MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Badgers are holding spring football practices in Madison under second-year head coach Luke Fickell.
“I think there’s more clarity in my mind of what it is that we need to do and who we need to be,” said Fickell. “And so, that’s kind of a little bit more of the intensity, a little bit more of a shakeup of some of the culture things that we’re all about and what we want to be.
“And it’s not changing. It’s not like saying we’re scrapping something that was done here for a lot of years and was really good. But the ability to be able to shake it up and create some more competition. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, if you can compete and you can play and you have your opportunities.”
One of those “really good” things? The Badgers qualified for a bowl game last season for the 22nd straight year.
Not all changes are in Wisconsin’s control, though.
The Big Ten Conference is changing drastically. Look no further than the Badgers conference opener at USC.
“It’s a challenge,” said Fickell when asked about the changes to the Big Ten. “Whether you have your opinions, whether the traditions behind things. It is what it is, right? It’s as competitive as you would ever see. And it’s a great thing for our game. What we have done is created an environment that is going to be as competitive as it’s ever been in this league, in particular. And regardless, if you have to go across the country or not, it just makes everybody have to raise their game.”
At Cincinnati, Fickell’s team went from 4-8 to 11-2 in his second year. The Badgers were 7-6 in his initial season.
Fickell admitted this second year as coach feels a lot different. He doesn’t have to look at last year’s tape to know it.
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” said Fickell. “I think that we’ve created some competition. We’ve created some length and some athleticism in some spots where I think can really help us. My objective is to continue to push as hard as I possibly can to all of us. Regardless of what we did last year, this competitive spirit that we’re trying to have more and more of and put some situations. But hopefully we can all get a better grasp on who we think we really are.”
Looking at the roster, Tyler Van Dyke, who transferred from the University of Miami in Florida, is competing with holdover Braedyn Locke for the starting quarterback job.
“We’ve got to find that balance between giving those guys opportunities to be aggressive, as well as being smart with the thing,” said Fickell. “I think it’s been competitive. I think both those guys at the top have done a really a good job. We got to kind of turn them loose so we can do a better job at evaluating who we think they are and what it is that they can do for us.”
With Braelon Allen gone, Chez Melussi returns at running back, but Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker has looked good in practice.
“You walk in a new place, and I’m not sure you exactly know what to expect,” said Fickell. “There’s guys hitting guys down the field, there’s guys tackling. I have yet to once see him complain, or whine, or throw a ball. Just humble enough to say, I’m going to show these guys who I want to be and who I am.”
On defense, cornerback Ricardo Hallman returns. He had seven interceptions last season. The Badgers feel they’ve upgraded at linebacker, with Syracuse transfer Leon Lowery among the talented newcomers.
Fickell is using the 15 spring practices over seven weeks to assess his team.
“I’m excited to see who we are and let our leaders kind of set the example and lead,” said Fickell. “They’re competing. And now we’ve just got to make sure we continue to grow.”
Wisconsin’s non-conference schedule includes a Sept. 14 game at Camp Randall against new coach Kalen DeBoer and Alabama.