The New Look Badgers - 2023

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Pokerbrat2000

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Actually all the coaches do some recruiting. But, that doesn't mean Jimmy wasn't good at it. The reality is, the Badgers recruiting was horrible because of how it was administrated by Chryst. You need the support people to find that talent, then help the coaches bring it home.
Beat me to it, thanks. Not only do people other than the HC go out and physically recruit, they are sometimes the first contact with the player/family. Even if Chrsyst was the only guy out front recruiting, don't you think that when he was recruiting defensive players, he was talking up Leonhard, the program and how many Badgers ended up playing in the NFL? Lately, that didn't seem to be be getting the job done very well.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that through his job at OSU and Cincinnati, Fickell has more connections outside Wisconsin than Leonhard has. With that, I hope that Fickell can continue the success of instate recruiting too.
 

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Beat me to it, thanks. Not only do people other than the HC go out and physically recruit, they are sometimes the first contact with the player/family. Even if Chrsyst was the only guy out front recruiting, don't you think that when he was recruiting defensive players, he was talking up Leonhard, the program and how many Badgers ended up playing in the NFL? Lately, that didn't seem to be be getting the job done very well.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that through his job at OSU and Cincinnati, Fickell has more connections outside Wisconsin than Leonhard has. With that, I hope that Fickell can continue the success of instate recruiting too.
Wisconsin's outreach was horrible. If you look at the number of players being offered, with Leonhard being part of the team, it wasn't that often. Most of it was done by others. Jimmy was more involved when they came for visits. The problem really was that the recruiting group was destroyed by Chryst. It came to light when Saeed Khalif left the Badgers for Michigan State, with the Player Personnel title, and a raise from $100k to $150k. To put it bluntly, the Badgers are cheap!

The entire budget for recruiting was so tight that Saeed decided it wasn't worth it, and said so in an interview not long after joining MSU. He felt that they weren't reaching out.

After he left, Chryst just handed it off to one of his coaches and walked away. They did nothing. They spent nothing. They worked the phones, and all recruiting was pretty much done with driving distance of Madison, where the only cost was the gas bill, using University vehicles. In fact, the entire amount spent by the Badgers in football recruiting in 2020 was less than 10% of what the University of Texas spent on one weekend for 8 guys they were trying to lure into their program. That's how bad it was.

No doubt, Fickell came in with knowledge that wasn't going to be the case for them. It's already showing.

As for Jimmy, he was hamstrung by the restrictions that existed. Was it Chryst who was tight? Was it Alvarez? Was it above them? I don't know, but I do know it was unacceptable. It was part of a culture that thought you just recruited within 300 miles of Madison. Even though that's essential, you still need to reach out to get the very best. You just fight hard to keep those kids you need who are within 300 miles. It's considered home turf.

Always remember that last year, they had a kid show up on campus for a visit, and none of the coaches even knew he was going to be there, even though it was an official visit.
 
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Wisconsin's outreach was horrible. If you look at the number of players being offered, with Leonhard being part of the team, it wasn't that often. Most of it was done by others. Jimmy was more involved when they came for visits. The problem really was that the recruiting group was destroyed by Chryst. It came to light when Saeed Khalif left the Badgers for Michigan State, with the Player Personnel title, and a raise from $100k to $150k. To put it bluntly, the Badgers are cheap!

The entire budget for recruiting was so tight that Saeed decided it wasn't worth it, and said so in an interview not long after joining MSU. He felt that they weren't reaching out.

After he left, Chryst just handed it off to one of his coaches and walked away. They did nothing. They spent nothing. They worked the phones, and all recruiting was pretty much done with driving distance of Madison, where the only cost was the gas bill, using University vehicles. In fact, the entire amount spent by the Badgers in football recruiting in 2020 was less than 10% of what the University of Texas spent on one weekend for 8 guys they were trying to lure into their program. That's how bad it was.

No doubt, Fickell came in with knowledge that wasn't going to be the case for them. It's already showing.

As for Jimmy, he was hamstrung by the restrictions that existed. Was it Chryst who was tight? Was it Alvarez? Was it above them? I don't know, but I do know it was unacceptable. It was part of a culture that thought you just recruited within 300 miles of Madison. Even though that's essential, you still need to reach out to get the very best. You just fight hard to keep those kids you need who are within 300 miles. It's considered home turf.

Always remember that last year, they had a kid show up on campus for a visit, and none of the coaches even knew he was going to be there, even though it was an official visit.
Good info. thanks. I remember hearing about the recruit showing up and the Badgers unaware of it. All I could think of was "well that kid isn't signing and that really isn't a good indication as to where this program was at." Wouldn't be shocked if that was up there on the list of reasons Chryst got the axe, not to be confused with the Paul Bunyan Axe.
 

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Leonhard was the DC of the Badgers. He wasn't responsible for recruiting like the HC. I don't think there is any reason to think Leonhard wouldn't make a great recruiter as a HC.
A Def high school player wouldn't want to play for a nationally know DC that produced results on the field?? Only because Jim don't recuit?

Exibit A


As a recruiter: Leonhard takes an active role in recruiting most defensive prospects, but he primarily focuses his attention on recruiting the safety position nationally. He is frequently involved with cornerback recruiting at a national level as well, with position coach Hank Poteat, though he also covers the state of Florida on the state level.
 

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A Def high school player wouldn't want to play for a nationally know DC that produced results on the field?? Only because Jim don't recuit?

Exibit A

I think Jim did a good job within the framework of what he had available to him for resources. Granted, he didn't spend 7 days and nights on the road trying to get recruits, but that wasn't his job, as assigned. When he did get involved, it seemed like the kids ended up getting signed more often than not. He could only relate to the talented presented to him, by scouts.
 

