Jeff Grimes spent three seasons as offensive coordinator at Baylor.
COLTEN BARTHOLOMEW
It's an unsettling time for college football fans.
Those who are passionate about the sport can't seem to go six months without another seismic shift in the way it operates, and the players, coaches and fans of the University of Wisconsin football team have been experiencing in real time how now more than ever the game is a year-to-year endeavor.
Building continuity in a roster or coaching staff never has been more difficult. Throw on top of that a team not performing well on the field and requiring stylistic changes each offseason under coach Luke Fickell and the Badgers haven't seemed on solid footing for some time. A gauntlet of a 2025 schedule that features three College Football Playoff teams from this fall won't be easy to navigate, particularly in October.
It'll take a great many people to get the Badgers back on the upswing as a program, but with an eye specifically on 2025, here are the 25 people not named Luke Fickell who are most important to that pursuit. And as an example of the volatility of college football right now: The first draft of this list had cornerback Xavier Lucas in the top 10, but he announced his intent to enter the transfer portal Dec. 19.
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1. Billy Edwards Jr.
It's always the quarterback, right? The Badgers will have a third transfer starter in as many seasons with Edwards, who started for Maryland last season. Edwards was the QB that Wisconsin coaches wanted most in the transfer market, seeing him as the most well-rounded player available, according to a source with knowledge of the Badgers' transfer board.
Edwards had some strong performances last season -- 289 yards and three touchdowns in a shootout loss to Indiana; 373 yards and two touchdowns on 78% completion rate in a comeback win against Southern Cal -- and the Badgers will need some more of those from the veteran QB.
Wisconsin's offensive line should be a significant step up from what Edwards worked with at Maryland, so that bodes well for him in 2025.
2. Jeff Grimes
Fickell hired Grimes as offensive coordinator because he wanted to get Wisconsin back to its roots of run-based, physical football. Grimes has brought that to each program where he's been the offensive coordinator, and he's got the tools (offensive line, RB talent, etc.) at Wisconsin to produce a strong rushing attack.
But Grimes needs to get the Badgers more efficient and consistent with the passing game. His style is to attack down the field off play-action, but he must find ways to get Edwards and the passing game to move the chains and improve the 58.6% completion rate Wisconsin's had the past two seasons.
Wisconsin doesn't have much time to give Grimes to get the offense rolling, so his ability to install his plan and get the players acclimated quickly is arguably the most important task for the Badgers this offseason.
3. Mike Tressel
The defensive coordinator that many fans want on the hot seat, if not fired already, is reshaping his unit on the fly this offseason. He's gone after bigger defensive linemen in the portal, brought in some different linebackers and will need to continue building out the secondary after an exodus of cornerbacks left the team thin.
Tressel must find ways to improve the team's pass rush and turnover creation. The Badgers ranked 17th in the Big Ten with 17 sacks, which was 121st of 134 teams in the FBS. Wisconsin created 12 turnovers this season, the fewest in a full season since at least 1946 when the team's fact book stops listing interceptions and fumbles recovered.
Whatever changes Tressel believes will help have to be tried in 2025 because he may not get another season at Wisconsin without significant improvement.
4. QB coach to be named later
Hiring Grimes, a coordinator who doesn't coach quarterbacks, pushed Wisconsin to hire a quarterback coach. This is a coaching arrangement that Fickell has experience with and allows the QB coach to focus on developing quarterbacks while lightening a bit of the game-planning load week to week.
That QB coach must develop four-star recruit Carter Smith and get him ready to take over the job in 2026 because the Badgers cannot afford -- financially and otherwise -- to keep relying on the transfer portal for short-term quarterbacks.
5. AJ Blazek
Wisconsin's offensive line coach gets rave reviews as an on-field coach and recruiter, and he helped improve the team's run and pass blocking in his first year on the job. His task in 2025 is to install the ideas Grimes -- a fellow former O-lineman -- brings to the program and maximize the young talent Blazek helped recruit to Wisconsin.
