Tag: Mike Tressel

Badger Countdown: Returning linebacker records 37 solo tackles in 2022

The 2023 CFB season continues to get closer and the Badgers are now 37 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The 2023 college football season continues to get closer and Luke Fickell and his Badgers are now 37 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2. In 2022, a redshirt sophomore linebacker recorded 37 solo tackles, good for second on the team.

Jordan Turner is the linebacker who made the tackles and he is back for a redshirt junior campaign this season. Overall, Turner compiled 65 total tackles, including two sacks, while also intercepting a pass, deflecting another and forcing a fumble over 13 contests.

Additionally, Turner earned the Guaranteed Rate Bowl defensive MVP award in December when the Badgers defeated Oklahoma State 24-17. The linebacker recorded eight tackles (four solo) in the contest.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound athlete was suspended by the team for a driving incident in late June, but he was reinstated a couple weeks later. Turner appears likely to be a leader on Wisconsin’s defense in year one under new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.

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WATCH: Badgers ranked in top 15 by former national champion QB

The 2023 Badger football team is one of the most intriguing in the history of the program with new head coach Luke Fickell at the helm.

The 2023 Badger football team is one of the most intriguing in the history of the program. With new head coach Luke Fickell at the helm, the hype around Wisconsin is potentially at an all-time high.

While ranking his top 25 college football teams, former Alabama quarterback and national champion Greg McElroy placed Wisconsin as the 14th best team in the country.

McElroy highlighted the additions of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, formerly with North Carolina, and SMU transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai as reasons why the Badgers will succeed in 2023.

Longo’s “Air Raid” offense is expected to open up the Badgers’ ability to produce in the passing game while also freeing up the run game to churn out more consistent yardage.

Additionally, McElroy expects Fickell and new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel’s 3-3-5 scheme from Cincinnati to transition well to Madison.

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Badger Countdown: No. 55 back for final season in Madison

College football fans are on the edge of their seats as the season closes in and the Badgers are now 55 days away from their 2023 opener.

College football fans are on the edge of their seats as the season closes in and the Badgers are now 55 days away from their 2023 opener versus Buffalo. With Luke Fickell entering his first year as head coach, there has been a lot of turnover in Madison, but the team’s leading tackler has returned for one more season as a graduate student.

Maema Njongmeta, number 55 for the Badgers, led the team in tackles in 2022, registering 95 takedowns, including 3.5 sacks, over 13 games. Additionally, Njongmeta was rated as the highest returning linebacker in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus.

Operating in a defensive system under defensive Mike Tressel (Cincinnati) in 2023, Wisconsin’s defense is expected to remain near the top in the nation and Njongmeta is set to be the unit’s leader.

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WATCH: Defensive freshman introduce themselves

The 2023 Badger football season is one of the most anticipated in a long time, maybe ever, as Luke Fickell takes over at head coach.Ā 

The 2023 Badger football season is one of the most anticipated in a long time, maybe ever, as Luke Fickell takes over at head coach. As a defensive coach at a school that prides itself on that side of the ball, it’s only natural that the freshman defenders introduce themselves to the fans.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel will also be taking over in Madison, replacing long-time fan-favorite Jim Leonhard, but rest easy Badger fans, this guy has a strong track record. In 2021, his Cincinnati defense boasted the 5th best total ranking in the country, just one slot behind Wisconsin.

Additionally, he’s worked with NFL talent in the secondary such as cornerbacks Sauce Gardner (Jets) and Coby Bryant (Seahawks), while Luke Fickell has played defensive line himself (1993-1996 at Ohio State), making for a well-rounded duo.

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Wisconsin coordinator one of Matrix Analytical Solutions’ top coaches in college football

A college football data and analytics company ranks Mike Tressel as the No. 2 coach in college football, regardless of position:

Matrix Analytical Solutions, a leader in data analytics for college football, recently gave 247Sports limited access to some of the insights it shares with programs across the FBS and FCS.

It allowed 247Sports into its ranking of the top-rated coaches in the sport, regardless of position.

Now, if I were to poll the Wisconsin fanbase of which Badger coach was included, I’m sure the first thought would be Head Coach Luke Fickell and a quick second would be Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo. The answer in this case is neither of them.

Matrix Analytical Solutions listed Wisconsin Defensive Coordinator Mike Tressel as the No. 2 coach in college football. The only coach ranked ahead: Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban.

The star-studded list includes former Wisconsin OLBs Coach Bobby April, USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley, Iowa Special Teams Coordinator LeVar Woods and Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker.

247Sports notes the rating factors in the duties of each coach, Riley also being USC’s offensive coordinator for example. It measures the per-play effectiveness of the unit and the team, factoring in the pure talent level on the field. In short, it grades the coaches on a curve depending on the effectiveness of the units on the field and how far above or below expectation those units perform.

A twist in Tressel’s inclusion on the list: he isn’t on there as a defensive coordinator, but rather as a linebackers coach — the title he held at Cincinnati and previously at Michigan State.

