Column: Wisconsin football can't keep selling leadership. It requires proof.
Luke Fickell says Wisconsin football's trajectory has changed because of its leadership. Similar comments in the past make that message harder to buy.
The University of Wisconsin football program has reached the point where generating offseason optimism alone is no longer enough.
Luke Fickell knows that better than anyone.
Big Ten Media Days gives every coach an opportunity to explain why this year’s team is different. They arrive convinced meaningful progress has been made and point to familiar themes such as culture, chemistry and leadership. Fickell is no different.
Leadership, in particular, has become one of the defining themes of his tenure at Wisconsin. This year, he believes it has fundamentally altered the trajectory of the program.
Maybe he’s right. At this point, he needs to be.
Because if Fickell’s first three seasons in Madison have taught us anything, it’s that Wisconsin’s leadership has consistently sounded a hell of a lot stronger in July than it has looked in October and November.
That doesn’t mean this year’s team isn’t different, that the locker room hasn’t grown roots or that Fickell is wrong. It simply means those claims have earned less benefit of the doubt than they once did.
