Luke Fickell Gives Passionate Speech About Effort And Toughness

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell doesn't have any tolerance for guys taking plays off.

The new leader of the Badgers hit the ground running when he arrived in Madison, and he's been busy installing and building up the kind of culture he wants to see.

Luke Fickell is building his own culture with the Wisconsin Badgers. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fans expect a total reset of the program, and Fickell is definitely in the process of giving it to them. One of the major things he made clear during a recent speech is that taking plays off or not giving 100% effort simply won't be tolerated.

The head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers said the following in part when firing up his guys:

I see the competitive spirit, but when things get really frickin tough, when you get tired, how you handle that is a big deal. That's what this is all about. Does this make you a better football player? It's not tackling. It's not catching, but it's creating an ability to fight through the really tough sh*t. When you get tired and all of a sudden your back tightens up. I've seen dudes go out there in front of the entire team and pull a dude off the map but then I watch them over there on the individual get their ass pulled off a mat. So, what does that mean? It means they pick and choose when they go and that's what we can't have. You have to go at all times, man. That's the only way you continue to build what it is we're doing. You don't get to pick and choose because the way you do anything is the way you do everything, and that's what we're trying to train.

You can watch his full comments below. It's classic football guy content.

Luke Fickell sets the tone for the Wisconsin Badgers.

In case you didn't already know, the old ways are over in Madison. That's not to say Paul Chryst ever tolerated laziness, but you never saw videos like this when he was coach.

This reminds me a lot of when Herb Brooks told the guys trying out for the Miracle on Ice squad that they'd make his job very easy if they gave anything less than 100%.

It's not even harsh. It's just true. If you're not willing to give everything you have, why are you even there?

We're still more than six months out from Wisconsin's first regular season game with Luke Fickell as head coach. As a Wisconsin man, I can't even begin to describe how pumped the state is. It truly feels like a new era is here because it is. 2023 is going to be an incredible year, especially if Fickell keeps pumping out speeches like this one.