Wisconsin Badgers football fans are excited about new Head Coach Luke Fickell who was hired last November. Dennis Krause sat down with Fickell in Madison to get his thoughts on the Wisconsin program.
Dennis: Coach, how would you characterize the state of the program you took over?
Fickell: Well I mean, I don't know, some people would envision because they made a coaching change that there's a lot of things that need to be fixed. The reality is, I think there's a great culture here. I think that you know there's a lot of really really good things, and I was fortunate enough to be able to actually see that first hand. That's the whole point of being here for for the bowl practice and being a part of the bowl game and all those things, because you know I want to assess where we really were. I told all of the guys walking in, this isn’t something you need to blow up and start over, this is kind of just a reboot and reload a little bit. I think there's a lot of really good things that are in place with a group of guys that love this place, and I think that goes a long way.
Dennis: Any surprises or landmines along the way?
Fickell: There's always surprises and there's always land mines, but I guess you got to define what that really means to you. I think the biggest surprise to me was you know us really only losing about three guys, you know three or four guys that you know maybe thought that you know they needed to go elsewhere and take a different opportunity, and that's what showed me of what the culture really was here. They had recruited the right kinds of kids you know, they treated them the right way, and whether there's a change or not, you know those are the kinds of things that kind of stick with you to say okay. That's why I don't believe that there's not a lot of things that need to be blown up here…just a little bit of a reboot.
Dennis: I saw in the Wisconsin Football Twitter feed, effort and attitude. You can control those things, right?
Fickell: Those are choices no doubt. And a lot of people don’t understand that there's a difference in effort, right? I mean some people think they give great effort then all of a sudden they see something on film that looks a little bit different, so we want to make sure we're really clear on those things. It's a choice. We kind of refer to it as, effort is four to six, and that's the length of a play. Your attitude and this game, in particular, is kind of you know how you arrive at that that end point in this game, which is a little bit different than a lot of other sports. So, it's more of a mentality that, 'hey, you get to choose a lot of the things, and you don't get to choose something, but this is what you do get to choose, and it's a big part of the development of our program'.
Dennis: I know he’s retired and living in Florida, but he did build this program, so have you had any contact with Barry Alvarez?
Fickell: So I’ve talked with Coach a few times. He has not been actually in town just yet, but I do think maybe we're supposed to go down. I don't get out a whole lot. [I've got] like 110 guys here or something that I got to spend a lot of time with, but I'm excited about getting to spend a little bit more time with Coach Alvarez. I've got to know him a little bit from a far, maybe a little bit of time talking to him here and there, but I've had some really good conversations the last you know few months with him on just some different things about the place, and how much I appreciate what it is that he's done and what he's built.
Dennis: I know you’ve said relationships are so important to you, and I saw the picture with you and Braelon Allen at a wrestling meet. How do you build that with each player because there's like you said, there's so many on the roster?
Fickell: It's a little bit difficult that's what I dislike about being a head coach, you know? I really enjoyed being a position coach, being a defensive coordinator, where you kind of had a smaller group of guys that you really got a chance to kind of bond with and build those relationships with. And for me, it's a little bit different. I think the most important relationship is the position coach of the players, so as the head coach walking in here, and all of a sudden, you know trying to build a relationship with Braelon before even the position coach does, is a little bit difficult. So, it's a little broader as the head coach. Eventually as you get into it, I think that you know by nature, the older guys, the guys that you know maybe are more the leaders of your program that you spend a little bit more time with. But I think ultimately it comes down to there's got to be a trust and respect on both sides, and you know it might not be as much individually that I get a chance to spend with those guys, but everything that they hopefully see me do, that they build some trust and respect even though it's not this one-on-one.