Latest news with #Badgers
USA Today
an hour ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin great Melvin Gordon is 'tired of hearing about' Wisconsin's tough 2025 schedule
'𝙒𝙃𝙊 𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙎 𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝘾𝙃𝙀𝘿𝙐𝙇𝙀… 𝙂𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨.' - @Melvingordon25What are YOUR expectations for #Badgers Football heading into training camp? Wisconsin great Melvin Gordon gave his thoughts on the Badgers' upcoming 2025 season during a local radio appearance on Monday. "Everybody's record is 0-0," Gordon began, on with ESPN Madison. "I know they're putting the work in. And people are like, 'Well this, and the coaching, and the players, and the schedule.' I'm so tired of hearing about the schedule. Who cares about the schedule. You have to line it up -- it's upsets every day. Have an upset every week, then, if you feel like you're the underdog. Who cares, go make a name for yourselves. There's no better way to do it. I'm rolling with the Badgers. I'm down in their corner. If we lose, we lose together." Gordon has his focus on those who are highlighting Wisconsin's gauntlet schedule when previewing the team's 2025 season. That includes ProFootballFocus, which listed it as the toughest slate in the country, as well as Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who said he '[doesn't] know if [Wisconsin] wins three games.' Meanwhile, the Wisconsin legend sounds a lot like Badgers' starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who highlighted the opportunity that the challenging schedule presents, with high-profile matchups almost every weekend. Wisconsin begins its 2025 campaign with a home matchup against the Miami (OH) RedHawks. The team's gauntlet then begins after a Week 2 game against Middle Tennessee State. It travels to Alabama (No. 3 in ESPN FPI) and Michigan (No. 17), hosts Iowa (No. 39) and Ohio State (No. 4), visits Oregon (No. 6), hosts Washington (No. 27), travels to Indiana (No. 31), then closes vs. Illinois (No. 44) and at Minnesota (No. 43). Most preseason projections highlight six wins as a realistic benchmark for the team, especially after its full offseason of roster and coaching staff improvements. An eight or nine-win breakthrough may be too much to ask for, given that slate of top-tier opponents and the program's recent form. Gordon is tired of hearing about the difficult slate the Badgers face in 2025. He'll be one of many celebrating if an unforeseen breakthrough occurs. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Fox Sports analyst: \
There's been a lot of talk surrounding Wisconsin's brutal 2025 football schedule. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt is the latest to join that discussion. On the latest episode of his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show, while discussing teams he's selling entering 2025, Klatt made a bold claim about Wisconsin's season. "You look at that schedule, and I don't know if they win three games," Klatt said. Wisconsin was on the analyst's 'sell' list primarily due to the difficulty of its schedule. Klatt emphasized that it's very possible that the Badgers fall below 2024's mark of five wins despite being more talented and better equipped for success on both sides of the football. "I actually think that Wisconsin could be a better team, roster-wise, this year than they were last year," Klatt said. "But here's the problem. I don't know if that shows up in the win-loss column this year. This is one of the most difficult schedules in the still have to be better than the teams that they play. They could be underdogs in nine of their 12 games this year. Think about that." Klatt's prediction of Wisconsin being a team to sell is a fair analysis. However, winning only three games seems like a rather easy goal for this team. The Badgers begin the season by playing both Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee in the non-conference slate. While they visit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the following week, the program begins Big Ten play with a home game against Maryland. Wisconsin should have three wins through that initial stretch of four games. After that, however, there are indeed no free games left on the Badgers' schedule. The majority of their remaining games come against teams that will be ranked in the AP Poll, including some set for College Football Playoff contention. Bookmark Klatt's prediction. Only time will tell where Wisconsin finishes once the games kick off in four weeks. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Badgers hoping an improved culture will help them bounce back from a disappointing season
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's players only need to go through their phones to provide evidence they're fixing the culture issues that led to the end of the Badgers' 22-year bowl streak last season. Strength coach Brady Collins organized an offseason contest in which he asked players to send him a photo whenever they went out with a teammate. Players were awarded points for each photo they sent, with a prize going to the position group with the highest score. The Badgers said those types of activities helped make them much closer than they were a year ago. 'At the start, it sounds kind of silly, but then you get into it, and it's kind of like a game,' outside linebacker Aaron Witt said. 'Then it becomes natural. It went from forcing yourself to hang out with your teammates to actually wanting to be around them.' Wisconsin knew it had to improve its culture after going 5-7 last year for its first losing season since 2001, snapping what had been the longest active streak of bowl appearances by any Power Four team. This isn't quite what Wisconsin expected when it hired Luke Fickell, who went 53-10 with one College Football Playoff appearance in his final five seasons at Cincinnati. The Badgers' chemistry lessons continue Tuesday when they continue a Fickell tradition and open preseason camp by spending 1½ weeks at Platteville, Wisconsin, about 70 miles from campus 'Last year, I think a lot of guys kind of just gave up near the end of the season,' linebacker Christian Alliegro said. 