BREAKING: Wisconsin football star general manager hired away by Big Ten rival
BREAKING: Wisconsin football star general manager hired away by Big Ten rival
Wisconsin football rising star general manager Max Stienecker has been hired away by the USC Trojans. The move was first reported by FootballScoop's John Brice, then confirmed by 247Sports' Matt Zenitz.
The Badgers recently promoted Stienecker to GM in July 2024 after just one year with the program. He originally joined the Wisconsin staff as its player personnel director in January 2023, at the time becoming the youngest to hold the title in the sport's history (22 years old). He unsurprisingly landed on 247Sports' 30 Under 30 list following the promotion.
The fast-rising assistant joined the Badgers after beginning his career at Cincinnati under Luke Fickell, most recently as its director of on-campus recruiting from 2021-22. Stienecker spearheaded Wisconsin's recruiting efforts over the last two-plus cycles. The Badgers finished the 2024 cycle with the nation's No. 23-ranked class and the program's first-ever blue-chip ratio of 50%. They followed that output with a strong class of 2025 cycle, finishing ranked No. 25 nationally and No. 8 in the Big Ten.
Fickell, Stienecker and the rest of the Badgers recruiting department have undoubtedly raised the program's recruiting ceiling during their two-plus years with the program. Stienecker's loss is a significant one in that regard, especially with him moving to another Big Ten power.
Brice reports that new USC general manager Chad Bowden is hiring the now-former Badger GM to be 'USC's executive director of personnel.' The Trojans are reworking their recruiting department after recently hiring Bowden away from Notre Dame.
Wisconsin now has major shoes to fill with the class of 2026 recruiting cycle set to heat up. The program currently has one player committed in the class: three-star lineman Benjamin Novak.
Badgers 2025 signee four-star Jaylen Williams captured the fanbase's tone after hearing the news:
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame lands baseball star transfer Drew Berkland from Minnesota
Notre Dame lands baseball star transfer Drew Berkland from Minnesota It's been a tough offseason for Notre Dame's baseball program after missing the NCAA Tournament, but the Fighting Irish received some good news Saturday. Minnesota graduate transfer Drew Berkland has committed to Notre Dame. The 6-foot, 190-pounder played outfield and also caught during his three-year career with the Golden Gophers. This past season, Berkland batted .293 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, a team-high 53 RBI and a slugging percentage of .546 in 52 games. Berkland was arguably the Gophers best hitter last season but now has a new home for his final season of college baseball. He should immediately slot into the Irish's starting lineup, as either of his two positions, but with the departure of star Carson Tinney, catcher might be the best path. Notre Dame beat out Duke, Indiana, Kansas State, North Carolina and USC for Berkland's commitment. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
New Jersey linebacker Tahj Gray offered scholarship to Notre Dame
New Jersey linebacker Tahj Gray offered scholarship to Notre Dame Notre Dame's Irish Invasion recruiting camp last weekend was quite the success, and it led to another offer for a standout performer. Class of 2028 linebacker Tahj Gray received an offer from the Fighting Irish following his strong showing against fellow prospects. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) excelled at the camp both at linebacker and defensive end. Making things even more special is his older brother, Chaz Gray, also was offered by the Irish. Chaz is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound three-star edge product in the Class of 2027. Notre Dame's excellence on the recruiting trail under Marcus Freeman and his staff have the program built for sustained success, and it's being noticed nationally. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Indiana Fever hand New York Liberty first loss as Caitlin Clark returns, erupts
Indiana Fever hand New York Liberty first loss as Caitlin Clark returns, erupts The New York Liberty are unbeaten no more. Caitlin Clark returned from the left quadriceps injury that sidelined her for each of the Indiana Fever's past five games and proceeded to erupt for 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as Indiana (5-5) downed New York (9-1), 102-88. The 6-foot superstar exploded for a trio of 3-pointers in the span of 38 seconds to close the first half en route to a 53-50 halftime lead. Clark scored 25 points in the first half, which was the most of any half in her WNBA career thus far. The Iowa alum sank six first-half 3-pointers and knocked down a career-high tying seven from beyond the arc. Clark finished 11-of-20 shooting from the floor and 7-of-14 from 3-point distance. Then, after the defending WNBA champs responded with a 9-0 run to begin the second half, the Fever counterpunched with their own 19-0 third-quarter spurt. Indiana carried an 80-71 lead into the fourth. The Liberty sliced the deficit down to 85-82 after a pair of Sabrina Ionescu free throws with 6:00 remaining. But, like the rest of the afternoon, the Fever had another answer for New York. Indiana rode a closing 17-6 scoring run to capture the defining victory. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell helped key Indiana icing the win late. Mitchell finished with 22 points on a 9-for-21 shooting day, including 10 fourth-quarter points on a pair of 3-pointers and two more jumpers in the game's final 6:42. Indiana guard Lexie Hull added 14 points with a trio of threes and Fever forward Aliyah Boston scored 10 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and assisted six times. Fever guard Sydney Colson chipped in with 10 points off the Indiana bench. Indiana shot 48.1% from the field and connected on 17 3-pointers. Meanwhile, the Liberty were limited to just six threes and 20.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
