Luke Fickell Shares Unique Outlook On Fighting In Practice

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell isn't afraid of a little roughhousing in practice.

Fickell is entering his second season with the Badgers after an incredibly disappointing 7-6 inaugural campaign in Madison.

Fans expect much better than what they got in 2023, and Fickell is smashing the gas ahead of this upcoming season.

That includes letting guys get after in practice.

Luke Fickell doesn't hate seeing guys get chippy in practice.

Most coaches in 2024 don't like to see players starting fights in practice, and very few would be willing to admit they're fine with it. Luke Fickell doesn't have an issue with guys getting after it, and he doesn't care who knows it.

"On the record, I tell you, no, I don’t. I don’t condone those things, but off the record, I would. You know what? As I said, to be able to play [with] the edge is really important," the Wisconsin leader told the media when talking about how he views scuffles and tempers flaring in practice, according to Bucky's 5th Quarter.

"And what we need to understand is when a guy goes over the edge that there can’t be things that escalate. And I think it’s a great learning lesson to say when your buddy loses his mind, your job is to grab your guy. As you know, in a game, if you grab the other team, it’s a penalty. It’s the same thing in practice. You’re learning the situations where guys are going to lose their emotions at some point in time. And if they’ve got the buddies around them, they can grab them and control them," Fickell further told the media about the importance of getting fighting out of guys' systems now and not later in the season.

Luke Fickell doesn't mind guys getting chippy in practice. (Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

While Fickell definitely doesn't want guys to go too far, he further made it clear that at the end of the day, it's great to see some edge.

The Wisconsin coach elaborated, "I think it’s a really healthy thing. If things escalate, if things get out of control where you can’t practice and guys lose their minds, I don’t think it’s a good thing. But I think if you can’t push these guys and make sure they understand that there’s an edge that you have to play with, it’s going to be difficult for us to be the type of team we want to be."

I might be in the minority here, but I think Fickell's outlook is 100% correct. Now, can you have someone running around practice just pulverizing people and constantly starting fights? No, but if things occasionally boil over, then so be it.

After all, Wisconsin often appeared to lack passion and fire throughout large chunks of last season. If players getting into a few fights and scuffles in practice gets the fire lit again, then I think Fickell will be more than fine with it.

Better to have controlled chaos and fire then have none at all.

Will Wisconsin improve in Luke Fickell's second year with the program? (Credit: USA Today Sports Network/Journal Sentinel)

I truly can't wait for the season to start, and I know there are plenty of other Wisconsin fans who feel the exact same way. It's time for the Badgers to put up or shut up, and I have a feeling Fickell will get the job done. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.