Following the loss to #4 Alabama for the Wisconsin football team, many fans immediately felt the program would be in shambles.
While the Badgers did not look good on the field against the Crimson Tide, there is a misconception that their losses will result in diminishing recruiting success. However, after multiple Wisconsin recruits spoke to Wisconsin Sports Heroics regarding the game, it is evident that there is much more at stake than on field success. Recruits and families alike are looking far beyond what a team does game in, game out on the field and rather looking at how the program operates beyond the surface level.
Wisconsin Football Recruits Looking For Culture, Integrity From Program
Following the loss to the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide, the Wisconsin football fans began blowing up social media with concerns regarding the future of the program. Coach Luke Fickell, who is currently three games into his second season with the Badgers, has been under intense scrutiny from some Badgers fans. Many fans believe that Fickell is not accomplishing what he was brought to Wisconsin to do, and in turn could harm the future of the program.
However, the Wisconsin football program was never supposed to turn into a top-level, elite team overnight. Fickell has worked hard to build what he currently has built in Wisconsin, and still needs time to secure a roster of his own talent. The players Fickell has been recruiting closely have understood this, and see far beyond the field despite fans feeling otherwise.
2026 recruits Daylen Sharper (Four-Star WR), Marcello Vitti (Four-Star ATH), and Korz Loken (Four-Star TE) all provided feedback regarding the game. Vitti stated, “The loss really does not change things for me because I care about the growth and development the staff provides.” Loken and Sharper also agreed, as the duo feels the Badgers struggled but understand how to grow from their mistakes.
What Do Wisconsin Badgers Football Recruits Look For On the Field?
While the loss did not damage the Wisconsin football recruiting success or their relationships with recruits, it does offer a chance for a major bounce-back. All three recruits agreed, Wisconsin must improve, but it is improving upon their mistakes that is key as that is the only way to truly develop as a team. The Badgers might have had an ugly showing, but the staff understands what they did wrong and how to fix it which is what recruits are ultimately looking for out of a staff.
With the ugly showing on the field in mind, Loken put the loss into perspective by stating, “They had a big loss to a historically dominant program and the number four school in the country.” As bad as it may have been at times on the field, Wisconsin was not playing against an ‘easy’ team by any means. The Wisconsin football team made mistakes and that simply cannot happen against teams of the Crimson Tide caliber.
For other recruits, the play on the field is just another aspect that motivates the athlete to get onto campus and get to work. Sharper, an accomplished receiver, stated “The loss just proves you guys really need me.” Players nowadays want to make an impact, and when Sharper watched the game against the Crimson Tide, the receiver saw plenty of areas he could improve for the Badgers.
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