Tag: Luke Fickell

WATCH: Luke Fickell motivates the team during offseason workouts

WATCH: Luke Fickell motivates the team during offseason workouts

The old adage of “the way you do anything is the way you do everything” is firmly in the core of what new Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell believes.

The Badger leader gave a talk to the team during offseason training and led with that idea.

Wisconsin football’s Twitter account gave us a glimpse of what Fickell is like as a leader; it posted a clip of him speaking with the team earlier this week.

He touched on the competitive spirit Wisconsin has shown in the weight room, in the bowl game win and throughout his first few months in charge. Here is a look at Fickell talking to his team:

The Badgers have their next tight ends coach after losing Gino Guidugli to Notre Dame

The Badgers have their next tight ends coach after losing Gino Guidugli to Notre Dame

Wisconsin and head coach Luke Fickell lost tight ends coach Gino Guidugli to Notre Dame this past week.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Zach Barnett of Football Scoop, Nate Letton will be promoted from quality control coach to tight ends coach. Letton had been with Fickell during his time at Cincinnati from 2020-22.

He served as the O-line graduate assistant in 2020 and 2021 before being promoted to tight ends coach in 2022. He assumes that same role at Wisconsin.

Letton is a Lexington, Kentucky, native. He attended Centre College and graduated in 2015 with a degree in biology and a minor in education. He earned All-SAA honorable mention accolades in 2014 and had 67 tackles as a linebacker while leading Centre to an undefeated regular season.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin spring football schedule released

In what has certainly been one of the most notable offseasons in Badger history, the team has released its official spring schedule. 

In what has certainly been one of the most notable offseasons in Badger football history, the team released its official spring schedule for the program.

Outside of the practice dates, the team plans to host its pro day on March 23, showcasing the talents of a variety of former Badger players. Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton will likely be among those in attendance.

Luke Fickell, his new coaching staff and the 2023 Badger football team will have their official launch on April 22. The team will not have a traditional spring game, but the fans will be able to come see the new faces around Camp Randall.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin offers three-star defensive lineman from Cleveland

The Badgers offered Dominic “DK” Kirks, a three-star class of 2024 defensive lineman from Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday.

The Badgers offered Dominic “DK” Kirks, a three-star defensive lineman from Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday. The 6-foot-5, 250 pound athlete still has one more season of high school football at Villa Angela-St. Joseph before he’d potentially make the jump to a college program in 2024.

Considering he’s from the state of Ohio, it doesn’t come as a surprise that coach Luke Fickell has offered him. So far, Kirks has received 12 Division 1 offers, with Wisconsin becoming the first Big Ten team to offer him.

To this point, the Badgers have yet to secure a defensive commitment for the class of 2024, but they have reeled in three offensive guys including four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

[mm-video type=video id=01gr2tx5hzyjsff5k9g8 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gr2tx5hzyjsff5k9g8/01gr2tx5hzyjsff5k9g8-c5ad88ce911816b457f603a83e1c48d1.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

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.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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: