Wisconsin Football 2025

[LouisEly]

16 hours ago, nate82 said:

There really hasn't been many good lineman in the state in the past few years let alone players that want to stay in state and play for the Badgers.  There have been a lot of 1 star and 2 star players in the state.  Do we really want to covet those players just because they are from WI?  This just doesn't make any sense.  

There have been very good linemen recently, but most of them are from Catholic families and went to Catholic schools (Flanigan, Strebig, Schrauth) and when Notre Dame comes calling it's really hard to say no.  Hinzman went to Ohio State, no shame in losing that recruiting battle.  Schrauth and Hinzman started in the national championship game last year, so hard to say that they made bad choices.

Some of the other good linemen didn't grow up in WI and moved to WI in high school (Roy, Harbour) so they didn't have the emotional attachment to UW.  UW was just another school near some place where they lived at some point in their life. 

We know that by 2022 Chryst was basically half-arsing it especially with recruiting.  Chryst left the cupboard bare.  Only one OL in the 2023 class (Durand) and he transferred, and only two OL in the 2022 class (Brunner, Nelson who has been hurt pretty much the whole time).  Three OL in two years.  That's not on Fickell.  Fickell had to bring in five OL in both the 2024 and 2025 classes,  The only one who isn't a true or redshirt FR is Heywood and he's out for the season.  People can say they should have gotten players in the portal (and they did), but I'll say that any good upperclassmen are going to enter the draft and not the portal.  The upperclassmen in the portal are going to be 7th round picks/UDFAs at best.

Four of the five OL in the game yesterday were different than the prior game.  Some guys in new positions (Mahlman, Mandell), some guys starting for the first time (Cubberly, Kodanko).  That was obvious as some guys missed some blocking assignments in the first half, but in the 2nd half they started to figure things out.  MTSU was selling out on the run, and UW made adjustments in the 2nd half.  28 points in the last 25 minutes of the game is something to build off of.

 

[LouisEly]

16 hours ago, nate82 said:

Much better in the 2nd half.

28 points in the last 25 minutes.  That's pretty good.

The positives:

• Backup QB is not a concern
• Should have only given up 3 points, and MTSU had to make some perfect passes on the sideline to get most of their yards
• Mahlman looks adequate at LT, Mandell looked a lot better this week.
• Defenses will not be able to load up on the run nor crash down on where the RB is going
• Discipline - no penalties despite four different OL
• Don't recall any WR drops

Still concerning:

• Backup center/IOL blocking
• Playing a little too much cushion/off the ball, too many times runners got 4-5 yards before being touched

[homer]

19 hours ago, nate82 said:

There really hasn't been many good lineman in the state in the past few years let alone players that want to stay in state and play for the Badgers.  There have been a lot of 1 star and 2 star players in the state.  Do we really want to covet those players just because they are from WI?  This just doesn't make any sense.  

In the 2024 class, Sexton was a 4 star committed to PSU. Roy was a 4 star committed to Minnesota. 2025 class Strebig was a 4 star committed to Notre Dame. They used to clean up on those kinds of guys. 

[nate82]

For the 2024 class you can blame that on PC as the recruiting for that class is usually started two or three years prior.

Strebig wouldn’t have signed with UW regardless.  Like I have said previously PC set this program back by at least 10 years.  He should have been fired earlier.  He really killed the program’s recruiting both in state and out.

[RedStickBrew]

The 27’ class might be a key indicator of in state recruiting as far as O-line goes. There are 4-5 high level recruits that UW wants.

I liked our last two O-line classes from a talent standpoint, even though last year’s class was smaller. 

It’s just difficult with another offensive coordinator switch and injuries this year to be able to draw conclusions yet IMO. 
 

I liked what I saw from our tackles yesterday. Big test coming this week. We shall see

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 9/7/2025 at 9:59 AM, LouisEly said:

28 points in the last 25 minutes.  That's pretty good.

The positives:

• Backup QB is not a concern
• Should have only given up 3 points, and MTSU had to make some perfect passes on the sideline to get most of their yards
• Mahlman looks adequate at LT, Mandell looked a lot better this week.
• Defenses will not be able to load up on the run nor crash down on where the RB is going
• Discipline - no penalties despite four different OL
• Don't recall any WR drops

Still concerning:

• Backup center/IOL blocking
• Playing a little too much cushion/off the ball, too many times runners got 4-5 yards before being touched

Good points, although for the remainder of the season I don't see defenses NEEDING to load up on the run to stop it. I think the RB talent appears adequate but they'll need to be much more than that to generate any kind of a consistent threat behind this line. Obviously need Renfroe healthy, but even then..........

