Latest news with #LukeFickell
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Wisconsin football falls in Big Ten 2025 preseason media poll
Big Ten Poll Penn St (11)2 Ohio St (10)3 Oregon (2)4 Illinois5 Michigan6 Indiana7 Iowa8 Nebraska9 USC10 Washington11 Minnesota12 Wisconsin13 Michigan St (tie)13 Rutgers15 UCLA16 Maryland17 Northwestern18 Purdue Media members from across the Big Ten are far from bullish on Wisconsin's chances in 2025. After a 5-7 finish to the 2024 campaign and overall 12-13 record in two years under head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers landed at No. 12 in 2025 preseason Big Ten football media poll. The poll was unveiled in advance of Big Ten media days July 22-24 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since the conference itself does not conduct a media poll, ranking is considered the Big Ten's de facto poll of record. Penn State unsurprisingly led the media's projected standings, with Ohio State, Oregon, Illinois and Michigan rounding out the top five, respectively. Wisconsin's top rivals, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, fell at No. 7, No. 8 and No. 11, respectively. Wisconsin's place in the latter half of the standings isn't a major surprise. On one hand, many expect significant improvement from the team after a five-game losing streak to close the 2024 season led to it missing a bowl game for the first time since 2001. Reasons for optimism include a return to the program's old-school offensive style with coordinator Jeff Grimes, a transfer-heavy defensive front and one of the Big Ten's more underrated quarterbacks. On the other hand, the Badgers will face by far the toughest schedule in the Big Ten, plus one of the most challenging in the entire sport. Even a dramatic improvement could lead to just a 6-6 or 7-5 finish. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell, center Jake Renfro, cornerback Ricardo Hallman and quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. will appear at Big Ten media days on Wednesday, July 23. Only 38 days remain until the team opens its 2025 season at Camp Randall Stadium against Miami (OH). Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where Wisconsin football's class of 2026 ranks after Zachary Taylor's decommitment
Wisconsin football's recruiting class of 2026 lost a notable commitment on Friday. Three-star defensive back Zachary Taylor, who committed to Wisconsin in mid-June following his official visit, walked back his pledge and flipped to TCU. The Texas native had listed the Horned Frogs as a finalist before choosing the Badgers last month. His flip drops the Badgers to 14 class of 2026 commitments. That group now ranks No. 58 nationally and No. 15 in the Big Ten. Its standing has fallen dramatically after late-June commitments from blue-chip running back Amari Latimer and wide receiver Jayden Petit brought the group's ranking into the mid-30s. Notably, that standing is in line with the program's No. 59 finish in the 2023 cycle. Remember, Luke Fickell had only weeks to salvage Wisconsin's class that year after taking the job in late November. A high-50s national ranking during a normal cycle is far from the expectation under Fickell, a coach known for his recruiting prowess. Those high expectations were only heightened by his consecutive top-25 finishes in 2024 and 2025. Wisconsin may go back to the drawing board at safety after Taylor's decommitment. Even if it lands a replacement, it's hard to see the class' standing improving significantly. Wisconsin needs a resurgent 2025 football season to build momentum entering next summer's class of 2027 cycle. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin recruiting class national ranking after Zachary Taylor flip
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin football 2026 wide receiver commit to transfer high schools
Wisconsin football class of 2026 wide receiver commit Tayshon Bardo announced on Wednesday that he will be transferring high schools for his senior year. Bardo, who offered his commitment to Luke Fickell's program back on March 11, shared his choice to transfer from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, to Elkhart High School in Elkhart, Indiana. The three-star playmaker is now set to catch passes roughly nine miles east of his original stomping grounds. Bardo officially visited Madison the weekend of May 30 and reaffirmed his decision to join UW shortly thereafter. Despite receiving roughly 20 offers from potential suitors scattered across the country, Bardo elected to limit his list of official visits to one: Wisconsin. Before his statement, the Indiana native had official visits scheduled to Cincinnati, USF, Michigan State and Vanderbilt. 247Sports ranks the 6-foot-1 wide receiver as the No. 754 player in the class of 2026, the No. 108 wide receiver and the No. 8 recruit from his home state of Indiana. As of July 16, he and four-star Jayden Petit, who committed on June 26, are the only wide receivers to pledge to Wisconsin's class of 2026. During his junior year at Penn, Bardo tallied 33 receptions for 540 yards and eight touchdowns, including eight punt returns for 92 yards. In his opening contest against Valparaiso, he reeled in four catches for 102 yards and three scores in arguably his most impressive offensive outing of his Penn tenure. Despite receiving nine commitments in June, Wisconsin's class of 2026 ranks No. 53 in the nation and No. 15 in the Big Ten. Pledges from Petit and four-star running back Amari Latimer elevated UW's standing to No. 37 in late June, though the Badgers have been quiet since that date. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin recruiting 2026 commit Tayshon Bardo transfer high schools
