What Luke Fickell said after Wisconsin football practice

The University of Wisconsin football team completed its fifth spring practice in the McClain Center on Tuesday morning, and coach Luke Fickell believes this week starts a critical stretch for his Badgers.

“So (these) practices five through nine to me will tell us, not just myself, but these guys in this locker room who we really are and who we want to be,” Fickell said. “And so I think this is a really important time for us. It’s not as maybe, hooting and hollering as it is of a true, true workday, but these guys got to come out here, we got to work, we got to compete.

“Emotionally sometimes, like yeah, you understand it’s practice five, six, seven, eight, nine. The emotion might be a little bit different than it is in one, two, three and four, but the work and the intensity cannot be any different. Actually, it’s got to rise, and so I think that’s where I’m excited to see who we are and and let our leaders kind of set the example and lead.”

Here are three things we learned from Fickell’s news conference.

Safety Kamo’i Latu injury update

Kamo’i Latu was held out of practice Tuesday after suffering a right shoulder injury during Saturday’s practice, and the safety was seen in a sling Tuesday. Latu, who started six of the 11 games he played in 2023, was receiving first-team reps alongside all-Big Ten honoree Hunter Wohler during the first four practices prior to his injury.

University of Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell talks to reporters about the injury to safety Kamo’i Latu and the unknown timeline of his return.

Luke Fickell seeks balance in Wisconsin’s ‘competitive’ quarterback competition

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo said that he viewed the quarterback position as “a four-man competition.” Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke have received first-team reps through the first five practices, with Van Dyke receiving the bulk of those first-team snaps Tuesday.

The Badgers are evaluating their quarterbacks but their coach explains his value on those repetitions.

Expanded Big Ten Conference ‘makes everybody have to raise their game’

Wisconsin and the rest of the Big Ten will welcome Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA and Washington for the 2024 season. The Badgers will face the Trojans and Ducks.

Four new teams will enter the Big Ten Conference in July. It brings a new challenge for the Badgers and their league rivals.