Wisconsin Football 2025

[yourout]

18 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

They might have seen their own receivers open if they hadn't chosen to wear all white unis on a day when it was snowing.

Wouldn't red pants have been a better option in the snow?

Gee you would think that falls on the coaching staff.

[JosephC]

Offensive points per game during the Don Morton era-

1987 = 0, 10, 14, 24, 14, 26, 19, 9 = 14.5 points per game

1988 = 14, 6, 6, 14, 6, 12, 14, 0 = 9 points per game

1989 = 0, 24, 35, 9, 22, 17, 22, 3 =  16.5 points per game

So I do stand corrected, 1988 was equally as bad as 2025.  9 points per game.

There are 134 Division 1 teams (stats include all games, not just conference games)-

Scoring offense = 133. Wisconsin = 13.4 points per game (only UMass was worse, 11.1 points per game)

Total offense (yards per game) = 133, Wisconsin = 251.7 (only UMass was worse, 247.5 yards per game)

Team Passing Efficiency = 130. Wisconsin = 108.82

Rushing Offense (yards per game) = 113, Wisconsin = 119.5

"Down to fourth quarterback" stuff is getting old.  The Badgers have gotten stuck with bad quarterbacking a lot in the past, and have still been able to have a functional offense by running the ball.

Badgers leading rusher in 2025 = Darrion Dupree = 363 yards

That's right, team's leading rusher had 363 yards.

But guys were injured.....

Add up Dupree, Jones and Ituka rushing yards and all three of them had a combined 918 yards.

The teams leading receiver in terms of yardage was Lance Mason, 398 yards.  Pitiful.

Back to the "4th QB" stuff.  Edwards had a grade 3 PCL strain and was KO'ed.  When he committed to the Badgers, most of the football fans in Madison went running for the toilet.  O'Neil got KO'ed in the Washington game, but had been relegated to a very limited role in the previous four games due to a coaches decision and had become a non-factor.  Hunter Simmons simply is not Big 10 material, not even backup Big 10 material.  The fact that they sat Smith for the first 8 games to preserve the redshirt, and then pull him in a meaningless last game of the season where he could get more game experience to go back to Hunter Simmons is just mind-boggling.

But that is Luke Fickell.  After a terrible year last year, a year that I posted was likely the program's worst year in the last 35 years (and got no arguments), Fickell's big off-season fix was to fire the offensive coordinator and the result was an even worse offense, and offense so bad that we have to, once again, go back over 30 years to try to find a comparable.  It will be interesting to see what assistants get fired next week, but at this point, who has any confidence that Fickell can hire the right guys to fix this program?

[Underachiever]

I’m a season ticket holder that won’t be renewing. To add to the “4th QB” talk, it wasn’t like any of the first three did any better. Going back to the first year, I don’t think any of the qbs were good. Mordecai, maybe, but there wasn’t any indication that they had a guy who was a difference maker.

Just an awful chapter in Wisconsin football. It’s real easy to walk away. The tickets I’m giving up have been in the family since 1971. No one in the family wants them. and it’s $3k I don’t need to spend. 

[LouisEly]

3 hours ago, JosephC said:

Fickell's big off-season fix was to fire the offensive coordinator and the result was an even worse offense, and offense so bad that we have to, once again, go back over 30 years to try to find a comparable. 

I don't think that this is the year to use as a measuring stick for the program.  They beat as many ranked teams this year as they did in the 1998 and 2010 Rose Bowl years and more ranked teams than the 2012 Rose Bowl year.  They beat more ranked teams this year than in 2020-2022 combined (1-7 in those years, if you're counting), much less 2018 (0-2), 2015 (0-2), 2013 (1-2).  In the last 15 years they have beaten more ranked teams in the regular season only three times - 2011 (Russell Wilson - 3), 2016 (3), and 2019 (3).  Every other year was the same or less.