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What to expect from the Wisconsin Badgers in 2025
The Wisconsin Badgers will always be a hard team to figure out in the Big Ten. Are they close enough to ever turn things around? Or are they just in stasis, remaining a middling group with no desire to either push forward and improve or just enough talent so that they don't slip up? In 2024, it was more of the latter with little signs of maturity and development. With an overwhelmingly young squad, the second year of the Luke Fickell era did not gain any momentum at all. Nevertheless, 2025 at the very least looks slightly more hopeful. Maryland QB transfer Billy Edwards Jr. brings experience and key players on both sides of the ball are one year older. With a slightly more manageable schedule, it should be bowl eligibility or bust for the Badgers this season. 2024 in Review After only just barely reaching bowl eligibility in Luke Fickell's first season, the Badgers followed it up with a stinker of a 2024. Only winning three conference games was a major embarrassment. Against perhaps the three easiest opponents in the entire conference (Rutgers, Purdue, and Northwestern) to boot does not ease the sting any further for Badgers fans. Even their best loss, a 16-13 decision against Oregon, was not promising as former QB Braedyn Locke could not manage to make a play downfield big enough to hurt the Ducks late. Losing your final game of the season to one of their biggest rivals in Minnesota, to try and extend their 23-year bowl streak compounded their misery. The sobering reality for Fickell and Co. is starting to settle in. 2025 must deliver more promise and especially more commitment from the players. The Badgers have potential breakout candidates up and down the roster, especially offensively. Billy Edwards Jr. must be competent from the get-go, and all of Wisconsin's top offensive talent must produce for him as well. This operation is too close to flying off the handle early in the Luke Fickell era. Head Coach Profile There is almost certainly no doubt in people's minds that Luke Fickell should be capable of leading a Power 4 team. He was one of the most important head coaches in Group of 5 history after all. After leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to the CFP, the first time any G5 coach had ever done so, his star began to rise. So when Wisconsin came calling a couple of years later, Fickell willingly accepted the job. He actually took over during Wisconsin's bowl game in 2022, replacing Paul Chryst wth a nice bowl win over Oklahoma State. His 2023 season was a success, extending Wisconsin's bowl streak to 23 years, no matter the bowl loss to LSU. It was last year when all hell broke loose. Wisconsin started off 5-2, but off-field issues, especially amongst Fickell's staff, created a sense of turmoil. Jack Del Rio, his advisor, personally removed himself from the staff after a bizarre off-field incident. 10 games into the year, Fickell fired OC Phil Longo and was surly in response to media questions about the firing. This resulted in an epic collapse that saw the Badgers fall from the brink of bowl eligibility to 5-7. They even lost all their Big Ten rivalry trophies as well. The bottom line is that Fickell must control the chaos behind the scenes, or things could boil over quickly and affect the play of his squad. If he doesn't find that balance, he will surely be getting the hook this year. Top Offensive Player While Billy Edwards Jr. certainly brings a Big Ten pedigree to the Badgers that they may desperately need, Vinny Anthony has been a paragon of consistency and the primary beacon of hope for the Wisconsin offense. Any positive production from the wide receiver position stems from him, and Billy Edwards must understand that very quickly. Anthony led the Badgers in receiving yards last season with 672, which is all you need to know about the state of the Badgers' receiver room. It was how he produced those yards that was most impressive. He averaged over 17 yards per catch, which hadn't been done by a Badgers receiver in over 50 yards in almost 20 years. He was also fourth in the Big Ten as a result in that category. His most impressive game last season was perhaps against Penn State, when he had a career-high seven receptions. While it was only for 68 yards, it showed his reliability and loyalty to this team. He will almost certainly be the end-all, be-all for this offense in his final season in Madison. Top