2025 Wisconsin Season Thread

[SFBadger96]

Not that it's a surprise in today's college football, but Wisconsin just lost one of its longest-committed recruits for next year.

Surprisingly, the Milwaukee paper's beat writer thinks they won't fire Fickell--potentially even if he goes 0-fer the B1G. He concedes that 2-10 might make hanging onto him tough, but he apparently thinks the money isn't there to fire him.

This goes to show that hiring coaches is fraught with peril. There are some can't miss guys, but not that many. Success in one place isn't a guarantee of success in another.

[Brutus Buckeye]

It's a tough gig. They want a HC that doesn't cost too much, then they are expected to compete for Big Ten titles, and they have to do it with the lowest payroll in the Big Ten, and the highest academic hurdles in the country. 

[847badgerfan]

Not that it's a surprise in today's college football, but Wisconsin just lost one of its longest-committed recruits for next year.

Surprisingly, the Milwaukee paper's beat writer thinks they won't fire Fickell--potentially even if he goes 0-fer the B1G. He concedes that 2-10 might make hanging onto him tough, but he apparently thinks the money isn't there to fire him.

This goes to show that hiring coaches is fraught with peril. There are some can't miss guys, but not that many. Success in one place isn't a guarantee of success in another.

The staff stopped recruiting him a few weeks ago, when academic progress reports came out. He also transferred.

He had no chance at admission in Madison. Too bad, because he was a big cheerleader for the 2026 class.

[SFBadger96]

And they just got burned paying big money for a "can't miss" coach, who appears to be an abject failure.




Didn't know that about the WR recruit. That does change how it looks.

[847badgerfan]

They are going to lose a lot of their commits. Two ways they will lose kids.

1. Players who really wanted to play for ickell/staff. (I question why UW would want those kids)

2. Players who really want to win.

The players who committed to the school will stay on board.

[847badgerfan]

https://twitter.com/ESPNMadison/status/1978508491594620984

[847badgerfan]

Now expected to flip to O$U. Que the ratings bump to 93.

[Brutus Buckeye]

In hindsight, I wonder if Fickell's status as a recruiting wiz was a little overblown. At OSU, his role was to recruit Ohio, iirc. Those guys would have wanted to be a Buckeye no matter who was recruiting them. All he had to do was to point out the dotted line upon which they need to sign. That experience suited him well at Cincinnati, where the Ohio HS coaches already considered him a big shot, but that Ohio pipeline appears to have dried up at Wisconsin. Can he go into Florida and Texas, and hold his own? 

[847badgerfan]

The recruiting rankings and player rankings improved for sure, but they will tank now.

2023 was really not his class, of course. Ranked #59.

2024 class was #20 nationally (0 OH). 

2025 was #26 (3 OH).

They recruit Florida pretty well.

[Mdot21]

https://twitter.com/ESPNMadison/status/1978508491594620984

that's a pretty damning indictment of Fickell. 

really don't know what Wisconsin AD is waiting for. doesn't want to spend the money on the buyout? 

[Mdot21]

The recruiting rankings and player rankings improved for sure, but they will tank now.

2023 was really not his class, of course. Ranked #59.

2024 class was #20 nationally (0 OH).

2025 was #26 (3 OH).

They recruit Florida pretty well.

always think where you get the players from is pretty overrated talking point. doesn't matter where they are from- they have to buy in to the program, be coachable, and get developed. who cares if the player is from timbuckto, buttfuck egypt, or Ohio?

[847badgerfan]

always think where you get the players from is pretty overrated talking point. doesn't matter where they are from- they have to buy in to the program, be coachable, and get developed. who cares if the player is from timbuckto, buttfuck egypt, or Ohio?

All of those places = Ohio, yes?

[847badgerfan]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/1-07-2021/d2XNrq.gif

[bayareabadger]

Between Fickell being able to do nothing well and the way Harbaugh turned things around, it’s a reminder that a lot of things are possible.