The Wisconsin Badgers have lost a lot of players to the transfer portal since Luke Fickell was hired. Of course, that is to be expected whenever there is coaching turnover. However, the hiring of Fickell was enough to convince one Badgers wide receiver to leave the transfer portal. Wide receiver Markus Allen, who had entered the transfer portal and committed to Minnesota before all of the coaching drama took place, announced that he has decommitted from the Gophers and will return to the Badgers next season.
Markus Allen confirms he will play for the #Badgers in 2023.
UW gets its top four receivers back. https://t.co/M60DiYLBSt
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) December 8, 2022
Of course, Badgers fans are estatic that Allen has decided to return to Wisconsin. The freshman receiver has three years of eligibility remaining. He caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in six games for the Badgers this season. Under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, Allen is sure to have a MUCH bigger role in Wisconsin’s offense.
One former Wisconsin Badgers player, though, is not so excited to welcome Allen back to the program.
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Former Badgers Linebacker Jack Cichy Has Strong Words for the Program
Every Wisconsin Badgers fan remembers Jack Cichy fondly. In three seasons with Wisconsin, Cichy racked up 121 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. He was drafted in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2018 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, his short playing career was marred with injuries and he announced his retirement in February of this year. After volunteering with the Wisconsin coaching staff in 2021, he was hired as an offensive assistant for the 2022 season.
Whereas many are happy to retain Markus Allen under the new coaching staff, Cichy does not share the sentiment:
should I have kept my mouth shut? Absolutely, but I care too much about this place to do that. If you think we’re gonna have any different results from the past two years by welcoming back people who jumped ship, think again.
— Jack Cichy (@jackCICHY) December 8, 2022
The Tweet that Cichy was responding to was deleted by the author, but Cichy’s point is well-understood. He does not feel like Wisconsin should be welcoming back players that entered the transfer portal.
That is his opinion, and he is entitled to it.
Cichy is still listed as an offensive assistant on the current Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff.
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