Defensive Player A revamped defense could certainly see major development from all levels of the Badger defense. Yet it is one of their veterans who will be established as the overall leader of the pack. Preston Zachman, the redshirt senior who decided to come back for his extra COVID year of eligibility, is an indispensable athlete who Fickell will be glad decided on a return to Madison. His career-high 58 tackles, three of which were tackles for loss, are an elite number for the safety position. His team-leading two interceptions, while a disappointing figure, are still a sign of his leadership and coverage abilities. His four pass breakups show his ranginess and length at an integral position for the Badgers. Most impressively, his eight tackles in consecutive weeks against Penn State and Iowa show he doesn't shy away from physicality. Fickell will be saddened when he leaves because he truly embodies the type of player Wisconsin is looking for: physical, dedicated, and most importantly, loyal. Not many players will come along throughout this journey for the Badgers. Fans, coaches, and teammates alike must cherish him while he lasts. 2025 Schedule Preview There are tough opponents on Wisconsin's schedule, with some even saying that it's one of the toughest schedules any team in the Big Ten could face. On the other hand, this steadily improving team feels like they can at the very least disrupt the status quo if not themselves make some noise in the conference. Bowl eligibility will be a big ask with this slate, but not out of the question. After two cupcakes, Wisconsin gets one of the toughest non-conference opponents in the Big Ten this year as they go down to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. While the Tide will be breaking in a replacement for quarterback Jalen Milroe, it's certainly not an easy task. Their toughest portion of the schedule comes midseason, starting in Week 5 when they welcome Bryce Underwood and Michigan and ending in Week 9 when they take on Dan Lanning's Ducks in Eugene. Sandwiched in between are what should be a much more daunting Iowa team, especially offensively, and reigning champions Ohio State. This slate of games will make or break this season in Madison. Another intriguing three-game slate for the Badgers is their end to the season. Indiana and Illinois will be CFP hopefuls yet again and will be looking to roll through the final weeks of their campaigns. Minnesota at the end of the season is simply more for pride and gaining back the Paul Bunyan Axe trophy. Overall , 7-5 is there for the taking should players on the precipice of stardom for the Badgers have breakout years and the rest of this young squad grows up fast. But it is never easy in the Big Ten, and Fickell and Co. are finding that out equally as quickly. Should the Badgers continue to come up short in conference play, it won't be looking pretty for the Fickell regime in Madison.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin football top 2026 target announces finalists, commitment date
Wisconsin football top-ranked class of 2026 safety target Nick Reddish included the Badgers in his list of finalists on Monday. Reddish, who received his offer from Luke Fickell's program on May 14, 2024, included UW alongside the Indiana Hoosiers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Virginia Tech Hokies. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound safety officially visited Madison the weekend of May 30 before venturing to Indiana (May 2), Virginia Tech (June 6) and Notre Dame (June 12). Advertisement While Reddish did include Wisconsin in his batch of final suitors, multiple recruiting outlets project the Charlotte, North Carolina, native to join Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish. 247Sports Wisconsin insider Nick Osen, in addition to the outlet's general staff, released crystal ball predictions favoring Notre Dame roughly two weeks ago. On3's recruiting prediction machine also pegs Notre Dame as the heavy favorite with over a 92% chance of securing his pledge. 247Sports considers the Independence High School product a three-star recruit. The outlet also ranks him as the No. 678 overall prospect in the class, the No. 57 safety and the No. 31 player from his home state of North Carolina. Outside of his final four destinations, his offer sheet also includes opportunities with Ole Miss, Tennessee, Louisville, Cincinnati and Missouri. As of June 30, Wisconsin's class of 2026 ranks No. 37 in the nation and No. 13 in the Big Ten with 15 players committed. Four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit and four-star running back Amari Latimer -- arguably the two most coveted members of its 2026 batch -- committed within the last week. Their decisions elevated UW's ranking from the low 50s into the high 30s, plus bolstered the outlook for the remainder of the summer window. Advertisement Wisconsin has received one commitment from the safety position thus far: three-star Zachary Taylor. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football 2026 recruiting target Nick Reddish finalists
