Jul 233 min read

2024 B1G Media Days: Wisconsin Badgers Spotlight

Wisconsin Badgers | Luke Fickell — ©Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers head into the 2024 season with a chip on their shoulder. They feel they should have performed better last season in the Big Ten Conference. But, making it to a bowl game with a first-year coach is nothing to sneeze at.

The Badgers picked up quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in the transfer portal from the Miami Hurricanes, and he will take over signal-calling duties. Wisconsin also kept junior wide receiver Will Pauling and senior safety Hunter Wohler who were key contributors last year. However, they did lose star running back Braelon Allen to the NFL Draft. He will be missed, as he contributed a great deal to the offense.

2024 Season

With Luke Fickell in only his second season, there is plenty to be excited about in Madison, Wis. In the newly expanded Big Ten, which now includes bluebloods Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington from the Pac-12 Conference, the Badgers will face daunting annual schedules.

While Badgers fans are excited for the 2024 season, the overall schedule is strenuous. The Badgers went 7-5 a year ago and it is possible they may not do much better this season. The first two games—against a Group of 5 opponent and an FCS foe—will probably be easy wins for the Badgers, but then the going gets tough.

Alabama comes to Camp Randall for the Badgers' third game, and though Kalen DeBoer has just taken over coaching duties for the Crimson Tide, Alabama's roster is talent-laden once again. After the Badgers clash with the Tide, their first conference matchup looks to be one of the more difficult games of the season, a contest in Los Angeles against USC. The atmosphere in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum is sure to pose a significant obstacle for the Badgers to overcome.

Wisconsin's docket also features tough home games against Penn State and Oregon and challenging road games against Iowa and Nebraska.

Given the strength of their schedule, an 8-4 record would be quite impressive. Time will tell if the Badgers can attain that level of success.

Wisconsin Badgers Media Days Remarks

Luke Fickell's opening statement was filled with pleasantries and excitement about the new Big Ten, which he called the "Coast-to-Coast Big Ten." He said Wisconsin is "building new rivalries" but not "getting rid of the old traditions."

Wisconsin kicks off its season in 39 days against Western Michigan University at Camp Randall Stadium, and Fickell is enthusiastic. He said, "We are excited to finally test ourselves and see [the results of] all the work that we have put in over the last six months."

"The one thing that the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers are about, and I will stress this for the rest of today and through training camp up to the season, is ... leadership," emphasized Fickell. "How we respond to adversity going back to last season, the first thing I reflect on is leadership. It is absolutely critical in our program."

Three players accompanied Fickle to Media Days: safety Hunter Wohler, who led the team in tackles, starting left tackle Jack Nelson and inside linebacker Jake Chaney, who Fickle characterized as "the attitude of the whole team."