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So pretty much UW is cannon fodder forever with best hope they get lucky and get a 9 win season and if super lucky get a 10-2 season that gets them a CFP birth.
2025 Badger Football Thread
- Thread starter Mark87
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Unless they change the UW system and set up yes. You saw the difference loud and clear last week between programs. UW can't get there from here without drastic internal changes....It's why GA left...why PC went south and why Fickell is struggling... hell even Bert left for Arkansas because he couldn't overcome the "UW Way"
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Is the only real way to change is to find a Phil Knight for UW who can fund the program and just write big checks to go buy any player they need?
Let me give you perspective UW made a fuss over Aaron Witt #0 at OLB... he was a 3 star prospect from Winona, MN KID...All the attributes UW wanted...
Last week for Bama in his same spot Qua Russaw. Attended George Washington Carver High School. He was a two-time first-team all-state selection in football and also competed in track at Carver. He ran 11.7 in the 100, Russaw was rated No. 9 in the ESPN 300 ranking of prospects in the 2023 college football recruiting class.
How about Ohio State? Caden Curry, Curry finished his HS career with a total of 290 tackles, with 83.5 tackles for a loss and 28 sacks, while helping his school win back-to-back Indiana state championships. His finalists for college were Ohio State, Alabama, and Indiana.
The point is, other power 5 schools are reloading with 30.30 shells, and you're using .22 rounds. I could list example after example.
If you're a Packers fan, Kristen Welch from Iola went to Iowa ? Why? He didn't feel like UW and PC could compete at the same level plus per his uncle he thought Jimmy L was a bit of a prick.
This is just another level of things holding the program back.
Last week for Bama in his same spot Qua Russaw. Attended George Washington Carver High School. He was a two-time first-team all-state selection in football and also competed in track at Carver. He ran 11.7 in the 100, Russaw was rated No. 9 in the ESPN 300 ranking of prospects in the 2023 college football recruiting class.
How about Ohio State? Caden Curry, Curry finished his HS career with a total of 290 tackles, with 83.5 tackles for a loss and 28 sacks, while helping his school win back-to-back Indiana state championships. His finalists for college were Ohio State, Alabama, and Indiana.
The point is, other power 5 schools are reloading with 30.30 shells, and you're using .22 rounds. I could list example after example.
If you're a Packers fan, Kristen Welch from Iola went to Iowa ? Why? He didn't feel like UW and PC could compete at the same level plus per his uncle he thought Jimmy L was a bit of a prick.
This is just another level of things holding the program back.
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I think NIL and a talent deficiency is a real issue at UW now. But honestly, the mistakes the players were making today shouldn’t happen on a team with good coaching. I had high hopes for Fickell, but he and the coaches he’s brought in just aren’t getting it done - and today really highlighted that for me. This team is poorly coached top to bottom, not just Fickell.
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I take all the points about NIL and the need for major program, philosophical and academic changes being needed to compete in college ball now.
All I want to add is that I know fans are unhappy about the losing, but I think what upsets them the most is that the team that they're watching lose is just alien and unrecognizable to them. WI had an identify for a couple decades, they were never the best of the best but the teams made sense, and they fit. We've talked at the pro level about how guys like Tucker Kraft just fit in GB. It's bigger than a talent or scheme thing, it's a personality fit. When you watch this WI team under Luke Fickell, it's like, what am I looking at here. This could be any crummy team. It's an overall indictment of the program, it's the failure to build a program or culture or identity.
All I want to add is that I know fans are unhappy about the losing, but I think what upsets them the most is that the team that they're watching lose is just alien and unrecognizable to them. WI had an identify for a couple decades, they were never the best of the best but the teams made sense, and they fit. We've talked at the pro level about how guys like Tucker Kraft just fit in GB. It's bigger than a talent or scheme thing, it's a personality fit. When you watch this WI team under Luke Fickell, it's like, what am I looking at here. This could be any crummy team. It's an overall indictment of the program, it's the failure to build a program or culture or identity.
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Also issue Fickell took over a system for 30 years was power run offense. He comes in wants Air Raid. He does not have the guys for that but tries to run it. Does not go well and in two years into recruiting for Air Raid he decides lets go back to running again now you have to recruit a total different style again. Can't keep flip flopping offense when you don't have the players to run either one.
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I have been at all our home games this year, the difference of us vs Middle TN State and us vs Maryland was really evident. We were a step behind almost everywhere.
Danny O'Neil, once they started crashing down on him, was like a deer in the headlights, and he started seeing ghosts. But to be fair, that OL is the worst at UW in a long time. The other thing and not sure if you could see this on TV but the running backs are slow to the hole. They had several openings, and by the time the backs got there, the OL released, so they wouldn't get called for holding.
Defensively, our secondary is awful. They had guys open all over the place. Playing a two-high zone, we got picked apart. The 3rd TD was vs single high, and half the D rotated one way, the other half the opposite. WR wide open.
Talent is a huge piece of this because we are a slower, weaker, less athletic team vs Maryland, and it was glaring. Kegman talks about effort a lot, I am not sure it's a lack of effort as much as they can't get out of their own way.
I think the lack of talent hinders the staff, for instance, you're playing a ton of zone because you can't match teams with man. That stops you from blitzing as much etc.
Offensively, if you can't run and we are the worst rushing team in the Big Ten, then you're just asking the other D to blitz. O'Neil got the shit knocked out of him today and running the zone read 20 times sure wasn't the answer.
I like Mark's Idea if you make a change you bring in a Jeff Monken who gets every drop out of less, play some of that Army style O. Not sexy but everyone has to prepare extra for it. Plus our WI kids fit that style better then anything else out there.
Last the crowd was beyond mad. The longtime ticket holders are plain pissed. I could see this getting ugly. I doubt UW makes a move because of the buyout, but who knows.