'Guys weren't really close together and picking each other up. I think the big thing this offseason was getting the guys together and hanging out.' As it prepares to open the season Aug. 28 against Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin is relying heavily on several players who weren't part of last year's struggles. The projected starting quarterback is Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. Davis Heinzen, who started 36 consecutive games at Central Michigan, is likely to take over as the first-team left tackle after Kevin Heywood tore his anterior cruciate ligament in spring practice. Tennessee-Martin transfer Charles Perkins had an impressive spring and should boost a defense that allowed the second-most yards rushing per game of any Big Ten team last season. But the Badgers also will need their returning players to remember what went wrong last year and to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Wisconsin ended the 2024 season by losing five straight games for the first time since 1991. During that skid, the Badgers lost their three trophy games to Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota by a combined margin of 110-42. 'Every week we started to believe in ourselves a little less,' outside linebacker Darryl Peterson said. 'As a leader, you take that upon yourself to make sure that doesn't happen again.' The Badgers are confident that won't happen again because they know one another so much better. Older players were hanging out with younger players this offseason. The guys on offense spent more time interacting with their counterparts on defense. They believe it will make a difference. 'The best teams in football are the closest teams,' offensive lineman Joe Brunner said. 'They might not be the most talented, but the closest teams are what create success on the football field because you trust one another. I don't think I've ever been this close to defensive guys on the team, and that's pretty special.' Of course, it's easy to say that now. The true test will come the first time the Badgers encounter adversity on the field this fall. Witt was asked Monday how he knows Wisconsin has corrected everything that went wrong a year ago. 'You don't,' Witt said. 'That's the thing. You've got to play the games. Everybody's going to stand in front of the camera and tell you we did this different, we're tougher, we're this, we're bigger, we're faster. But you'll see it on tape. We'll see it when games start.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes talks running backs, left tackle and more
MADISON – Excited is the key word for Jeff Grimes. Since arriving at Wisconsin in December, the Badger football team's new offensive coordinator has been focused on installing his system, which could unlock a physical element to the game missing from the team's play the past couple of seasons. On the ladder of learning, Grimes puts his players on the cusp of grasping the offense and how to make it work to their advantage. 'I would say that's where most of our team is now, the next step is can I actually do these things well and then can I do them better than the people who are trying to keep us from doing these things,' he said. 'I'm really excited to see our guys take that next step. They've been really unbelievably willing to work and learn.' More: How a text message from Jeff Grimes got Montee Ball excited about Wisconsin's new offense More: Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium in Madison ranks among the top 25 college-football venues by USA TODAY The Badgers have a few weeks to take those next steps. Fall camp was set to open July 29 at UW-Platteville's Pioneer Stadium. The season opener vs. Miami (Ohio) is slated for Aug. 28. Before leaving for camp Grimes spoke to reporters on the Badgers media day July 28 at the McClain Center practice facility. Here is what we learned. RB rotation ideally two backs plus an occasional third Grimes loves the depth of the running backs room and the way that Dillin Jones, Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli support each other despite a very competitive battle for playing time. Grimes, however, said that while the possibility of a three-back rotation isn't out of the question, a two-back rotation with third back getting 'a couple of plays' is ideal. 'But if we have three that are ready, then we'll play all of them,' Grimes said. The immediate challenge with the three will be getting them all adequate work during camp so that a decision on the pecking order can be made. Jones got the most work with the No. 1 unit during spring ball, but Dupree and Jones missed time due to injury. More: Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards, center Jake Renfro understand the value of being on the same wavelength Davis Heinzen will get every opportunity to win job at left tackle The Badgers had two weeks of spring practices after left tackle Kevin Heyward went down with a left ACL injury to evaluate Leyton Nelson with the No. 1 unit. Reading between the lines the addition in April of Davis Heinzen, a three-year starter at Central Michigan at left tackle, showed the coaches had wanted more at the position. '(Heinzen) certainly hasn't earned his stripes with the other guys in the offensive line room as well as some other people have, but we didn't bring him here to not play,' Grimes said. 'And so he's going to get a lot of opportunities to win that starting job.' Lance Mason is a natural route runner Even though UW was happy at tight end with the development of junior Tucker Ashcraft and the smooth transition Jackson Acker made to the position from running back, the room lacked an individual who could stretch the defense. Enter Lance Mason, who caught 34 passes for 590 yards and six touchdowns last season at Missouri State. Those stats speak to his potential as a receiver. Grimes put that potential into words. 'What stands out from him that I've seen thus far is the same thing that I saw when we made the decision to bring him here and that is he's a natural route runner, understands space, leverage, has the ability to get in and out of breaks,' Grimes said. 'I think that's his strong suit. Now how well he blocks, particularly in this league, will also be a determining factor in terms of how much he actually plays instead of somebody else.' This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes media day takeaways
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin outside linebacker Darryl Peterson shares his only must-haves for fall camp in Platteville
The Badgers senior spoke to reporters during the football team's media day July 28 at the McClain Center practice facility. Practice begins July 29 at UW-Platteville.