[Jim French Stepstool]

It's good to see the defense get off to a nice start before being challenged more in the weeks to come. They'll have to most of the heavy lifting. I don't know how much of a difference Heywood would've made at tackle, but throwing Heinzen out there in week 1, him looking totally lost & then moving pretty much all the OL chairs around btwn weeks 1 & 2 is very disconcerting. Renfroe has to be out there, needless to say.

WRs have looked good, and a couple of the young TEs have surprised. I'm just not optimistic there will be sufficient time to get them the ball except for the ineffective dink & dunk stuff we saw under Longo, and w/o a run game & facing better LBs, corners & safeties than we've seen the first two weeks it'll be tough to solve.

O'Neil can tuck it & run some, and I believe Edwards is supposed to be able to do that as well. I just don't know how wise it is for that to be happening much.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 9/6/2025 at 3:04 PM, AKCheesehead said:

Good thing you were there and not Eugene.  Ducks fans probably would have thrown who knows what at you, the bunch of animals. 

When I was in Milwaukee for the NCAA games in '14, I walked over to the Oregon fan section before their 1st round game, pointed out to the floor while the team was warming up & exclaimed "Hey, look!!!!! It's the Nike test lab!!!!!"

Then left, quickly.

[yourout]

This is going to get ugly in a hurry.

[yourout]

Unless they get a garbage time score buckys not going to dent the scoreboard today

[nate82]

That was a BS roughing the passer call.

[nate82]

Two late hits on the QB and no penalty.  The refs look to be on a take for Alabama.

[nate82]

The refs on the take and stupid penalties.  Yeah this one is over.

[homer]

I think this is Fickell's last year at the helm. That Leonhard bridge burned beyond repair?

[yourout]

2 minutes ago, homer said:

I think this is Fickell's last year at the helm. That Leonhard bridge burned beyond repair?

Only if Mac goes with him

[nate82]

Just now, homer said:

I think this is Fickell's last year at the helm. That Leonhard bridge burned beyond repair?

This is not Fickell’s last year.  There is a reason no other team offered Leonhard a HC position.  He is not a HC and would be a terrible HC in college.  Recruiting wise if this was the 90’s sure he would be fine but now no.  He is a relic of the past recruiting wise.  If you want the team to be Northwestern sure go with someone like Leonhard.

[yourout]

9 minutes ago, nate82 said:

This is not Fickell’s last year.  There is a reason no other team offered Leonhard a HC position.  He is not a HC and would be a terrible HC in college.  Recruiting wise if this was the 90’s sure he would be fine but now no.  He is a relic of the past recruiting wise.  If you want the team to be Northwestern sure go with someone like Leonhard.

If they don't win another game this year I think Fickel is toast and Mac probably goes with him.

And with the schedule it's a real possibility

[homer]

11 minutes ago, nate82 said:

This is not Fickell’s last year.  There is a reason no other team offered Leonhard a HC position.  He is not a HC and would be a terrible HC in college.  Recruiting wise if this was the 90’s sure he would be fine but now no.  He is a relic of the past recruiting wise.  If you want the team to be Northwestern sure go with someone like Leonhard.

 

We ARE Northwestern...or a notch above at best 

[yourout]

4 minutes ago, homer said:

 

We ARE Northwestern...or a notch above at best 

The speculation that Leonard would be worse I find irritating. I don't see how he could have been any worse simply because he wouldn't have spent 2 years trying to turn us into something we're not and would likely have been a better defensive overseer as a head coach. 

[homer]

Recruiting aside  they simply don't look very well coached. I hope they win out and make me eat my words but there hasn't been much to give me hope. And I was a big fan of the Fickell hire.

[JosephC]

There will be a lot of disappointed people in Madison after this game.  Everyone knew the season would start 2-1, and this had a 95% chance of being a loss, and maybe something like a 60% chance of being a bad loss.  But after the second game, there was a lot of optimism that this defense was going to be better than expected and the first sign that Fickell could be a success at Wisconsin.

