Tag: Tackett Curtis

It’s a small world when USC faces Wisconsin

Alex Grinch isn’t the only person with connections to both teams in this Wisconsin versus USC game.

When the USC Trojans take on the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend, it will be a matchup of two teams with a number of connections.

USC has one player from the state of Wisconsin on its roster, defensive tackle Gavin Meyer. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has two players from the state of California: wide receiver C.J. Williams and kicker Gianni Smith.

The two teams also have several coaching connections. Wisconsin co-defensive coordinator / safeties coach Alex Grinch spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as USC’s defensive coordinator. Grinch and USC head football coach Lincoln Riley also coached together at Oklahoma from 2019-21. Grinch and USC offensive coordinator / offensive line coach Josh Henson coached together at Missouri from 2012-14.

In addition, Wisconsin’s senior advisor to head coach Luke Fickell is Jack Del Rio, who was a consensus All-America linebacker at USC in 1984. Del Rio played in the 1982 Fiesta Bowl and 1985 Rose Bowl and was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Wisconsin linebacker Tackett Curtis played at USC in 2023, making eight starts and recording 40 tackles. Wisconsin wide receiver CJ Williams also played at USC in 2022, catching four passes for 34 yards.

These connections add an extra layer of intrigue to this weekend’s matchup. With so many familiar faces on both sides, it’s sure to be an intense and competitive game.

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Several former USC players, notable former coach are now on the Wisconsin sideline

Several former USC players and coaches are now on the Wisconsin sideline

(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo)

Wisconsin begins Big Ten play on Saturday with a road trip to No. 13 USC.

The game is one of several tough matchups that await the Badgers during their challenging Big Ten slate. Given the team’s slow start to the season, there aren’t many that appear more important than the opener against the Trojans.

Related: Wisconsin updated depth chart for Week 5 vs. USC includes new starters at quarterback, tight end

USC enters Saturday off a tough 27-24 road loss to No. 12 Michigan. But it remains a projected contender in the conference. That is due to another prolific Lincoln Riley offense and a much-improved defense under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

Wisconsin has a connection to that defensive improvement. Former USC DC Alex Grinch, who led the Trojans to become arguably the nation’s worst defensive team, is now the Badgers safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. Luke Fickell brought him in this offseason after he was fired from USC last November.

Those connections will also be seen on the field. Wisconsin wide receiver C.J. Williams is a former USC Trojan — he transferred to the Badgers before the 2023 season after playing one year for Riley’s program. Badgers inside linebacker Tackett Curtis also has the same connection. He chose the Trojans over the Badgers coming out of high school, then transferred to Wiscosin before this season after playing for USC as a true freshman in 2023.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell discussed those connections during his Monday media availability. His message: “This is about Wisconsin vs. USC.”

The Badgers and Trojans will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game is pivotal to each team’s season — Wisconsin needing an upward trajectory and USC needing to return to the top of the conference standings.

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Tackett Curtis returns to L.A. with Alex Grinch when Wisconsin visits USC

The Tackett Curtis-Alex Grinch storyline will be potent when Wisconsin visits the Coliseum.

USC is moving to the Big Ten this summer. When the Trojans play college football this fall, Wisconsin will be a Big Ten Conference opponent. One of the central storylines in that USC-Wisconsin game will be the return to Los Angeles of both Alex Grinch and Tackett Curtis. The coach and the player both went to Wisconsin for the 2024 season under head coach Luke Fickell. This will be a spicy plot point for Badgers-Trojans.

We talked to Badgers Wire editor Ben Kenney about Curtis and Grinch, among many other topics.

Here’s what Badgers Wire wrote about Curtis:

“Curtis, meanwhile, transferred to Wisconsin after one season at USC. The former top recruit started most of the season at inside linebacker for a poor Trojans defense, recording 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and two sacks. He brings an impressive recruiting pedigree and a ton of potential, but he isn’t in line to start for the Badgers in 2024.

