Tag: Luke Fickell

Wisconsin offers son of NFL Hall of Famer

Wisconsin offered Bryce Young, a four-star class of 2024 edge rusher and son of Hall of Famer Bryant Young on Monday.

Wisconsin offered Bryce Young, a four-star edge rusher from Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday. The 6-foot-5, 240 pound junior still has one more year of high school football before he could potentially make the leap to join a college program in 2024.

Young is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young (class of 2022), who registered 618 career tackles, including 89.5 sacks over 208 games with the San Francisco 49ers.

Considering his father went to Notre Dame and Bryce has received an offer from the school, they currently appear to be the favorites to land him in 2024, but the Badgers are certainly not out of it yet.

With new head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, Wisconsin could attract the talented athlete to play in Camp Randall.

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Report: Notre Dame football has found it’s next quarterbacks coach

The Irish have found their QB coach

When [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag] left [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] for Alabama, not only did the Irish lose their offensive coordinator but also their quarterbacks coach.

Not many have pondered who would fill that hole, especially since the offensive coordinator position has much brighter lights associated with it. Well, according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] has found new quarterback coach, [autotag]Gino Guidugli[/autotag].

You many recognize his name. He played for Cincinnati in the early 2000s, and he was very impressive in his Bearcat career. Guidugli is the all-time leader in Cincy history for passing and total offense.

After his NFL career, he went into coaching, starting as the running back coach as Central Michigan before returning to his alma mater in the same capacity. Guidugli rose through the ranks, going from running backs coach to quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator. In the last position, he called plays for the Bearcats.

The Irish poached him from Wisconsin, where he followed [autotag]Luke Fickell[/autotag] to earlier this offseason. Freeman and Guidugli were on Fickell’s staff, so the relationship between the two is extensive.

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Badgers in Top 11 of four-star defensive lineman

Brandon Davis-Swain a class of 2024 four-star defensive lineman from Michigan named the Badgers as one of his top 11 destinations on Monday.

Brandon Davis-Swain a four-star defensive lineman from West Bloomfield, Michigan named the Badgers as one of his top 11 destinations on Monday. The class of 2024 athlete is narrowing down his options and Wisconsin has certainly garnered his consideration.

Davis-Swain spent the greater part of the 2022 calendar year committed to Notre Dame, but he actually withdrew his commitment after he received an offer from the Badgers in early December. Since Dec. 11, he has received offers from Auburn, Colorado and Purdue, all of whom are in his final 11.

With Luke Fickell taking over at head coach and Mike Tressel joining him as defensive coordinator, both of which coming from Cincinnati, the Badgers have become a more enticing all-around team. Fickell and Tressel have produced NFL talent in recent years, most notably cornerback Sauce Gardner, the 2023 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

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Badgers offer four-star running back from Texas

Wisconsin offered Taylor Tatum, a class of 2024 four-star running back from Longview, Texas on Wednesday.

Wisconsin offered Taylor Tatum, a four-star running back from Longview, Texas on Wednesday. The 5-foot-10, 195 pound athlete still has one more season of high school football before he’ll join a collegiate program as a member of the class of 2024.

Tatum has been a popular recruit, receiving 36 Division 1 offers to this point, including six from within the Big Ten. It’s clear that the tide has turned in Madison for the Badgers, as new head coach Luke Fickell and his staff have been aggressive in their recruiting attempts nationally in the last few months.

As of right now, Wisconsin has already secured the commitments of three members of the class of 2024, as four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin) have chosen the Badgers.

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Wisconsin offers three-star defensive lineman from Tennessee

The Badgers offered Hank Weber, a three-star class of 2024 defensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee on Monday.

The Badgers offered Hank Weber, a three-star defensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 230 pound athlete still has one more year of high school football at Brentwood Academy before he’d make the jump to the college level as a part of the class of 2024.

Weber has now received 12 Division 1 offers, including Michigan State and Purdue within the Big Ten. With new head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel joining the team this offseason, the Badgers have become an even more attractive location for recruits.

So far for the class of 2024, Wisconsin has yet to reel in a commitment from a defensive player. They have however secured four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin).

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Deep Dive: Look into career of new QB Tanner Mordecai

Will Tanner Mordecai be Russell Wilson 2.0 for the Badgers?

Since he took over at head coach, Luke Fickell has completely changed the culture of the Badger football team. By bringing in coordinators like Phil Longo and Mike Tressel as well, Fickell has made Wisconsin a far more intriguing option for athletes.

