Wisconsin Coach Teases Major Change As The Team Plunges Into Chaos. Will It Save His Job?
Is a QB change coming for the Badgers?
It appears Wisconsin Badgers coach Luke Fickell might be an avid OutKick reader.
Fickell is currently fighting to save his job as his seat is currently engulfed in flames. It's honestly a bit surprising he hasn't been fired yet with the team sitting at 2-6 and racing in the wrong direction.
Despite the product on the field (it's terrible), the school and AD Chris McIntosh remain committed to the Fickell experiment.
A few days ago, I wrote that he might have one last ditch move to bring fans back into the fold:
Wisconsin is refusing to fire Luke Fickell. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Luke Fickell teases major QB move.
It's clear that trotting Hunter Simmons back on the field for Wisconsin is a road to nowhere that ends in success.
Wisconsin might as well let the highly-touted freshman get some reps with just four games left. After all, burning the redshirt is no longer a concern.
It sounds like there's a very real chance that's exactly what Fickell plans to do.
Should Wisconsin play Carter Smith at QB? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
"Yeah, Carter Smith is in the mix, so to speak. You know, after a bye week, we got him out there. Got some more opportunities for him. And, then that's one of those things we'll just have to see. So, there's a lot of chances for a lot of guys, but Carter is definitely one of them," Fickell said during his weekly press conference when asked if the dual-threat freshman will get on the field.
You can watch his full comments in the video below starting around 2:45, and make sure to let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
I would like to note that there's been a lot of chatter about Carter Smith over the past 24-48 hours, especially following Fickell's comment.
I called for it on October 30th, before anyone was really considering it. Am I a savant and visionary? I'll let the history books decide the answer to that, but I sincerely hope Fickell takes my strong suggestion to get Smith on the field sooner than later.
The reason why is clear. There's no downside. The season is over and it's now about convincing fans there's something being built towards in the future.
Let's look at the stats from Simmons and Danny O'Neil:
- Hunter Simmons: 46/92 passing, 469 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, five interceptions
- Danny O'Neil (currently glued to the bench): 61/88 passing, five passing touchdowns, five interceptions
Yeah, nobody is getting excited to see those two get on the field. It's not personal. It's just true.
Luke Fickell teased getting Carter Smith some reps at QB. He's a highly-touted freshman quarterback with dual-threat skills. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Wisconsin closes out the season against Washington, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. I won't be shocked at all if the Badgers lose all four, but if that's going to happen, the future of the team might as well get a head start on playing. Agree? Disagree? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.