Alabama QB currently at 14/15 for 267 yard and 3 touchdowns, complete shred job. 

[nate82]

2 minutes ago, homer said:

 

We ARE Northwestern...or a notch above at best 

Yeah no the Badgers are not Northwestern right now they are better than them and by a lot.  If the Badgers go back to someone like Leonhard they should just get out of the Big Ten and go to conference USA or something like that.  The recruiting would return to PC levels of well we tried to get a 3-star recruit but we couldn't get them.  We also tried for a 4-star recruit but we gave up after saying hi to them.

The HC that the Badgers should have kept was Bielema but the Wisconsin wasn't willing to pay the assistants enough.  Which is the reason the Badgers have lost some good assistants.  

5 minutes ago, yourout said:

The speculation that Leonard would be worse I find irritating. I don't see how he could have been any worse simply because he wouldn't have spent 2 years trying to turn us into something we're not and would likely have been a better defensive overseer as a head coach. 

So why wasn't Leonhard offered a HC position?  The answer is obvious he didn't want to do the recruiting similar to PC.  The changing of the offense wasn't good but the recruiting has been far better under Fickell than it ever was under PC.  Again losing Bielema who was and is still able to recruit in the current environment.  

You have to be able to recruit to be successful in college football.  Leonhard wasn't going to do that.  You can't win by getting in state 1-3 star players.  I don't see how Leonhard would be any better than Fickell.  Defensively maybe but offensively it would be the same boring run ball down the middle of the line play after play after play.  There had to be a change and Leonhard wasn't going to change.  They needed to go back to the Bielema offense where they actually did more than run straight down the middle.  You see it at Illinois now with Bielema they do more than what Leonhard would have been comfortable with.  

I hate this stupid it is Wisconsin football you have to run the ball and that is all you can do.  It is just stupid.

[nate82]

3 minutes ago, JosephC said:

There will be a lot of disappointed people in Madison after this game.  Everyone knew the season would start 2-1, and this had a 95% chance of being a loss, and maybe something like a 60% chance of being a bad loss.  But after the second game, there was a lot of optimism that this defense was going to be better than expected and the first sign that Fickell could be a success at Wisconsin.

Alabama QB currently at 14/15 for 267 yard and 3 touchdowns, complete shred job. 

No pass rush from the dline.  The only time they have been able to provide some pressure is on blitz's.  

[homer]

7 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Yeah no the Badgers are not Northwestern right now they are better than them and by a lot.  

[yourout]

9 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Yeah no the Badgers are not Northwestern right now they are better than them and by a lot.  If the Badgers go back to someone like Leonhard they should just get out of the Big Ten and go to conference USA or something like that.  The recruiting would return to PC levels of well we tried to get a 3-star recruit but we couldn't get them.  We also tried for a 4-star recruit but we gave up after saying hi to them.

The HC that the Badgers should have kept was Bielema but the Wisconsin wasn't willing to pay the assistants enough.  Which is the reason the Badgers have lost some good assistants.  

So why wasn't Leonhard offered a HC position?  The answer is obvious he didn't want to do the recruiting similar to PC.  The changing of the offense wasn't good but the recruiting has been far better under Fickell than it ever was under PC.  Again losing Bielema who was and is still able to recruit in the current environment.  

You have to be able to recruit to be successful in college football.  Leonhard wasn't going to do that.  You can't win by getting in state 1-3 star players.  I don't see how Leonhard would be any better than Fickell.  Defensively maybe but offensively it would be the same boring run ball down the middle of the line play after play after play.  There had to be a change and Leonhard wasn't going to change.  They needed to go back to the Bielema offense where they actually did more than run straight down the middle.  You see it at Illinois now with Bielema they do more than what Leonhard would have been comfortable with.  

I hate this stupid it is Wisconsin football you have to run the ball and that is all you can do.  It is just stupid.

How do you know Leonard wouldn't have recruited? 

How do you know he wouldn't have had a significantly different way of doing things if he was the HC? 

He's a very smart cat and I doubt he would have trotted out the rah rah high school head coach logos on his Blazer

I simply don't see how he could be worse than what we've gotten the last three seasons. 

Maybe he didn't want any other head coaching position.