Wisconsin Football 2023

[homer]

Just snagged a top TE recruit for 2024:

 

[stoutdude04]

Pretty sure the kid from Waunakee just committed as well.

[areacodes]

1 hour ago, stoutdude04 said:

Pretty sure the kid from Waunakee just committed as well.

Yup.

 

[homer]

Not Photoshop...yes that is NYC

 

[stoutdude04]

3 hours ago, homer said:

Not Photoshop...yes that is NYC

 

They really are going big.  I guess they also got billboards in the hometowns of all the early enrolls too.  This isn't our grandpas Badgers anymore. 

[Brewcrew82]

3 hours ago, homer said:

Not Photoshop...yes that is NYC

 

Let's funnel this into the bball program as well. Pay Wahl to stay for one more year, keep Essegian happy, and purchase a high-level transfer. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 1/31/2023 at 2:38 PM, areacodes said:

Yup.

 

Not that they've never gotten a kid from Waunakee, but it's gratifying to see them break through there. It hasn't been a place they've been able to build the proverbial wall around.

Never seen Booker play, but from descriptions I've heard he sounds like he could be in the Kendricks/Beckum mold. Getting both him & Stec is unusually impressive.

[areacodes]

Howard commits to UW.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Also Jamel Howard, a 320lb D-lineman who committed early then de-committed, re-chose UW today. New DL coach Greg Scruggs & Fickell held off Michigan, among others.

Some of the transfer pickups, which often come with a coaching change, will certainly pay dividends. But this (the HS recruiting) is what'll sustain them over the long haul. And the staff has done this with little time to acclimate to their new gig. You can't help but be impressed.

EDIT: areacodes beats me by a nose!!!!

[CheezWizHed]

I wonder how much the transfer media buzz of players flocking to WI has helped with the HS recruits.  Certainly has to perk up a kids ears to see all sorts of 3 and 4 star recruits suddenly transferring in... 

[Samurai Bucky]

6 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

I wonder how much the transfer media buzz of players flocking to WI has helped with the HS recruits.  Certainly has to perk up a kids ears to see all sorts of 3 and 4 star recruits suddenly transferring in... 

I'm sure it helps, but I think we are seeing what OSU, Oregon, Alabama, etc. have been doing for years.  Wisconsin is finally catching up.

[areacodes]

Interesting…

 

[homer]

2 minutes ago, areacodes said:

Interesting…

 

Wasn't he rumored to be potential offensive coordinator for UW at one point before they hired Longo?

[areacodes]

2 hours ago, homer said:

Wasn't he rumored to be potential offensive coordinator for UW at one point before they hired Longo?

I have to imagine there was at least speculation of that based on his previous role under Fickell at Cincinnati.

Wonder if he feels there is a better chance to get an OC role somewhere coaching QB’s instead of TE/Passing Game Coordinator?

[homer]

Not all that surprising. Probably be a few more coming.

 

[stoutdude04]

I see Fickell tweeted out the Badger signal today...

[Jim French Stepstool]

6 hours ago, homer said:

Not all that surprising. Probably be a few more coming.

 

I thought Davis was slowly starting to turn a corner, but if all are healthy his chances for getting on the field weren't great in '23. I was thinking maybe he'd get some run in the bowl game, but that didn't really happen.

Would not be surprised if he wound up at a MAC-level type program & was productive there.

[MVP2110]

Seems the Badgers missed out on the top in state recruit whose heading to Penn St. The #3 & #6 in state recruits are also currently crystal balled to Penn St who is apparently making some in roads in Wisconsin. I like what Fickell has done so far but this seems to be his first Big miss. So far our current recruiting class only has 1 4 star player and a bunch of 3 stars so it feels very Wisconsin-y to me. Getting those 4 star in state guys would have given this class a big boost

[LouisEly]

2 hours ago, MVP2110 said:

Seems the Badgers missed out on the top in state recruit whose heading to Penn St. The #3 & #6 in state recruits are also currently crystal balled to Penn St who is apparently making some in roads in Wisconsin. I like what Fickell has done so far but this seems to be his first Big miss. So far our current recruiting class only has 1 4 star player and a bunch of 3 stars so it feels very Wisconsin-y to me. Getting those 4 star in state guys would have given this class a big boost

Not a miss at all.  Fickell wasn't real excited about either of them, but didn't pull their offers because he didn't want to piss off the WI HS coaches right out of the gate.  He would have taken Harbour, but they stopped recruiting the running back.  There are other OL much higher on their list.

[MVP2110]

3 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Not a miss at all.  Fickell wasn't real excited about either of them, but didn't pull their offers because he didn't want to piss off the WI HS coaches right out of the gate.  He would have taken Harbour, but they stopped recruiting the running back.  There are other OL much higher on their list.

Missing out on the 4 star olineman who happens to be the #1 rated recruit in Wisconsin isn't a miss? They just took a 3 star olineman ranked 5th in the state. 

[homer]

39 minutes ago, MVP2110 said:

Missing out on the 4 star olineman who happens to be the #1 rated recruit in Wisconsin isn't a miss? They just took a 3 star olineman ranked 5th in the state. 

sometimes they pass on guys for one reason or another. even really good guys. culture fit, grades, attitude.... who knows why

[MVP2110]

18 minutes ago, homer said:

sometimes they pass on guys for one reason or another. even really good guys. culture fit, grades, attitude.... who knows why

I'm supposed to believe they passed on the #1, #3, & #6 guys in the state and are just letting them all go to Penn St? 2 of which are 4 stars?

Also we know they didn't pass on Harbour or Smith because they have offers from Wisconsin

[homer]

10 minutes ago, MVP2110 said:

I'm supposed to believe they passed on the #1, #3, & #6 guys in the state and are just letting them all go to Penn St? 2 of which are 4 stars?

Also we know they didn't pass on Harbour or Smith because they have offers from Wisconsin

yeah they make offers and then back off.  They typically don't rescind the offer. I don't know what the deal is here just stating a possibility.

 

[MVP2110]

11 minutes ago, homer said:

yeah they make offers and then back off.  They typically don't rescind the offer. I don't know what the deal is here just stating a possibility.

 

And that's totally fair as a one off. But when Penn St just got a commitment from the #1 guy in the state and is currently Crystal balled to get the #3 & #6 guys in the state it seems like Penn St specifically has made some in roads in Wisconsin. If this was Chryst we were talking about instead of Fickell people would be super upset.

The thing is I like what Fickell has done so far, but missing out on some of the top in state guys is disappointing. Right now our 2024 class has 1 4 star guy and a bunch of 3 stars, it's actually very Wisconsin-y, adding the in state 4 stars would have given this class a big boost. 

[LouisEly]

7 hours ago, MVP2110 said:

I'm supposed to believe they passed on the #1, #3, & #6 guys in the state and are just letting them all go to Penn St? 2 of which are 4 stars?

Also we know they didn't pass on Harbour or Smith because they have offers from Wisconsin

The offers were extended by the previous regime, not by Fickell, and new coaches can pull existing offers just like kids who commit can decommit if there is a new coach.  I also know people who are very well connected within the program who can confirm that Fickell & co. were not very interested in them and the only reason they didn't pull the offers were for PR reasons.  If Harbour was very interested in coming they would have taken him, but they stopped recruiting the RB.  And Sexton hasn't committed to anyone.

And have you ever known recruiting rankings to be wrong?  I can name a lot of 4-star kids who never panned out.  And 0-star walk-ons who went on to have a long NFL career.