According to ESPN's Football Power Index, they have had the toughest schedule in the country this year:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/view/resume/sort/resume.avgsosrank/dir/asc

As for QB, I don't know how someone can say that they haven't had a good QB when their projected starter for this season threw a total of 16 passes.  And the reason Smith didn't play until late in the season is because he wasn't ready.  There are only so many snaps to go around in practice and they aren't going to go to a true freshman who isn't ready.  That they had to go out and get a starter every year speaks to what they were left with, and what they were able to get speaks to the current state of NIL and having boosters who can/will pony up seven figures, not who you can recruit.

I forgot that the previous regime left them with such great QBs as Myles Burkett and Cole Lacrue.  I'm sure they would have done a lot better.

[SDBrew fan]

It looks to me like Smith played in five games this year so he can not redshirt this year.  I think you are allowed to play in four games to redshirt.  But I'm not sure. 

[JosephC]

Reports are that Michigan State is firing head coach Jonathan Smith.  Smith finished with a 4-8 record this year (1-8 in Big 10).  His buyout is 33 million.

[JosephC]

13 minutes ago, SDBrew fan said:

It looks to me like Smith played in five games this year so he can not redshirt this year.  I think you are allowed to play in four games to redshirt.  But I'm not sure. 

Badger website has Smith at 4 games played.  I also checked the bio and it indicates his debut was against Washington, which was game #9 of the season.

 

[yourout]

As much as I despite the little prick if switch the head coaches yesterday you probably switch the result. 

PJ at least understands his teams strengths and game plans accordingly.

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, LouisEly said:

I don't think that this is the year to use as a measuring stick for the program.  They beat as many ranked teams this year as they did in the 1998 and 2010 Rose Bowl years and more ranked teams than the 2012 Rose Bowl year.  They beat more ranked teams this year than in 2020-2022 combined (1-7 in those years, if you're counting), much less 2018 (0-2), 2015 (0-2), 2013 (1-2).  In the last 15 years they have beaten more ranked teams in the regular season only three times - 2011 (Russell Wilson - 3), 2016 (3), and 2019 (3).  Every other year was the same or less.

 

Tough schedule, yes. But come on, your statement about beating two ranked teams is the most technically true and least relevant statement you could have made. The 2010 team beat #1 OSU and went to Kinnick and beat #15 Iowa. That team would have probably beaten more ranked teams had the situation presented itself. I'm guessing they could have handled the two ranked teams the Badgers defeated as well. I don't consider beating now unranked Illinois and Washington to be the same thing. 

Balance that against being the only B10 team to lose to Maryland this year. And I hear Maryland lost their starting quarterback from last year to the portal!

[homer]

- I still maintain the big factor in the offensive ineptitude was hiring Longo, and once that blew up, they were forced to start over. Had to change recruiting and the experienced guys had to learn a new system. This is like year one of the offense, ostensibly. 

- The defense has gotten a lot better.

- I don't think Fickell is a very good in-game coach. 

- 4th string QBs are 4th string for a reason. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, homer said:

- I still maintain the big factor in the offensive ineptitude was hiring Long, and once that blew up, they were forced to start over. Had to change recruiting and the experienced guys had to learn a new system. This is like year one of the offense, ostensibly. 

- The defense has gotten a lot better.

- I don't think Fickell is a very good in-game coach. 

- 4th string QBs are 4th string for a reason. 

The first point you make is an especially good one. From what I saw the OL improved once the offense settled into a vastly different way of doing things---world beaters, no. But more comfortable in an offense that had a little more of a 'traditional' look to it. It certainly would've helped to not take over two months to decide Heinzen was an interior guy & not a LT. Seriously bad decision coming out of camp.

Agree with the other points as well. As for Carter Smith, it wouldn't surprise me if a couple years from now people will be railing about the QBs who played ahead of him in 2025. Those people would be wrong. Talented enough to furnish hope for the future, but nowhere near ready right now.

