Wisconsin Football: Insights From Luke Fickell’s Media Availability

Wisconsin Badgers football head coach Luke Fickell was available to the media on Tuesday, and touched on a multitude of things. The Badgers resumed Spring practices this week with no pads.

This is a great chance to observe some of the incoming class, as several freshman early enrollees were participants. With eight new transfers, and 11 incoming freshmen, there will be a lot of new faces in the program.

Badgers Transfer Quarterback in Early Competition

Miami (FL) transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was seemingly brought in to be the starter this year for Wisconsin football. However, Coach Fickell alluded to there being a competition.

Fickell says he would like to see Van Dyke come out of his shell a little bit, and with the different schedule of graduate classes thinks Van Dyke has a good opportunity.

“I want to see him kind of continue to come out of his shell,” Fickell told reporters. “But he’s in a battle as well. So I think that for him learning the offense and repping and working with a guy that’s been in the offense that knows it like the back of his hand in Braedyn, I think that puts a little bit more pressure on him. But I think he’s done a great job. I think we’re going to continue to see him kind of come out of his shell and not just as a football player but as a leader as well.”

The talented transfer quarterback is slightly behind however, as he is learning the new offense and competing with sophomore Braedyn Locke who has already spent a year with the Wisconsin football team.

Competition a Major Theme for Wisconsin Football

“If you don’t want the competition, than maybe this isn’t the right place”

This quote from Fickell reinforces the theme of his entire media availability. The Badgers coach made it abundantly clear that no job was safe on name alone. From quarterback to inside linebacker, competition has been encouraged with the arrival of new faces.

Fickell gave high praise to senior linebacker Jake Cheney. The Badger football coach said that Cheney has done a great job leading and festering competition in a talented group of linebackers. This is massive for a coach and style that relies on depth.

“If we can’t play 22 guys on defense, we’ll struggle” says Fickell.

The competition so far has seemingly been good. Wisconsin football having some continuity has helped, as Fickell feels that the environment is what he wants in year two. However, playing in that competitive environment has led to some minor skirmishes. Fickell sees those as a good sign. He continues to preach that playing with an edge is important, and he sees these interactions as a good chance for guys to control their emotions even when heated.

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