2025 Badger Football Thread

[Mark87]

The Latimer flip is weird and suggests he was just playing teams for the biggest pile of cash - which is OK. He goes from a 4-8 Wisconsin to a 4-8 West Virginia which tells me he was looking for a payday. WVU must have come up with a pile of cash because they flipped some other kids besides Latimer. They signed 45 kids at WVU today.

Wisconsin's class of 13 kids has some quality but overall this recruiting class is just piss poor at filling needs. If Fick doesn't pull some major kids in the portal, Mac needs to start the process of moving on from him during/after the '26 season, and maybe should start cleaning out his own desk.

No, sir, that is where you are wrong, and I have preached this until I am blue in the face. It's a culture issue; getting GA kids to go to Madison, WI, is tough... really tough. That's before you had Fickell the Pickle and his BS. Latt was never a firm UW commit.... Badgers tried to couch it that way. He was on the fence for months about this.

I know a coach at Sandy Springs, so 100% not about the $... it was about the fit, and they blew it.

 

[GBP4EVER]

I get it. Other teams, have Millionaire / Billionaire owners who care about their alma mater's football team.

We don't. It would be nice, but we don't.

I don't hate anything or anybody. It would be nice if we had a Millionaire / Billionaire who gave their money to Wisconsin Football, but we don't. And, I'm not going to get down on them for spending their money the way they want.

We're going to have to find another way. We're going to have to get the 3 stars again and develop them into mean nasty guys that go in and beat them other guys. And, then we're going to have to find a way to keep them - much harder than finding and developing because I'm not going to tell a kid to forego more money to play somewhere else. We're going to have to be lean and mean and develop an us against the World all for one culture. It still might not do it because sometimes talent is just too much to overcome. But, it's all we have and all we're going to have.

Issue is you can get those 3 star kids but if you find a way to coach them up they will say hey I developed into a starting quality player so time to pay up or I am out of here. No longer the Barry days were he went after those 2-3 star kids had them sit for 2-3 years developing before they got to play. Kids now if the don't get the change to play right away they leave or if they have to sit and develop will want that money if they do get to play.

WI is kind of like the Milwaukee Brewers. They won't be able to spend in FA and have to bargin shop and hope they players they get hit a HR that year as if they do they will just have to do it again every following year. This will be the Badgers having to try to find those kids in the portal that don't have much interest and coach they up to get the most out of them. The issue is I don't think the Wisconsin coaching staff is good enough to do this.

 

[Keg Man]

Issue is you can get those 3 star kids but if you find a way to coach them up they will say hey I developed into a starting quality player so time to pay up or I am out of here. No longer the Barry days were he went after those 2-3 star kids had them sit for 2-3 years developing before they got to play. Kids now if the don't get the change to play right away they leave or if they have to sit and develop will want that money if they do get to play.

WI is kind of like the Milwaukee Brewers. They won't be able to spend in FA and have to bargin shop and hope they players they get hit a HR that year as if they do they will just have to do it again every following year. This will be the Badgers having to try to find those kids in the portal that don't have much interest and coach they up to get the most out of them. The issue is I don't think the Wisconsin coaching staff is good enough to do this.

It probably is a similar situation.

It's not going to be easy.

But, it could happen. The only way Wisconsin turns this around is to get the hungry 3 stars that were overlooked, not wanted, or just not found with a chip on their shoulder and a dream to play hungry, inspired, smart mentally and physically tough football. There are players out there.

Remember some guy called Rodgers?

It's going to be tough. Our scouting and recruiting are going to have to be great - statistics, metrics, and eye tests.

Regarding coaches, I don't know. But this year they were coaching 'Wisconsin' 3rd - 5th stringers for a different system. I'm holding out hope they fix the offensive line which will fix a lot.

Culture. Some - many say it's bad. A few say it isn't. I don't know. On TV, the kids appeared to play as hard as they possibly could when most would have quit. I think there's hope

 

[Keg Man]

And, I acknowledge.

Wisconsin isn't everyone's fit.

We need to find the ones that want to be in Wisconsin. We're not going to get everyone.

 

[Budman]

I understand the anger about the current college sports situation - It's happening in other sports as well, but just isn't as visible. I believe Women's Volleyball is pretty crazy as well - not the same money, but more than they're ever going to see after college.

However, this was always going on. Now, it's out in the open. I honestly think it's better.

Do you really think them Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Clemson, Notre Dame, and others weren't finding ways to pay players? How did those players with nothing have that bling, the best headphones, other cool stuff.

It might have been less because it was more secretive. But, it was there.

Somebody said College Football is the Wild West. Remember the Wild West was brought to heel. It will work out.

Now, Wisconsin just needs to get smart, learn the rules, learn the subtleties, and implement a strategy that's good for Wisconsin. That's really all this is.

No more being the test case like against the Miami kid. Figure out how to make Wisconsin work and sell those damn Cheese Curds, Brats, and to the old enough transfers beer. Forward!

Keg, not to this extent now that its out in the open. They may have had one donor going after a Marcus Dupree for a car or cash but it's way over that now. Now that it's open, the haves will have and the have nots will not. Biggest payroll wins. Just watch

 

[Budman]

And, I acknowledge.

Wisconsin isn't everyone's fit.

We need to find the ones that want to be in Wisconsin. We're not going to get everyone.

That's what I meant when I said some programs will find conferences where they can go and compete for the love of the game and not the big payroll. If a team is not getting money rolling in for NIL, they will be a bottom feeder. How did Indiana do it? It wasn't because they were being all secretive and then all of a sudden , now that it's open season for NIL, did that make the difference. They had money roll in to pay the players.

 

[57packer]

No, sir, that is where you are wrong, and I have preached this until I am blue in the face. It's a culture issue; getting GA kids to go to Madison, WI, is tough... really tough. Latt was never a firm UW commit.... Badgers tried to couch it that way. He was on the fence for months about this.

I completely understand the difficulty of getting GA kids, and southeastern kids in general, to Wisconsin but it's not impossible - as shown by the commitment from the RB from GA (Wiggins) who did sign with UW yesterday.

Latimer may never have been a firm commit but his dad said "Amari Latimer is committed to Wisconsin" after Amari's late Oct visit to tOSU. Heck Amari and family showed up for the Illinois game a couple of weeks ago and participated in rushing the field. Those aren't "soft/cooling" signs to me, especially when they happen that late. You have inside info so are likely correct about him, but the way this all went down in recent weeks, an outsider like me can easily come to a different conclusion.

I was also considering that it might be that Amari was disappointed with how his brother was utilized at UW, especially late. I suspect Geimere could end up at WVU as well.

 

[Mark87]

UW WR Kyan Berry Johnson Has entered the transfer portal

 

[Keg Man]

UW WR Kyan Berry Johnson Has entered the transfer portal

I'm sorry he's leaving. I wish him well.

But, he doesn't even have a 2025 stat. Of course, he's leaving.

I'm not trying to be an ass. But, it's not all gloom and doom. It sucks to lose a player, but ESPN only shows him playing in 1 game against Oregon in 2024 with no stats and not playing in any games in 2025. If you can't get on the field with the 2025 Badgers...

He never turned Bucky's needle, and I doubt he ever would.

 

[Mark87]

UW DB Remington Moss has entered the transfer portal.
https://x.com/whosremy_