Jim French Stepstool

I looked over UC's commits, & IMO the most talent there is among the CB-S types and a couple of the TEs. It's understandable everyone would focus on the QB on the list. I've seen him listed as a 3 star as well as a four. Other than that I got nuthin'. It's certainly possible a 1st-year guy could come in and start immediately, but personally I wouldn't count on it. There's also a lot of speculation about portal help. Sure, some guys will leave & others will join, that's the monster the NCAA has created. It happens everywhere. Fickell just doesn't strike me as the type who is going to heavily lean on that as a building block.

Just watched the presser. Two of the highlights for me were this line he gave when he met with the players; "Change is inevitable; but success is optional." At this time I thought that was a great message to send. The other was his mention that he was going to be immediately involved in bowl prep, even to the point of doing a touch of on-field coaching in practice. Didn't expect to hear that.

I thought I read somewhere that Cincy named an assistant to coach them in their bowl, so that means Fickell won't be there. A handful of years ago, there was a school (don't remember who) whose coach left before their bowl, they hired someone from outside the program & he was at their bowl game, not actually coaching but near the sidelines observing. I'd love to see Fickell do that. As to who coaches the team that day--I can't imagine it would be Leonhard but It's not out of the question. Maybe Bobby April?

I think a large part of Alvarez staying at UW was a desire to get into the administrative end of things, and he appeared very close to Pat Richter who was getting ready to pull the pin. Don't know if anyone remembers Bob Schnelker. He was an OC for many teams in the NFL, Including Green Bay. Had a rep as a terrific offensive mind. Never once was a head coach, don't know if he even applied anywhere. I think that was Chryst. He probably never realized it, but the man would've been much happier as a career assistant. So I think your point regarding him is valid. But my gut tells me Leonhard isn't cut from that cloth. Is it the recruiting, or the development? Or both? Some of their best classes were guys who played "above" their recruiting stars. Flip side, everyone wanted Graham Mertz, and we got him. If he, or Guerendo, or Tyler Beach underachieve did we recruit well, but underdevelop? Either way, a new staff of assistants will be refreshing to me (although Bostad being retained would be just fine IMO) I would love for Leonhard to stay. I would be absolutely shocked if he did.

Shades of the John Madden/Bill Parcells rumors from the 80s-90s except A) the coaches visited, not the wives and B) this actually happened?. My understanding of his initial lack of interest was from back in October. But if she visited a few weeks ago, yeah, that's interesting. Macintosh did a good job of keeping a lot of this under the radar.

My understanding is that Fickell was contacted quite a while ago & showed little to no interest, supposedly because he believed what most of us believed--that the job was Leonhard's and UW contacting him was merely part of the facade of making it look like a search. This proves one thing: right or wrong, this is some kinda cojones from Mac. The importance ($$$) of football at a power 5 school, at this relatively early stage of his regime to can a FB coach IN SEASON, then in the eyes of most go against the grain with the new hire, I don't think he'll need to attend any self-confidence seminars anytime soon.

Wohler would be awesome in that role.

If Mac is good with this decision I trust him. Fickell certainly has the resume. But Leonhard certainly was much more than a local guy who was around awhile. His rep in football circles is sparkling, as are (I believe) his connections. Yeah, the lack of HC chops would've been a concern. I just felt it was worth it, that he'd grow into the job & experience success, and once that happens he's pretty much Bo Ryan or Tommy Lasorda, he ain't going anywhere. Best of luck to Jimmy wherever he lands.

Very surprised at this. I'm a Leonhard guy, I thought he would be a terrific hire. Of course that doesn't mean Fickell can't be the same thing, he certainly is proven. I would heavily tap the breaks on the idea of a whole bunch of guys leaving & next years' team being BOTH transfer-laden & successful. This program was always built on judicious recruiting & player development, and I don't see that changing. I'm not saying we won't take guys from the portal, we've done that under Chryst. I just don't see us building the backbone of next years' team on people from elsewhere like we're the 2021-2022 Padres or something. Also, 18-22 year-olds are impressionable. No doubt you'll see some leaving the program. But I've seen plenty of instances where kids are thinking of leaving, meet the new coach, and like what they hear.

Fickel can obviously coach. But it's a hell-and-gone difference in admissions/academic standards btwn UW & Cincy. I'd have given it to JL, but let's just let it unfold. Hold on tight.

It might've (if Fickell is the guy), but it shouldn't. But I will say, if they had won it would be that much tougher to move away from Leonhard if that's what Mac wants to do.

The first sentence is spot-on. Whether it was a run blitz or pressuring the QB, Njongmeta spent an awful lot of time at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. The slants for the final Minn TD killed them. In their defense Kalikimaka McManus (or whatever his name is) threw the ball better than they expected, probably better than they SHOULD have expected. I think the ability to run successfully between the tackles is what made the jet sweep so deadly years ago. Not so this season. Could they at least have dialed it up here & there? Sure. I seem to remember a few times they tried the TE screen over the course of the season & it just looked really ugly so they canned it. It just seems they really kept it simple this year for the O-line, which is understandable given the mistakes. Beating the dead horse again, but Bostad never should have left this group. I suspect the OC will be someone not named Engram next year.

If what they say about LaCrue is accurate he can do some damage with his feet. We'll see. Mertz' inconsistencies are obvious, and he needs a consistent group around him to help hide that. But a team that runs the ball intermittently well, lost its' TE, is average--not bad, but average--at WR and has a Jeckyl & Hyde OL isn't a good match for him. I wonder sometimes if Sorgi, Tolzien or Stave, who had similar skill sets, would've fared any better with this group.

Pretty much agree with this. What people need to remember is the capacity to improve (hopefully) with development. If the room to get better is there, three of the line regulars are sophomores, including your LT. Another is a redshirt freshman who recently came back to action. If all of them have reached their ceiling you're right; average line. But I know of no coach who feels that way about guys with two or three years left to play. And competition works. Joe Brunner, JP Benzschawel & Nolan Rucci are taking a redshirt. If they can't push the people now ahead of them then a lot of coaches were wrong about them when they were being wooed. And you're right about Allen. He runs with abandon when healthy. If he doesn't get much of a seam he'll take a beating.

You almost always see someone who hadn't played a lot emerge in a bowl game because of the extra practices, I wouldn't be surprised if they put together a package for him. I believe there's some similarity btwn him & Cole Lacrue.

The defense made plays, but looking at the entire game I think this was their worst performance since Leonhard took over. They bottled Ibrahim up pretty well but it looked obvious he wasn't 100%. Giving up a first down on a 3rd-and-twelve run in the second quarter, that cost them 3pts & a possession at the end of the half. Goetz with the roughing call on 3rd & 10, 3 more points & a possession. and the last TD given up was two incredibly easy pitch & catch slants. Njongmeta was a warrior on the run all day but he or Turner--somebody--needs to be a presence in the middle of the field there.

That's true; I think it was the ND game where he hurt it last year. If it's an issue Rucci & Cole Dakovich would be next up. Maybe Jaylyn Franklin takes another year but pretty sure he's limited as a blocker.

Starting the day after the bowl, that becomes the most important part of the off-season. I only see two spots I'm confident will remain.

I imagine the huddles in the last minute were really painful. Wolf being thrust out there didn't help, and in case no one else noticed Brady Schipper was the tailback, so I assume neither Guerendo nor Mellusi were available. Then Eschenbach, who people need to remember was slated to be their 3rd TE. It was ugly, but maybe it would've been just short of a miracle if it wasn't.

Someone mentioned finding a TE in the portal. Cundiff is more than good enough. He got hurt. Cam Large is an intriguing prospect. He also got hurt. Most of the game-minutes return on the O-line, plus some younger guys who have barely or never seen the field yet. They likely won't say no to an experienced lineman who wants to transfer, but I think anyone looking for them to completely overhaul rather than develop is going to be disappointed. Give Bostad December & next spring with this group.

With the state of college athletics nowadays, when a kid decides to accept an offer from school XYZ they need to come up with a different word to describe it. "Commitment" just doesn't seem to fit anymore.

Had they gotten by Kansas, the final vs Tennessee would've been really something. The way the Vols defend, the energy combined with the length, would've given UW fits. But Tennessee can be sloppy in the half court, and I think we could've frustrated them into mistakes & bad shots. Take care of the ball & keep them out of transition & it might've been another 42-41 game. Then the geniuses on the ESPN payroll could talk about how ugly of a game it was, exposing their 10-second attention spans.

Brad, when you consider all the tangibles & intangibles, was easily a sum positive in his Badger career. He also, on many occasions, was guilty of flopping. He'll always be someone you love to hate if you aren't a UW fan. After watching him perform for the last nine years (or so it seems?) my initial thoughts will always be the heart, the times he played hurt or out of position (sometimes both), and the leadership. Never met him, but from what I've heard from people who should know & whose opinion I value he was a polite, engaging kid off the court. Not to mention he was an actual student-athlete. Sadly, you can't always say that today. He was often officiated with a microscope, but if one wants to say it was his own fault that's fair.

Happy, really happy for Hepburn. He needed a solid game, and that was solid +. Thoughts six games in........ It would really help this offense if you could pin Crowl down in the post after one or 2 ball reversals & get some effectiveness. It appears he "is what he is". He appears stronger, but some guys--even 7 footers--just aren't comfortable around the cup on a consistent basis. The good news is, he's very effective passing from the high & mid-post. Hopefully the board work gets a little better, and he gets back to a comfort level shooting from the top of the key cuz it ain't there right now. Jordan Davis has had a few games this year where he's been largely "quiet" on the offensive end, yet you look up & he has 8-12 points. A putback or 2, maybe he hits a three, maybe gets to the line a bit. Defends & rebounds, doesn't do anything dumb in the half court. THAT'S when he's most effective IMO. He got back to that vs 'SC. Some want Essegian to start in his place. I'd be OK with that, but if he continues to get substantial minutes I'm fine with him coming off the bench. I get the frustration with Gilmore. But when you watch off the ball on both ends of the floor, it's easy to understand why Gard feels a comfort level with him. I'd love for Ilver, and Hodges for that matter, to learn enough to earn more time. Hasn't happened yet. It appeared we MIGHT'VE started to run out of gas a bit defensively in the second half VS USC, but then got a second wind in the final minutes when stops were critical. That was one impressive three-day stretch guarding people. The color analyst today, when the USC PG was called for a flop early in the game, didn't like the call because "He might've just been trying to avoid injury". That's the kind of nonsensical mind-reading we've reached when you needlessly add pages to the rule book. In all sports. Call a charge, or call a foul on the defender. Period. If it's neither, just play on.

Off the top of my head it reminds me a little of the return they got from ATL for Arcia. But I'll defer to those who are a lot more knowledgeable of other teams' farm systems than I. It opens up a portal for Joey Wiemer to climb through if he's ready to do so.