“Luke Fickell and his staff worked hard to re-shape the program’s linebacker room. Veteran Jaheim Thomas is projected to start alongside Jake Chaney this season, with Curtis and former UNC linebacker Sebastian Cheeks forming the future.”

Here’s our full show with Ben Kenney of Badgers Wire:

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Wisconsin boasts two of 247Sports’ ‘top Big Ten newcomers’ entering 2024

Wisconsin boasts two of 247Sports’ ‘top Big Ten newcomers’ entering 2024

Two of Wisconsin football’s offseason additions made 247Sports’ list of the top 25 Big Ten newcomers entering 2024.

Those two: quarterback Tyler Van Dyke at No. 23 and inside linebacker Tackett Curtis at No. 14.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

Van Dyke is set to likely start for the Badgers this season after four years at Miami. He transfers with 32 games of experience and stats including a 63.7 completion percentage, 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. His inclusion on the list is no surprise, as he’s instantly one of the more accomplished quarterbacks in the conference.

Curtis, meanwhile, transferred to Wisconsin after one season at USC. The former top recruit started most of the season at inside linebacker for a poor Trojans defense, recording 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and two sacks. He brings an impressive recruiting pedigree and a ton of potential, but he isn’t in line to start for the Badgers in 2024.

Luke Fickell and his staff worked hard to re-shape the program’s linebacker room. Veteran Jaheim Thomas is projected to start alongside Jake Chaney this season, with Curtis and former UNC linebacker Sebastian Cheeks forming the future.

Curtis has a high transfer portal ranking because of his high school billing. But he likely won’t have a huge impact in 2024.

247Sports’ piece looks at the highest transfer rating, which Curtis does bring. It may just take a few years for that potential to pay off on the field.

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Alex Grinch and Tackett Curtis, both at Wisconsin, will be on the same team for the second straight season

Alex Grinch and Tackett Curtis both landed in Madison with the Badgers. How about that?

Badgers Wire staff writer Ben Kenney began his Alex Grinch report this way. Buckle up:

“This one is a doozy. Wisconsin is hiring former USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch as its new safeties coach, as first reported by the State Journal’s Colten Bartholomew.

The long-time defensive assistant was fired from USC in early November after a 52-42 loss to Washington. He had previously spent five seasons as defensive coordinator under Lincoln Riley, three at Oklahoma and two at USC.”

It is sinking in at Wisconsin that hiring Alex Grinch is quite a risk to take. Luke Fickell surprised a lot of people with his decision. What does it mean? One thing is that it reunites Grinch with Tackett Curtis. The linebacker transferred from USC to Wisconsin. Now Grinch is doing the same thing.

A lot of people noticed, as you can see in the tweets below:

Wisconsin has commitments from three of the top five transfer portal linebackers

Wisconsin has commitments from three of the top five transfer portal linebackers

Wisconsin and Luke Fickell have attacked the transfer portal this offseason, now with 13 total commitments and the No. 13-ranked transfer class in the country.

One clear area of need was linebacker. Starters Jordan Turner and Maema Njongmeta entered the portal and declared for the NFL draft respectively, plus several outside linebackers either switched positions or left the program.

As a result, the Badgers have commitments from six linebackers in the transfer class: former Arkansas LB Jaheim Thomas, former USC LB Tackett Curtis, former UNI LB Jahsiah Galvin, former UNC LB Sebastian Cheeks, former William & Mary OLB John Pius and former Syracuse OLB Leon Lowery.

The three highest-rated by On3 are Pius at 91.69, Curtis at 91.59 and Thomas at 91.54. They are three of the top five linebackers in the portal, behind only former Georgia ILB Jamon Dumas-Johnson and former Arkansas LB Chris Paul Jr.

Wisconsin needs a lot to turn around in 2024 for the year to turn out differently than 2023 did. A successful portal class is the first step, and it looks like Fickell and his staff have addressed the team’s needs effectively.

Former USC linebacker Tackett Curtis lands with Wisconsin Badgers and Luke Fickell

Wisconsin originally recruited Tackett Curtis. Now the Badgers have him following his transfer from USC.

