Wisconsin’s objective is simple this season

The new era of Wisconsin football is here, and with it comes new expectations. Head coach Luke Fickell comes over from Cincinnati, where he had a history of winning, plain and simple.

During his time as the head coach of the Bearcats, Fickell led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff and a pair of AAC Championships in 2020 and 2021. The objective for Fickell at Wisconsin? Win championships. He made that clear in a video posted by Wisconsin football highlighting the beginning of the spring season.

If this doesn’t fire you up for the 2023 season, I don’t know what will. Here is the new head football coach on the objective:

Luke Fickell ranked in top 10 CFB coaches by PFF

Pro Football Focus released their top 10 head coaches in college football Friday, ranking Luke Fickell as the ninth best coach in the nation.

Pro Football Focus released their top 10 head coaches in college football Friday, ranking Luke Fickell as the ninth best coach in the nation. Fickell is taking over the helm of the Badgers after six seasons with the Cincinnati Bearcats.

During his tenure at Cincinnati, Fickell produced a 57-18 record while winning two conference titles and two bowl games. Additionally, he led the Bearcats to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021 after the team went 13-0 in the regular season and conference title game.

On top of the team success, Fickell was able to produce NFL talent players like quarterback Desmond Ridder, wide receiver Alec Pierce and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant over the last few seasons.

Now at the reigns for Wisconsin, Fickell has brought in some of the best recruits in program history, as well as top transfers in the country like quarterback Tanner Mordecai. Finally, along with him, offensive coordinator Phil Longo (North Carolina) and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel (Cincinnati) have fortified the Badgers’ coaching staff.

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Badgers listed in top 7 programs of class of 2024 edge rusher

Anelu Lafaele, a four-star edge rusher from Hawaii listed Wisconsin in his top seven schools on Wednesday.

Anelu Lafaele, a four-star edge rusher from Hawaii listed Wisconsin in his top seven schools on Wednesday. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound athlete is set to visit Madison in June.

Wisconsin has a rich history of recruiting and developing talent from Hawaii, most notably edge rusher Nick Herbig, who will likely be selected in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft later this month.

With Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel now in town, Lafaele would be able to work with a pair of highly regarded coaches as a member of the Badgers. Time will tell if the edge rusher wants to end up in Madison, but as of right now, Wisconsin is considered a favorite to land him.

Of the 16 Division 1 programs to offer Lafaele, Wisconsin and Washington are the current front runners to earn his commitment for 2024. As of right now, the Badgers have yet to secure a defensive recruit for the 2024 recruiting class.

 

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Badgers offer interior offensive lineman from Pennsylvania

Wisconsin offered Ryan Cory, a three-star class of 2024 offensive lineman from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Wisconsin offered Ryan Cory, a three-star offensive lineman from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. The class of 2024 recruit has one more season of football at Pine-Richland High School before he’ll make the leap to the collegiate level.

Cory has received 21 Division I offers, including three from within the Big Ten. Penn State and Pittsburgh have offered, likely making them the early favorites, but Wisconsin is certainly an strong option.

Head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo have already reeled in four offensive recruits for 2024. Four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois), three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin) and three-star offensive tackle Derek Jensen (Hartland, Wisconsin) are the four who have committed.

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Watch: New Notre Dame quarterback coach Gino Guidugli coaching his group

Sounds like a fun time with coach Guidugli

When [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] hired Gino Guidugli, it was seen as a very good hire for [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag]. The former Cincinnati quarterback made a seamless transition into coaching following his playing career.

Although he started as a running backs coach with Central Michigan, once he got back to his quarterback roots, Guidugli took off. In the span of three seasons, he went from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator.

After following [autotag]Luke Fickell[/autotag] to Wisconsin, Guidugli just couldn’t stay away from coaching quarterbacks as he was set to be the tight end and passing game coordinator for the Badgers. Their loss was Notre Dame’s gain and it looks to be a big one.

Guidugli was mic’d up for today’s spring practice and it was great to see how he interacts with the players. Check it out for yourself below.

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Allen named to Walter Camp preseason team

Entering his third season with the Badgers, Braelon Allen was named as a Walter Camp Preseason 2nd Team All-American on Friday.

Braelon Allen was named as a Walter Camp Preseason 2nd Team All-American on Friday. The star running back is entering his third season with the Badgers and is expected to be one of the best at his position in the country.

Allen bust onto the scene during the 2021-2022 season, rushing for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He followed that up with another strong season this past season, compiling 1,242 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground.

With Luke Fickell and Phil Longo now taking over at head coach and offensive coordinator respectively, the running game is expected to be opened up a little more in 2023. Allen faced a lot of stacked defensive fronts last season, something that could be fixed with the implementation of Longo’s “Air Raid” offense.

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