2024 Badger Football Thread

We're all going to have to get used to this new College Football. It sure is hard.

In the old days: A school recruited a kid, he came to the school, got a scholarship, and even if he didn't play or the program changed he stuck it out. Now, every kid is trying to get playing time (and more NIL money) so that they can hopefully get a shot in the NFL. If the program isn't working out, they are getting playing time, or the strategy / scheme changes, they are going to leave for a better fit to pursue their dream.

Most of us are having a hard time with Wisconsin's transfers. After a horrible season, I understand. The most concerning thing to me is comments made by defensive players leaving.

But, look around. Other schools are losing players at the same rate as us.

We're just going to have to hope that Coach Fickell has this dialed in and is actively talking with the guys he really wants back next year. So far I think we only lost 2 that were real difference makers - Neal, the defensive lineman and Kekahuna the split wide receiver. But, truthfully, how good were they?

Let them go, wish them well. As hard as it is, this may be the kind of house cleaning Coach Fickell needs. Go Bucky - rose colored glasses back on (for the moment).
 
another soon to be former Badger speaks out>

“I just didn’t like how things were going,” Kekahuna told BadgerBlitz.com. “I wanted to try something new.”

Citing multiple frustrations with the offense and scheme, Kekahuna is the ninth Wisconsin player to enter the portal since the end of the season but the only player who saw consistent time within the offense.

Listed as the No.2 slot receiver on Wisconsin’s official depth chart, Kekahuna played 307 snaps at the slot (220 on pass plays) and his 25 catches were third-most on the team. Of his 339 receiving yards, 134 came against Purdue, as did his only two touchdowns of the season in a week where he earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.

Kekahuna also returned kicks but received no clear indication of his role under a new offensive coordinator and likely a new scheme.

“I didn’t get the ball as much as I should have, and not enough appreciation I guess,” he added. “I think that was the struggle for me.”
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Well Kekahuna should have also known the QB for UW sucked hard to get you the ball when the QB can't read a defense to make a pass.
 
GBP4EVER said:
Well Kekahuna should have also known the QB for UW sucked hard to get you the ball when the QB can't read a defense to make a pass.
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not the point....he was recruited by PC and promised WR1 status, he flipped when he left.... then Fick and Longo made him a priority and promised even more. They didn't follow through and Fick fired Longo. You can only endure so much BS before you're done.
Not the kid's fault.
 
Mark87 said:
not the point....he was recruited by PC and promised WR1 status, he flipped when he left.... then Fick and Longo made him a priority and promised even more. They didn't follow through and Fick fired Longo. You can only endure so much BS before you're done.
Not the kid's fault.
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I have to agree.

And, I don't get it. He seemed like he was our best receiver even though he wasn't experienced. I'm tired of not playing the youngins' 'cause they don't have experience, when the experienced guys don't play like they should have experience.

The best player should be playing. I thought he was going to take off after Purdue and then - not so much.

I agree it's hard to blame the kid watching the ineptness of the Badger offense when he believes and probably could have helped if they had gotten him the ball a bit. Oh well
 
Wisconsin football walk-on offensive lineman Manny Mullens announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday.

Mullens is one of 12 Badgers to enter the portal since the team finished its 2024 season last Friday. He is one of five Badgers to enter on Wednesday alone, alongside with Braedyn Moore, Trech Kekahuna, Nate White and James Thompson Jr.

“I am so blessed to play the game of football and to be a Wisconsin Badger,” Mullens wrote on X. “God has been great and my time in Madison has been amazing. Thank you to coach [Casey Rabach] and the entire staff for all their support and belief in me. To my teammates, you guys are my brothers for life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together. After a lot of prayer and thought, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to see what’s next for me. Thank you, Wisconsin. It was an honor to wear cardinal and white and Wisconsin will forever be in my heart.”



The redshirt junior offensive lineman signed with the Badgers as a preferred walk-on in December 2022. He arrived in Madison after transferring from Division II Lake Eerie College.

Manny Mullens is also the younger brother of former Wisconsin defensive end Isaiah Mullens, who played for the program from 2018-2022. Manny did not see the field in two seasons with the program.

Mullens is also the first former Badger offensive lineman to announce his decision to enter the portal. It is one of the few positions on the roster where the program seems well-equipped to handle some departures.
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he never actually played in any games for the badgers, but that doesn't mean he won't be missed.
 
Wisconsin appears to be taking a hitting in the transfer portal.

But, is it really much more than others? Nebraska has a lot of turnover.

Nowadays - these damn kids up and fly - if they aren't playing as much as they think they should be, aren't getting the ball as much as they think they should, or for better NIL deals, etc... (Don't like it, but I'd do the same)

3d -4th stringers who never play but are essential to the team leave. Some just want to play and move down. Some think they're not being given a shot and look for more opportunities. Some look for greener pastures.

Younguns at Wisconsin have to be thinking they can outperform what Bucky trots out on the field, but are stuck watching because they don't have 'experience.'

Starters and 2d string consider moving to better programs with more opportunities.

The real problem with Wisconsin Football is that we will probably keep our core, but our core is neither, physically nor mentally, tough, isn't talented, doesn't appear to work hard, doesn't appear to be inspired, doesn't appear to give a shit, and quits. Simply, our core is not what you build a program around.

I wish Bucky coaches well. But, they better start playin' the younguns whose ass they kissed on recruiting or it will be the same next year.
 
Here is your irrational ray of sunshine/hope. In 2023 ASU went 3-9 with previous scandal hanging over their heads. One season later, they’re 10-2 and in the playoffs. Things seem bleak for the badgers right now but turnarounds can happen quick with the right people.
 
Badgers have now had 15 players enter the portal and another 15 are graduating. That is a quarter of the team leaving the program this year.
 
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