Krabs

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Here is an interesting read on all the new QBs
Wisconsin's outreach was horrible. If you look at the number of players being offered, with Leonhard being part of the team, it wasn't that often. Most of it was done by others. Jimmy was more involved when they came for visits. The problem really was that the recruiting group was destroyed by Chryst. It came to light when Saeed Khalif left the Badgers for Michigan State, with the Player Personnel title, and a raise from $100k to $150k. To put it bluntly, the Badgers are cheap!

The entire budget for recruiting was so tight that Saeed decided it wasn't worth it, and said so in an interview not long after joining MSU. He felt that they weren't reaching out.

After he left, Chryst just handed it off to one of his coaches and walked away. They did nothing. They spent nothing. They worked the phones, and all recruiting was pretty much done with driving distance of Madison, where the only cost was the gas bill, using University vehicles. In fact, the entire amount spent by the Badgers in football recruiting in 2020 was less than 10% of what the University of Texas spent on one weekend for 8 guys they were trying to lure into their program. That's how bad it was.

No doubt, Fickell came in with knowledge that wasn't going to be the case for them. It's already showing.

As for Jimmy, he was hamstrung by the restrictions that existed. Was it Chryst who was tight? Was it Alvarez? Was it above them? I don't know, but I do know it was unacceptable. It was part of a culture that thought you just recruited within 300 miles of Madison. Even though that's essential, you still need to reach out to get the very best. You just fight hard to keep those kids you need who are within 300 miles. It's considered home turf.

Always remember that last year, they had a kid show up on campus for a visit, and none of the coaches even knew he was going to be there, even though it was an official visit.
Wow, I didn't know any of that and I feel like I keep track of the Badgers really well. I knew they were cheap, but 10% of what Texas spent on one weekend?!? No wonder we would get one QB and just let it roll. Good, bad, or indifferent, they were the QB. Not showing up when a recruit got to campus? Woof!
 

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Here is an interesting read on all the new QBs

Wow, I didn't know any of that and I feel like I keep track of the Badgers really well. I knew they were cheap, but 10% of what Texas spent on one weekend?!? No wonder we would get one QB and just let it roll. Good, bad, or indifferent, they were the QB. Not showing up when a recruit got to campus? Woof!
I could give you a lot more information about what's happened, and happening. All of it is for the good. I loved Jimmy being at Wisconsin. In fact, I had mixed feelings about him getting the job. I figured he was capable of making things happen, but not at the magnitude I'm seeing now.

What people don't see is that all these portal players coming in have amazing pedigrees. They aren't just warm bodies, these are players who have already proven they can play with the best of them. It's going to be a really strong team this coming year.

The only question is transitioning some of the players to the new system. I hope spring practice straightens most of that out. I want to see them hit the ground running when the new season begins. It's going to be an exciting new era.
 
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Guessing that Fickell is also going to bring some new recruiters with him. Recruiters, in both College and Pro play a very important roll in the success of a program and much of is it done quietly behind the scenes (from fans). I am pretty sure there have been times in Packer history, where a recruiter earned his paycheck and many times when he didn't.
 
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What people don't see is that all these portal players coming in have amazing pedigrees.
Yup and I read that Cincinnati center Jake Renfro, who declared he was transferring to the Badgers, not only passed on transferring to LSU, he turned down a significant NIL offer from LSU in the process.
 

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Yup and I read that Cincinnati center Jake Renfro, who declared he was transferring to the Badgers, not only passed on transferring to LSU, he turned down a significant NIL offer from LSU in the process.
Yup! That's why I say people got to start believing in where this is heading.
 

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Fickell with the portal right now is like Valentine and Winthorpe in Trading Places

I'd like to imagine Fleck is looking on like the Dukes right now.


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Fickell continues to build his staff.

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Krabs

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CJ Williams got Fickelled! Why are people salty about this?

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He certainly thinks a lot of himself doesn't he LOL

I know nothing of the kid, maybe he is that good, but i'm not sure he's what we've all been waiting for :)
 

Krabs

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He certainly thinks a lot of himself doesn't he LOL

I know nothing of the kid, maybe he is that good, but i'm not sure he's what we've all been waiting for :)
Well, the good thing is that WI already had some decent WR's in Markus Allen and Chimere ****. Even Dean Engram made a few plays here and there. Beyond CJ Williams, they also landed Quincy Burroughs and Will Pauling. Even if Williams is arrogant and not a good fit there is a lot of talent at WR. More than I remember WI having.
 
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CJ Williams got Fickelled! Why are people salty about this?
Salty? Maybe USC fans? I'm excited, this guy has 3 years of eligibility remaining and if you read this portion of an article, he could be something special.

According to 247 Sports, Williams was the 73rd overall player in the class of 2022. This includes the 10th best receiver in the class and sixth best player in the state of California. According to Greg Biggins of 247, Williams has a player comparison of Keenan Allen. Biggins also describes Williams as a “Smooth pass catcher who can line up at any of the receiver positions”. He also describes Williams as an advanced route runner and a natural pass catcher and a willing blocker.
 

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C.J. was being pursued by Ohio State, and Georgia, coming out of high school. Rest assured, the kid has the tools to be a quality receiver in the new system being introduced at Wisconsin. A lot of people who know the game well believe he was even underrated coming out of HS. But, over 20 of the top programs in football offered him a scholarship.

He's gonna do just fine in a Badger uniform.
 

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I didn't mean to imply I thought he was a bad player, just commenting on how he views himself coming here :)

I'm old and salty, I hope for guys with that talent that say things "I'm fortunate a program like WI or a coach like Fickell wants me" rather than something a long the lines of "you guys have been waiting your whole life for someone like me"
 

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