[nate82]

29 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Talented enough to furnish hope for the future, but nowhere near ready right now.

A freshman QB is not going to be ready even Manning in Texas sat his first year.  You can't expect a freshman to start and be successful at QB.  

[Jim French Stepstool]

14 minutes ago, nate82 said:

 You can't expect a freshman to start and be successful at QB.  

Correct. AFA I know no one was expecting that. Circumstances put him in a very unenviable position.

[JosephC]

Badgers get a pretty nice flip in Tennnessee WR-Keeyshawn Tabuteau who was a Vanderbilt commit.  Smaller guy (5-11, 165) that doesn't carry the huge rating (#62 WR per 247), but looks like a speedy guy with playmaking ability.  Exactly what this offense needs.

A couple days ago Iowa Central CC LB-Taylor Schaefer also committed to Wisconsin.  Previous staffs did not go after these players very often, but if my memory serves me correct, they did a great job selecting these guys because most of them ended up being solid players for the Badgers.  Andrew Van Ginkel was one, and if you want to go back about 15 years, defensive tackle Dan Moore was another.

No word on Kentucky LB-Karsten Busch, and I'm a bit surprised because I thought he would be an official commit either yesterday or today.  Also no word on CB-Azel Banag.  

[JosephC]

Badger lose tight end commit Jack Janda.  He flipped to Iowa where he will play the defensive line.  Never a good thing to lose a committed recruit to Iowa.

[CheezWizHed]

18 hours ago, JosephC said:

Badger lose tight end commit Jack Janda.  He flipped to Iowa where he will play the defensive line.  Never a good thing to lose a committed recruit to Iowa.

That seems like quite a position change too. I realize the HS players are generally a bit fungible in their positions, but I wonder if he swapped because of the position change (i.e. we pushed him one way and he decided otherwise)?

[nate82]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

That seems like quite a position change too. I realize the HS players are generally a bit fungible in their positions, but I wonder if he swapped because of the position change (i.e. we pushed him one way and he decided otherwise)?

I think this is the right answer and he preferred to play as DE instead of at TE.  UW has a need at TE and not so much at edge where I am assuming he would play in Iowa.  It hurts to lose Janda but I think this is a reasonable loss if it is a position that he wants to play.  

[yfinn6]

19 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I think this is the right answer and he preferred to play as DE instead of at TE.  UW has a need at TE and not so much at edge where I am assuming he would play in Iowa.  It hurts to lose Janda but I think this is a reasonable loss if it is a position that he wants to play.  

I have a hard time believe UW wouldn't have a need for him at DE. You take the talented kids and find spots for them. I don't think UW is in a position they can only put a talented kid in one position. 

[nate82]

1 minute ago, yfinn6 said:

I have a hard time believe UW wouldn't have a need for him at DE. You take the talented kids and find spots for them. I don't think UW is in a position they can only put a talented kid in one position. 

They also may not have seen him as a DE and saw him as a TE while Iowa sees him as DE and not a TE.

[JosephC]

Janda really improved as a defensive player this year, and it sounds like Wisconsin were open to having him play defense.  He flipped because of "stability" and liked the developmental program that Iowa has in place.

https://247sports.com/article/iowa-flips-wisconsin-dl-commit-jack-janda-264472541/

LB-Karsten Busch ended up going to Miami and CB-Azel Banag went to Oregon.  There is nothing else on the radar in terms of high schoolers.

Signing day today, and all of the Badgers high schoolers have signed with the exception of Amari Latimer.

[yfinn6]

Latimer is going to WVU. 

[nate82]

40 minutes ago, yfinn6 said:

Latimer is going to WVU. 

There is no credible source stating this only a post on Reddit with no link.

[yfinn6]

18 minutes ago, nate82 said:

There is no credible source stating this only a post on Reddit with no link.

Not Reddit

[nate82]

I wonder how much he got paid for that flip.

[yfinn6]

Probably about tree-fiddy.