Fickell and Grimes want Wisconsin to be an offensive line driven team, so Blazek finding ways to push returners Joe Brunner, Riley Mahlman and Jake Renfro to new levels is crucial. Wisconsin showed it could control the game with the rushing attack against lesser foes in 2023, but it has to get back to doing so against better teams.
Blazek's biggest project next season might be presumptive starting left tackle Kevin Heywood. Heywood's size, talent and study habits allowed him to be the backup to Jack Nelson last season. He looked to be ready for a bigger role by midseason, and Blazek's mentorship could push Heywood to all-conference levels or higher.
Max Stienecker has been a driving force behind Wisconsin's improved recruiting efforts under Fickell, but his role in the program will be a bit different in 2025. Fickell said in July that Stienecker will become the program's general manager, and that move seems likely to coincide with the anticipated settlement of the House v. NCAA lawsuit that paves the way for direct payments from institutions to athletes. The settlement is expected to institute a de facto salary cap in college sports, with football players receiving the biggest chunk of those dollars.
Stienecker's duties as GM aren't yet known, but managing the team's salary pool and player acquisition are likely to be on that list.
He already has been recognized by 247Sports as one of the most impactful young off-field staffers in the sport. But if Stienecker can master his new role, he may find ways to give Wisconsin an edge in the new landscape of college football.
7. Brady Collins
Wisconsin's players were faster and stronger than they were in 2023 despite the team's record being worse. Those weight-room gains need to continue under strength and conditioning director Brady Collins. Another performance metric that shows Collins' work is that the Badgers were a healthy team for the most part.
Collins' challenge in 2025 is to get the talent of the freshman class ready to contribute quickly. Fickell said in early December that he believes young players have to see the field or clearly see their path to the field to retain and develop them, which means those players need to be physically prepared.
8. Darrion Dupree
The Badgers' new style of offense is going to get running back Darrion Dupree a lot of carries, and those rushes pretty often are going to be headed toward the edge. That should be a good recipe for Wisconsin after Dupree's freshman year in which he showed good burst and the ability to slip through tackles but perhaps not the strength to push the pile between the tackles.
Dupree showed flashes of being a playmaker that Grimes can use as a running back and receiving threat. A year of experience should help Dupree's vision and make him the kind of slashing back who can be dangerous in Grimes' scheme.
Receiver Trech Kekahuna was planning on not being at Wisconsin earlier this month, but he figures to be an important piece of the offense in 2025. He entered the transfer portal when it opened but posted on social media about a week later that he was returning to Wisconsin. He's shown he can be explosive when he gets the ball (29 career catches, 403 yards, two touchdowns).
Kekahuna's importance to the team spiked when fellow slot receiver Will Pauling entered the portal. With Kekahuna the lead man in the slot, we'll see how Grimes finds ways to get him involved.
10. Ricardo Hallman
We're not even sure Ricardo Hallman's going to be back with the Badgers next season. Hallman didn't participate in Wisconsin's senior day celebration before the regular-season finale and said he was undecided on his future in the week leading up to that game.
Whichever way it turns out, Hallman's important to Wisconsin. If he's on the team, he can be trusted with a side of the field. If he's not, the Badgers are even younger and thinner at cornerback than they presently stand.
11. Vinny Anthony
Grimes likes to throw deep when he has a quarterback with that skill set. He does at Wisconsin and Vinny Anthony might be the biggest beneficiary. The speedster from Louisville, Kentucky, proved last season he's a deep threat in the Big Ten, and Wisconsin's new system may give him even more chances to create big plays.
12. Christian Alliegro
If Tressel's able to improve the defense overall, the play of linebacker Chrisitan Alliegro likely will be at the center of that effort. Alliegro came on strong at the end of 2024 and ended the season as Wisconsin's second-leading tackler (66). Alliegro tied for the team lead with three sacks and was second with five tackles for loss. It'd be a massive upgrade for the Badgers if he can become an even bigger factor behind the line of scrimmage.
