Wisconsin football enters the 2024 season with an identity that needs to be rebuilt.
I wondered aloud throughout last season what the team’s identity was. It wasn’t exceptional at throwing the ball. It was inconsistent on the ground, and the defense was good but not great. The same was the case in 2022 under Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard — even the great defensive identity was slipping away.
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The good news is Luke Fickell is a defensive head coach with a strong history on that side of the ball. If I bet on any part of the team reaching dominance, it would be the defense.
Fickell and his staff attacked the transfer portal this winter to help reshape a roster that didn’t quite fit his and Mike Tressel’s schemes.
We will see if those moves pay off when spring practice gets underway. But first, here is our first depth chart projection for the Badgers’ 2024 defense: