MADISON, Wisconsin. Despite a 7-6 Wisconsin finish and a third straight season without a Big Ten Game, optimism for the program this offseason is as high as it has been in previous years. It’s not just that the Badgers have hired a new head coach. The thing is, in two months, Luke Fickell has changed what people think is possible in Wisconsin, given the assistant coaches he hired and the influx of talent from the transfer portal.
As players return to campus this week and begin their off-season training, many intriguing storylines and questions emerge. Here are 10 that will help define Wisconsin next year.
What does the Longo attack look like?
No assistant coach in Wisconsin generated more excitement than Phil Longo and what he could do to improve the offense. Longo made it clear that he would continue to emphasize the Badgers’ runaway play, remarking, “I’d be an idiot if I didn’t rule the football here when we have the backfield and offensive line.” But the reason he’s sparked so much intrigue is because of his success at previous passing offense stops.
Wisconsin’s use of defender pieces will fade away and more 11-man formations are expected – one tight end, one running guard, and three receivers. North Carolina’s Longo’s team used 11 people, ranking third in the nation last season with 86 percent, according to TruMedia. This means wide receivers should have more room to play. The Tar Heels averaged 32.6 assists per game during Longo’s four seasons. Wisconsin threw the ball 25.1 times per game in the same stretch.
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What does Tressell protection look like?
- When Mike Tressel first spoke to reporters earlier this month as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, he admitted that his most important task would be to “link the elite” of what worked for him in Cincinnati to Jim Leonhard’s success in Wisconsin. He also said that he did not want to go into details so that opponents would not know how to prepare.
- Spring practice will provide a first insight, but Tressel predominantly used a 3-3-5 defense while Wisconsin used a 3-4 system with a 2-4-5 system when operating from his nickel package. Tressel said his 3-3-5 formation is unique in its ability to give the offense a different look, especially in how he wants to use linebackers and defenders in windows that can confuse teams. He indicated that he would still appreciate Wisconsin’s outside linebackers and there is a lot of talent there: starter CJ Getz, returning for a sixth season, as well as Kaden Johnson, Darryl Peterson, T.J. Bollers, Michigan State player Jeff Pietrowski and Aaron Witt ( if healthy).
Wisconsin is looking to return two starters to the defensive line, three of the four starters at linebacker, and four players who started on the second lineup. That number doesn’t include Jason Mater, who started 30 games from Boston College, or sixth-year Travian Blaylock, who was able to start last season before tearing his right ACL in spring practice. The group has all the makings of one of the best defenses in the country
What should be reasonable expectations for Mordecai?
Tanner Mordecai ends a season at SMU in which he completed 288 of 443 passes for 3,524 yards and 33 touchdowns. All of those numbers would have set school records in a single season in Wisconsin, except a touchdown mark that would have tied Russell Wilson in 2011. Sure, Mortdecai hit 39 touchdowns the previous season at SMU.
Wilson had the best statistical season for a Wisconsin quarterback. And while in some respects it seems unfair to compare Mordechai’s expectations to what Wilson achieved, it also makes sense. Like Wilson, Mortdecai is a proven commodity who comes to Wisconsin for one season to fill his draft fund with a bunch of offensive weapons around him. Braylon Allen makes Wisconsin one of the best defensemen in the country, and Mordechai must have one of the most talented receiver groups in school history. When Longo pulls the strings, it’s like a recipe for record-breaking success.
How does the wide receiver hierarchy shake out?
It comes down to how high up the chart of depth Oklahoma state transfers Bryson Green and USC transfers CJ Williams can go. Wisconsin brings back last season’s top three wide receivers Chimer Dyke, Skyler Bell, and Keontez Lewis. Dyke quietly put together one of the best seasons for a Big Ten receiver, finishing ninth in receiving yards (689) and seventh in receiving touchdowns (six). Dyke, Bell, and Lewis together caught 97 passes for 1,446 yards and 14 touchdowns. They were the only three players to record at least 20 catches.
Longo’s offense clearly has room for more pass catchers to thrive. Last season, North Carolina had six players catching at least 24 passes. Green is a proven threat after catching 36 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns and numbers to move into the top group. Williams, who is in the top 10 in the class of 2022, has a ceiling as high as any other Wisconsin player. The Badgers are bringing back players like Marcus Allen and Vinnie Anthony and adding Cincinnati signings Will Pauling and Quincy Burroughs. The competition must be high.
How much better will the running game be?
Allen touted the virtues of a six-man encounter even weeks before Wisconsin dropped Williams and Green from the transfer portal. Allen and Chaz Mellusi talked enough with Longo to see a path to a couple of 1,000-yard rushing seasons, just like Michael Carter and Javonte Williams did in North Carolina in 2020.
Allen has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards over the past two seasons, and Mellusi finished with 815 yards in 2021 before suffering an ACL tear late in the season. Wisconsin last had a pair of 1,000-yard runners in 2013 with Melvin Gordon and James White.
“I believe the possibilities are endless,” Mellousi said. “We have a new coaching staff, a new offensive coordinator, and a bunch of people who just need to support us. I think great things will happen.”
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What real freshmen can make an immediate impact?
The 2022 Wisconsin intake was unique because none of the 14 scholarship recipients on the list last season became a major player, although Austin Brown and Vinnie Anthony were regulars on the special teams. The rest all kept their red shirts. It was a departure from previous seasons. Inside linebacker Leo Chenal and Keanu Benton were rotation regulars in 2019, running back Jalen Berger and outside linebacker Nick Herbig started in 2020, and Allen became a starter in 2021 at the tail.
Whether there are any members of the Class of 2023 ready to intervene immediately remains to be seen. Can Nate White take third place behind Allen and Mellucy? Will any secondary tier members make it to the 2nd tier? Cornerman Amare Snowden and defender Bredin Moore are two players to keep an eye on. Both arrive as four-star prospects, with Moore an early adopter
How much can employees raise the recruiting bar?
One of the reasons the anticipation is so high at the start of the Fickell era is because of what the Badgers accomplished on their recruiting journey during his first two months. 13 scholarship transfers with seven players as a quarterback and wide receiver have certainly captured the attention of fans and those in the Big Ten. Fickell has said he doesn’t want to be a transfer portal team, although recent additions highlight his understanding of the importance of immediately upgrading in the right positions.
However, as the honeymoon phase ends, Fickell and his staff must continue to work to lift Wisconsin up in recruiting. He did well, recruiting six high school applicants in just a few weeks to add them to the class of 2023. Wisconsin has two commits in the 2024 cycle and is on the hunt for several big prospects, including three state four-star players (forwards Donovan Harbor and Nathan Roy, and running back Corey Smith) and Cincinnati four-star quarterback Jordan Marshall, among others. Fickell has connections in Ohio and several other states, as well as a drive to compete, allowing Wisconsin to become a more consistent player in the top 25 or 30 national recruiting rankings.
Will there be more lineup changes?
Wisconsin has several big players in various positions, including six quarterback fellows, six running backs, 12 wide receivers, and 11 cornerbacks. There are bound to be players who are dissatisfied with their position, especially with the influx of transfers. Wisconsin’s 15 spring training sessions will help create a pecking order, and there are sure to be players who decide to leave during the next transfer portal window, which runs from May 1st to May 15th. Dean Angram announced last Thursday that he would be transferred.
At the same time, the Wisconsin coaching staff has shown that it will relentlessly pursue the best available players on the portal. That means there could still be some roster changes before pre-season training begins in August if enough players don’t return and the Badgers drop below the 85-player scholarship limit.
Will Wisconsin win the Big Ten West?
Wisconsin is experiencing the longest drought in Big Ten championships since the divisions were created in 2011. This season will be the last with the current East-West format before USC and UCLA join the conference in 2024, which means qualification for the title game. it won’t get easier in the future. You have to believe that Wisconsin will be considered one of the favorites this season, given how much he has updated his squad.
No team in the Western Division has come close to the success that Wisconsin has had in the transfer portal this offseason. Thanks to Mordecai and Williams, Wisconsin finished ninth in the 247Sports rankings for transfers. Among Big Ten teams, Michigan ranks 10th, Michigan State 18th, and Maryland 23rd. The only team from the West in the top 25 in Minnesota in the 25th. These rankings don’t guarantee anything, but they show Wisconsin has the talent to win the West for the first time since 2019.
What is the ceiling for Fickell in Wisconsin?
It’s not a question that will be definitively answered next year, but this timeline will help lay the groundwork for Fickell’s future and what he can achieve at Madison. The excitement as his tenure begins is palpable. Now it’s about getting results on the field. College football is set to expand to 12 playoff teams in 2024, and there’s no reason why Wisconsin can’t be one of the Fickell-led teams that led Cincinnati to a four-team playoff in 2021.
The Badgers would have qualified for the 12-team playoffs eight times since the BCS era began in 1998 if the format existed. Of course, Fickell and his new hires think more about what they think is possible.
“National championship,” Tressel said. “This is the ceiling, and this program can do it. We’re going to do it.”