Here is what 247Sports said about the ranking:

The longtime linebackers coach has garnered a grade of 98.18 coaching the unit since 2009, when he was coaching the position at Michigan State. Tressel was named the AFCA’s assistant coach of the year in 2022 after coaching Cincinnati’s defense to a top-five finish in yards per play allowed. His defense produced six NFL Draft selections since he was elevated to play-caller in 2021. He followed head coachĀ Luke FickellĀ to Wisconsin in the offseason and will serve as coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Badgers.

Tresel helped develop the two highest-rated defensive players in the country last season, according to Pro Football Focus, with All-American linebackerĀ Ivan Pace Jr.Ā and defensive tackleĀ Dontay CorleoneĀ leading the FBS.

Tressel coached 20 players who earned All-Big Ten honors at Michigan State between 2007 and 2019, including consensus All-American linebackerĀ Greg Jones.

WATCH: “The Fickell Effect” by On3

The Badger FB is heading into their most anticipated season in a very long time as the Luke Fickell era in Madison officially begins in 2023.

The Badger football team is heading into their most anticipated season in a very long time as new head coach Luke Fickell officially launches his era in Madison. J.D. PicKell of On3.com outlined why he feels Fickell is different than the typical Wisconsin head coach.

Luke Fickell comes to Madison after a very successful six-year tenure at the helm of the Cincinnati Bearcats, going 57-18 while appearing in one College Football Playoff in 2021. He’s brought outstanding coordinators Phil Longo (OC from North Carolina) and Mike Tressel (DC from Cincinnati) as well as over a dozen transfer athletes, including quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU).

Longo’s “Air Raid” offense and Fickell’s track record as a head coach in particular have Badger fans rather riled up before 2023.

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PFF ranks the Badgers near the middle of Big Ten

Ahead of the 2023 CFB season, Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the 14 teams in the Big Ten with Wisconsin coming in near the middle.Ā 

Ahead of the 2023 college football season, Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the 14 teams in the Big Ten, and Wisconsin came in near the middle. Officially, the Badgers were seventh in the conference.

With Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) taking over at head coach, Wisconsin fans are expecting a step up in production from their Badgers who went 7-6 last year. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo brought his air raid offense from North Carolina, and transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) is considered a significant improvement over multi-year starter Graham Mertz.

Mixed with the addition of Mike Tressel (Cincinnati) at defensive coordinator and more than a dozen new players via the transfer portal, Wisconsin has a lot of buzz around their team going into 2023.

Based off PFF’s power rankings, the Badgers are the fourth-best team in the Big Ten West, a position they’ve finished at or below only once over the last four seasons.

Wisconsin seems rather likely to prove PFF wrong in the Badgers’ first full campaign under Luke Fickell.

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Wisconsin cornerback graded in top 10 within Big Ten by PFF

With one of the most anticipated Badger football seasons on closing in, PFF graded one of their cornerbacks within the top 10 in the Big Ten.

With one of the most anticipated Badger football seasons on the horizon, PFF graded one of their cornerbacks within the top 10 in the Big Ten. Entering his sixth and final season in Madison, Alexander Smith is the eighth highest rated cornerback returning to the conference in 2023.

Smith has spent five seasons with the Badgers so far, appearing in seven games in 2022. Over those contests, he was able to log 17 tackles while deflecting two passes. The cornerback has only reeled in one interception over 19 collegiate games, but he’ll look to raise that number in his final year.

New head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel have worked with successful cornerbacks in the past, coaching both Sauce Gardner (NYJ) and Coby Bryant (SEA) while with the Cincinnati Bearcats.

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Badger Defense ranked in top 10 by ESPN

The 2023 CFB season is right around the corner and ESPN ranked their top 10 defenses in the country and the Badgers cracked the list.

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and ESPN ranked their top 10 defenses in the country. Although the team is undergoing a regime change, the Badgers were ranked as the 10th best defense heading into the incoming season.

Operating under defensive-minded head coach Luke Fickell and his defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, Wisconsin will look to maintain the standard they’ve established over the years.

Linebacker Maema Njongmeta led the team with 95 tackles in 2022 and he’ll be returning once again this year, looking to make an even bigger impact. Pair him with the rest of the Badgers’ strong front seven, Wisconsin appears to be on track to repeat their success from last campaign.

The defense allowed only 303.5 yards per game in 2022, which was good for 11th best in the country.

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WATCH: New Luke Fickell “Bat Signal”

The Wisconsin Badger football team is heading into arguably their most anticipated seasons in 2023 with new head coach Luke Fickell.

The Wisconsin Badger football team is heading into arguably their most anticipated seasons in 2023 with new head coach Luke Fickell at the helm. As a result of his addition at head coach, the Badgers have become a top recruiting destination and each time there’s news breaking he drops a “bat signal”.

With Phil Longo (UNC) taking over at offensive coordinator, he’s expected to bring his “Air Raid” offense to Madison and pairing that with transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU), the passing game could be much improved in 2023.

Mike Tressel came from Cincinnati with Fickell and will run the defense for the Badgers and he’s worked with successful athletes such as cornerback Sauce Gardner in the past.

Badger fans can’t wait for the upcoming campaign and Fickell’s new “bat signal” certainly raises the hype.

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