Longo’s “Air Raid” offense in particular has been a huge bonus in the Badgers’ favor this offseason and has helped the team reel in talent from across the country.

One player they have gotten via the transfer portal is former SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai. Mordecai will use his final year of eligibility to join the Badgers in 2023 and he’s a current frontrunner to be their next signal caller.

Here’s how the field general’s career has stacked up on his way to Madison:

LOOK: Your first chance to see Wisconsin’s new-look football program

LOOK: Your first chance to see Wisconsin’s new-look football program

It has been a whirlwind of change for Wisconsin football over the past few months, headlined by new head coach Luke Fickell.

In support of Wisconsin’s new era, the Badgers are putting on “The Launch” which will be an open practice filled with activities and events.

The Badgers announced it will take place on April 22. It won’t be a traditional spring game, something which Wisconsin doesn’t typically do, but it will be a chance for fans to get their first look at the many new faces.

Here is how to RSVP for your spot on April 22. Don’t miss the start of the new era:

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Badgers in Top 4 schools of four-star running back

Jordan Marshall, a four-star running back from Cincinnati, Ohio announced that the Badgers were in his top four programs to join in 2024.

Jordan Marshall, a four-star running back from Cincinnati, Ohio announced Thursday that the Badgers were within his top four programs to join in 2024. The 5-foot-10, 193 pound athlete still has one more football season at Archbishop Moeller High School before he’ll make the jump to the collegiate level.

Wisconsin originally offered Marshall in May while Paul Chryst was still in charge of the program, but to their benefit, new head coach Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) has had a relationship with the running back for many years.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Badgers have already secured three commitments for the class of 2024, reeling in four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin) so far.

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Oklahoma’s schedule is underwhelming

While playing the new Big 12 members will be interesting to see, the 2023 Oklahoma Football schedule leaves a lot to be desired.

As a fan of this game we all know and love, I couldn’t care less about the Oklahoma Sooners getting favorable matchups during the regular season. I’m the kind of fan that just wants to see good football.

With that being said, you could imagine my disappointment when I saw the entirety of the Sooners’ 2023 football schedule. While there are a few good things to look forward to, if this is the final Big 12 schedule the Sooners will ever have, it’s very underwhelming.

The absent Big 12 teams on OU’s schedule will be missed. Oklahoma will not be playing Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State or Houston in 2023. Considering that the Sooners went 0-3 against the Bears, Wildcats, and Red Raiders, that’s not the end of the world. But again, I don’t care about favorable matchups. I just want to watch good football games.

Other than a November trip to BYU, nothing on this schedule feels very special. The nonconference games especially sting due to the Sooners postponing their home-and-home series with Georgia. It could’ve been so much better.

While seeing three of the four new Big 12 teams in the regular season is different, I would’ve rather seen one or two of Baylor, Texas Tech or Kansas State instead of Cincinnati without Luke Fickell. Brent Venables deserves another shot at his alma mater, Kansas State before the Sooners head to the SEC.

The worst and weirdest thing about the schedule is the timing of Bedlam.

The Sooners will head to Stillwater for what could be the last time in a long time at the beginning of November. Having Bedlam the game before rivalry week was bad. This is so much worse. There’s no reason for the Sooners to play TCU on a Friday for the last game of the season when they’ve already played Oklahoma State three weeks earlier.

Like I said, the schedule isn’t all bad, but it just feels like a bit of a dud. The one thing I will miss about the old ten-team Big 12 is playing everyone in the conference throughout the regular season.

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Three-star defensive tackle recommits to Wisconsin

Jamel Howard Jr., a class of 2023 three-star defensive tackle from Chicago, Illinois recommitted to the Badgers on Wednesday.

Jamel Howard Jr., a three-star defensive tackle from Chicago, Illinois recommitted to the Badgers on Wednesday. The class of 2023 athlete was originally committed to Wisconsin before withdrawing it in November, but he will now be a part of new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel’s defense next season.

The 6-foot-3, 320 pound defensive lineman will offer Wisconsin another option on the interior as they look to replace Keeanu Benton in 2023 as he makes the leap to the NFL this year. Howard Jr. will join transfer Darian Varner (Temple) amongst others as a part of the incoming class for the Badgers defense.

Since Luke Fickell took over at head coach, almost all of the hype has been around the offensive side of the ball, but Wednesday’s news is certainly a win for the flip side.

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