13. Jake Renfro
A new offense and a new quarterback likely mean some growing pains for the Badgers. Center Jake Renfro has been through this process before, so his ability to handle the line calls and help smooth out the process up front will be a big help next season.
14. Austin Brown
Brown was the primary nickelback for the Badgers last season and likely will handle that role again in 2025 after coaches landed multiple safeties from the portal to deepen that group. Brown had ups and downs, but he played better in games he played where he saw more action. He could become a special weapon as a rusher if Tressel decides to get more aggressive sending Brown into the backfield.
15. Kevin Heywood
The likely successor at left tackle is going to be crucial in el-evating the Badgers' run game. The wide-zone running concept that Grimes has installed at each of his OC stops has running backs target the outside shoulder of the tackle, so tackles blocking well on the edge and sealing it when they can is crucial to creating explosive runs.
16. Tanner Koziol
You don't recruit one of the most productive receiving tight ends in the country if you don't plan to use him. Ball State transfer Tanner Koziol could be a spark at tight end that the Badgers haven't had since Jake Ferguson went on to the NFL, and he is a strong run blocker for his position. Koziol had 58 of his 94 catches last season result in first downs or touchdowns.
17. Pat Lambert
Wisconsin's director of recruiting typically is thinking about longer-term roster construction, but his role in 2025 also includes helping the Badgers retain players who joined the team since he and Stienecker took over recruiting in late November 2022.
18. Taylor Ewald
Taylor Ewald leads the Badgers' on-campus recruiting efforts. Lambert and Stienecker both said that getting a recruit on campus is one of the biggest pieces of securing commitments, so Ewald's efforts in making those on-campus moments special are crucial to the Badgers stacking good classes.
19. E.J. Whitlow
The Badgers defensive line wasn't good enough last season, and that in part falls on Whitlow, the position's coach. The program has attacked the position in the transfer portal, landing five new players for the defensive front, so it's on Whitlow to get that group up to par. Wisconsin won't find its way up the Big Ten standings giving up rushing yardage like it did in 2024 (165 yards per game).
20. Dilin Jones
Running back Dilin Jones has a chance to be the offense's X-factor. He'll be near the top of the rotation at running back, but his speed and ability to get around the edge won't be wasted on the bench after Wisconsin coaches needed to do some convincing to keep him in Madison. Grimes has used jet sweeps and other techniques to get someone like Jones touches, so he could be in line for a varied role.
21. Monique Felix
All of the transfers Wisconsin is bringing in need some help getting lined up the academic side of things, and current players need assistance keeping on their paths to graduation. That's where Felix comes in as the director of football student services. She's one of the most important off-field staff members in the program.
22. Mason Reiger
The Badgers' pass rush needs serious and immediate help. Louisville transfer Mason Reiger missed the 2024 season due to a knee injury but recorded 21 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks in 2023 when the Cardinals made it to the ACC championship game.
He needs to get after opposing quarterbacks wherever he ends up playing on Wisconsin's defensive front.
23. Omillio Agard
Wisconsin's lack of depth and experience at cornerback opens a lot of opportunities for Omillio Agard, a talented class of 2024 recruit. It would give Tressel more secondary combinations to work with if he can take steps forward and be a reliable option at field cornerback or nickel.
24. Chris McIntosh
The Badgers athletic director is staying positive about the direction of the football program despite the results in 2024. His leadership through the new waters after the House v. NCAA settlement, construction of the new football practice facility and ever increasing costs of competitive football programs will keep him busy in 2025.
25. Nathanial Vakos
Wisconsin's kicker had an inconsistent season -- 12 of 19 on field goals, including 6 of 10 on tries between 30-39 yards and 0 of 3 on kicks from 40-49 yards. He needs to improve, and the specialist the Badgers saw coming in and challenging him, Erik Schmidt, flipped his recruiting commitment to Notre Dame.
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