Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, linebacker Jake Chaney, left tackle Jack Nelson, and safety Hunter Wohler were all in Indianapolis to represent the Badgers at Big Ten Media Days. Fickell’s first season in Madison wasn’t a roaring success, but the Badgers managed a respectable campaign, finishing with a winning record of 7-6.
With his aim set a little higher for year two, what are three takeaways we learned from Fickell during his time at Big Ten Media Days?
3 Takeaways From Luke Fickell at Big Ten Media Days
1) Fickell Excited To Not Be the “New Guy”
After winning at least nine games in each of his last five seasons at Cincinnati (2018-2022), Fickell experienced a drop-off his first year with the Badgers, just barley finishing over .500 after losing in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
This year, he’s excited to not be new kid on the block, mainly because everyone is a newbie in the expanded Big Ten.
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“Not the new guy because it’s year two, but because everybody is new,” Fickell said at the podium during Big Ten Media Days. “Even (Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz), who’s been here quite awhile, is new to this what I call coast-to-coast Big Ten. We’re all kind of newbies in some ways to what this all entails and what this all is going to bring upon us as we continue to move forward.
“I think it’s incredibly exciting to be a part of. I know for some traditionalists with all the things that I’ve learned to understand about the Big Ten, we’re not losing those things, we’re only growing. We’re gaining, we’re adding to new traditions and rivalries that I think are only going to make our sport better.”
2) Ironing Out Leadership Before Opening Kickoff Is Fickell’s No. 1 Goal
With the Badgers’ season set to kick off in just over a month, Fickell’s top priority during fall camp will be identifying and curating leaders.
“We’ve got a lot of things to continue to develop in these next 39 days, but the No. 1 most important thing and the thing I’m going to stress and continue to talk about here today is leadership,” Fickell said. “As I reflect a little bit on last year, all the things that you go through. When you hit adversity, the ups and the downs, and really reflect upon it, first thing for me that it comes back to is leadership.
“It starts with me. Leadership starts right there, but it also permeates throughout our program. The three guys here representing us today are here because of their leadership, because of their ability to step up. In particular, to step up last year when we were going through a stretch of time that was very difficult. It was the most adversity we had hit all year.
“Their resiliency and their commitment to at that time step up, not wait until January 1, not wait until we can create these little leadership groups and things, they were the guys at the forefront of getting some things turned around in the midst of a tough stretch for us.”
3) High Praise for QB Tyler Van Dyke’s Resiliency and Humility
Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke wasn’t at Big Ten Media Days, but that didn’t stop Fickell from praising his newest signal-caller.
“I could say a lot of great things about Tyler,” Fickell said. “The greatest thing is that Tyler was walked in and embraced everything with our program. Understood what he was walking into year one. The ups and the downs, the things that we needed from him.
“(Van Dyke) has a humility behind himself. When he walked in the door, that he was willing and understood that he was going to have to earn everything. He understood that it was going to be a battle. There wasn’t going to be keys that were just handed to him.
In three seasons as the starter for the Hurricanes, Van Dyke tossed for 7,469 yards, 54 TDs, and 23 picks, with 2,703 yards, 19 TDs, and 12 picks in 11 games last season. Now a senior, he’ll play his last season in Madison.
“I think the greatest thing about Tyler was his ability to say ‘I need to refocus.’ I understand what his goals were individually. He knew that there were things that he needed to continue to grow and do. He had experienced an incredible amount of adversity during his three years of starting down in Miami.”
“For me, if you said ‘what’s the greatest thing you liked when identifying Tyler Van Dyke?’ I would say ‘all the adversity he had been through.’ He has the ability to handle three different coordinators.
“For him to go from the East Coast down to South Florida, win a starting position, have the ups and the downs, and be able to continue to stand tall and have the confidence to continue to play at the level that he expects to play. He’s done a phenomenal job, and I expect him to continue to grow in his leadership role.
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