Wisconsin football moving Kenny Guiton to quarterbacks coach
The Wisconsin football program is reshuffling its staff and moving receivers coach Kenny Guiton over to QBs coach.
The University of Wisconsin football program is keeping it in-house with their latest move on the coaching staff.
Pete Thamel reported that Kenny Guiton is set to shift from wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach for Wisconsin.
The move fills a big need for the Badgers following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Phil Longo late in 2024—a transition Badgernotes has confirmed.
“After a thorough search of candidates, we realized that we had the best quarterbacks coach candidate right here on our staff in Coach Guiton,” Luke Fickell said. “His familiarity with our program and knowledge of the quarterback position make him a great fit. I’m excited to watch him lead that room and pass along his passion and experience to that group.”
Guiton, who initially joined the Badgers’ staff in January 2024 to coach wide receivers after Mike Brown left for Notre Dame, stepped into the quarterback coach role on an interim basis during the final two weeks of the regular season.
"It's been a good mesh," Braedyn Locke said of Guiton. "I mean, coach Guiton played the position. He understands that perspective and how to manage that position. I've enjoyed working with him."
From what I’ve gathered in talking to people close to the situation, the Badgers explored multiple external candidates at the college and pro levels for the role before ultimately deciding to keep the hire in-house.
The decision to make that arrangement permanent comes as the Badgers continue to reshape their coaching staff and roster heading into 2025. The program is now expected to hire a new wide receivers coach to replace Guiton’s previous role in short order and a few other staffers in other roles now that there are no limits on assistant coaching hires.
“If you can get some guys into your program where you can spend more of an emphasis on a true quarterback coach and developing them as opposed to [splitting] time having to be the leader, coordinating the offense, do all these other things, then this gives us a great opportunity to help develop that position,” Fickell said.
This move marks Guiton’s first opportunity to lead a quarterbacks room.
The Houston native and former Ohio State quarterback has an extensive resume as a receivers coach with previous stops at Houston, Louisiana Tech, Colorado State, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.
His relationship with Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, however, dates back to his playing days, as he was on the Ohio State staff that recruited him to Columbus.
During his career with the Buckeyes, Guiton completed 89-of-134 pass attempts for 893 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.
The quarterback room that Guiton inherits has experienced significant turnover this offseason. Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke, Mabrey Mettauer, Cole LaCrue, and 2025 signee Landyn Locke—have all left the program, leaving walk-on Milos Spasojevic as the only returning player from that position group.
Wisconsin has since reloaded by adding Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr., San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil, and 2025 four-star recruit Carter Smith. Edwards is expected to start in 2025, but Guiton’s ability to help develop O'Neil or Smith into an early contributor and break the cycle of having to dip in the portal again next offseason will be pivotal.
Guiton’s promotion also reflects Wisconsin’s need for specialized coaching under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who has not previously coached quarterbacks. Guiton's experience working with quarterbacks and wideouts gives him a well-rounded perspective on the passing game to compliment Grimes' more run-centric offensive background.
By leaning on Guiton’s familiarity with the program and his long-standing relationship with Fickell, the Badgers are hoping to stabilize their quarterback room's development and revitalize a passing attack that's fallen short of expectations over the past two seasons.
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