The Wisconsin Badgers have landed one of the high-profile names in the transfer portal. Former USC linebacker Tackett Curtis announced his commitment to the Badgers.

Our friends at Badgers Wire have more on the story:

“Curtis was one of Wisconsin’s top targets in the class of 2023. The former four-star recruit and No. 108 overall player in his class instead chose USC,” Ben Kenney wrote. “USC had ESPN SP+’s No. 105-ranked defense, a driving force behind the team’s disappointing 8-5 record. Head coach Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch in early November and will enter 2024 with staff turnover on that side of the ball.”

The former four-star recruit and No. 108 overall prospect picked the Badgers over LSU, Arkansas, Ohio State, Michigan State, and many more.

In his freshman season with the Trojans, Curtis finished with 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries. He set a career-high with 8 tackles in the road loss to Notre Dame and had a massive showing with 7 tackles, 2 TFL and 2 sacks in a road win over Arizona State.

Curtis will return to face his former squad in Los Angeles on Sept. 28 next season, when Wisconsin visits USC.

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Badgers nearing top 10 overall transfer class

Badgers have one of the best transfer classes in the country

The Badgers added two players in the transfer portal Tuesday as both linebacker Tackett Curtis (USC) and defensive lineman Elijah Hills (University at Albany) committed to the team ahead of the 2024 campaign.

According to 247Sports’ ranking system, Wisconsin’s 2023 transfer class now ranks 11th nationally, with more time to go. Luke Fickell’s squad has added many defensive players, including six linebackers, through the transfer portal now.

The Badgers finished their 2023 season 7-6, losing to LSU 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1. They will be undergoing some major changes in 2023, including assigning a new quarterback, lead running back and both starting interior linebackers.

All 13 of the team’s transfer additions so far can be found here.

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BREAKING: Wisconsin lands the nation’s second-ranked transfer linebacker

BREAKING: Wisconsin lands the nation’s second-ranked transfer linebacker

Big news for Badgers fans on this Tuesday afternoon. Evan Flood of 247Sports and others have reported that Wisconsin has landed a commitment from USC transfer linebacker Tackett Curtis, the second-ranked linebacker in the portal.

Curtis was one of Wisconsin’s top targets in the class of 2023. The former four-star recruit and No. 108 overall player in his class instead chose USC, where as a true freshman he appeared in 12 games and registered 40 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

USC had ESPN SP+’s No. 105-ranked defense, a driving force behind the team’s disappointing 8-5 record. Head coach Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch in early November and will enter 2024 with staff turnover on that side of the ball.

The linebacker entered the portal on December 18 after the team’s regular season concluded.

247Sports ranks Curtis as the No. 43 player in the portal, and again the No. 2 linebacker. He becomes Wisconsin’s 12th transfer commitment of the offseason in a class that ranks well inside the nation’s top 15.

Curtis will join the Wisconsin program with three years of eligibility remaining.

Power Five teams are eyeing USC transfer Tackett Curtis in the portal

Which team will get Tackett Curtis?

As you know by now, USC linebacker Tackett Curtis has decided to enter the transfer portal.

Curtis’s departure is a notable loss for the Trojans. Curtis had a decent freshman season at USC, totaling 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He was primed to be a significant part of USC’s defense going forward. Crucially, USC’s new defensive coaching staff could have maximized Curtis’s talents in ways that Alex Grinch failed to do in 2023. Curtis’s potential might have been fulfilled under D’Anton Lynn and Matt Entz. Now, that won’t happen, and that’s a stinging loss for the Trojans.

A year ago, Tackett Curtis was ranked as a four-star linebacker and the 108th player nationally. Curtis was also the ninth-rated linebacker in his class and the sixth overall player in the state of Louisiana.

The linebacker held 46 scholarship offers before cutting his list down to four schools; Wisconsin, Arkansas, USC, and Ohio State.

I expect those same schools to be in contact with Curtis in the portal. I would add LSU, Texas A&M and Miami (Florida) to the list of schools which will contact Curtis during the portal process as well.

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