The former Athletic Director had a strong message for the current players.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been in a tough position over the past few years, as they attempt to undergo a transition in the new state of college football with NIL taking over.
Firing head coach Paul Chryst back in 2022 amid what would be a 7-6 season, the Badgers have compiled a record of 19-18 over the past three seasons, most recently coming off a 5-7 year under second-year head coach Luke Fickell.
That was the worst year Wisconsin has endured since going 5-7 back in 2001, snapping a 22-year bowl game streak that was among the top in the country.
As the Badgers have looked to rebuild their program and adapt to the new ways of college football, it’s been more of a struggle than anticipated for Fickell and his staff, prompting the head coach to make a number of necessary changes in each of the past few offseasons.
Now, with 25 players transferring out and nearly two dozen coming in via the portal, the Badgers have a much different roster in 2024 as they look to change the narrative around the program.
Well, from the outside looking in, there are clearly frustrations going around from the fanbase to former alumni to one key Badger legend: former head coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez.
Speaking on ESPN Madison’s The Great Dane Huddle, Alvarez stressed the importance of setting the tone in the locker room early for this season, starting in spring practice.
“This spring practice is important because after having a losing season, there has to be a pride in this team that they want to come back and bounce back and be relevant again,” Alvarez said. “We went a long time [without winning], we worked our fannies off, to start winning, win championships, be good, and go to bowl games every year. Damnit, we did it better than everybody for 20-something years after not going for like a million years.”
“Now, these guys have to fight their a** off to get back into that groove. And I hope they understand that. They’ve got a responsibility. I don’t like where we are right now. They need to bounce back, and put this program back where it belongs.”
Alvarez’s sentiment is one that many share about the Badgers program, as they haven’t seen the same levels of success that fans were accustomed to for the past 20 years, with missing a bowl game this season serving as the last straw.
Head coach Luke Fickell knows how important it is to turn things around sooner than later, as Wisconsin will need to figure out a way to navigate through some tough schedules over the next few seasons.
But, patience is starting to grow thin, even with the strong recruiting success, as the Badgers turnaround is taking longer than expected.