Is Bret Bielema hard core with a soft center, or a sensitive guy with unimpeachable integrity?
Yes.
Also easy to ascertain is his control of the University of Wisconsin football program. It’s a grip and a spotlight contrary to his status, at 36, as the youngest Division I football boss.
“I’ve never gotten a job because of my age,” Bielema says.
After a 42-day span from December to January saw eight Badgers players arrested or cited by police, an embarrassed Badgers alumni community was happy to see Bielema, in his first spring session since taking over as hand-picked successor to Barry Alvarez, suspend four players and dismiss Booker Stanley from the team for repeated offenses. It was a meaningful move, as Stanley was the most experienced returning running back. Bielema also put his charges through conditioning as punishment for lazy practices.
No, Alvarez wasn’t holding Bielema’s hands, or swinging the paddle. The sure-fire College Football Hall-of-Famer showed up at three of the 15 spring sessions.
Just when the Badgers figured they had Bielema, their defensive coordinator since 2004, marked as a bad-ass, they remembered that he was the guy who was writing each and every one of them – walk-ons to Lombardi and Outland Trophy candidates – birthday wishes. By hand.
“That really means a lot,” says senior left tackle Joe Thomas, the Lombardi and Outland hopeful.
Thomas, who will return from a knee injury suffered as he filled in on defense in the Badgers’ upset win over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl, has three roommates who were walk-ons. He says Bielema didn’t have to do much to impress them. Part of his charm for the Badgers is that he walked on at the University of Iowa and walked off with four letters, two years as a starting linebacker, one Big Ten championship and one co-captaincy.
Thomas’s roomies, punter Ken DeBauche, long snapper Steve Johnson and defensive back Ben Strickland, are now all scholarship guys. DeBauche is in the preseason pool of Ray Guy Award candidates, while Strickland is a two-time letterwinner.
“To them, (Bielema’s) pretty much like God,” Thomas says. “It’s so nice to talk to someone who understands. He treats everyone so fairly.”
Bielema says his rise from Illinois farm boy to Big Ten head coach has not jarred loose the mentality or memory of the slights that drive the overlooked and underestimated.
“You walk around with a chip on your shoulder,” he says. “I was told I couldn’t play at that level. Hard work and persistence can shine through.”
The Badgers will need something more flashy than that on offense, where they lose eight starters, mostly at the skill positions. The most-important skill position is secured by John Stocco, however, who returns with a 19-6 record as starting quarterback. He set three passing records in 2005, for yards (2,920), completions (197) and TDs (21), but has no one proven to hand off to or connect with through the air.
The running back position has been a strength historically for the Badgers, but the leading candidate at tailback, T.J. Hill, is a redshirt freshman with no game experience. Bielema says he likes his fullbacks, Chris Pressley and Bill Rentmeester, but that’s so he can delay talking about his receiving corps.
The top seven pass-catchers of 2005 are gone, and the leading returner is junior Marcus Randle-El, brother of Super Bowl champ Antwaan. Marcus has caught one pass in his 5 games. Ahem.
Moving on to the offensive line, which should be a strength. The 6-foot-8, 306-pound Thomas is the top lineman of the 2007 draft, and will be joined by 6-6, 321-pound redshirt sophomore right guard Kraig Urbik, who earned freshman All-America honors at right tackle in 2005, 6-7, 326-pound right tackle Eric VandenHeuvel, who shined against Auburn, junior left guard Marcus Coleman (6-6, 314), and sophomore center Andy Kemp (6-6, 321), who played at left guard last year.
“We had a lot of guys shift around, but everyone has either started a game or played a lot,” Thomas says. “We need some players to step up at skill positions. Some don’t have the experience, but that’s what practice is for.”
Bielema brought in seven new coaches, including defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who left the same post at the University of Colorado, and co-defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, who makes a lateral move from the University of Kansas. Bielema says he made it clear that he would not be fooling with the defense anymore. He will be heavily involved with special teams.
“I’m not ready to give up that whistle,” he says.
He leaves a stout 4-3 defense to Hankwitz and Doeren. A rough start and middle of the season (42 points allowed to Bowling Green, 51 to Northwestern) evolved into a 236-yard allowance to high-powered and seventh-ranked Auburn. Twenty-six of the team’s 31 sacks in 2005 return.
Coming back are eight starters and a line whose depth can be measured in fathoms. Eight of the linemen have started a Big Ten contest, led by honorable mention all-Big Ten tackle Nick Hayden (6-5, 310) and end Nick Shaughnessy, who garnered freshman All-America honors and put on 25 good pounds since an injury cut short his season. Junior Brandon Kelly had a fine spring, while Joe Monty is the lone senior lineman.
That front is bolstered by a young, athletic, exciting linebacking crew. Senior Mark Zalewski (6-2, 236) is one of three team captains and will guide sophomores Jonathan Casillas (6-2, 208) and DeAndre Levy (6-3, 220). That trio is backed by 6-1, 220-pound redshirt freshman middle linebacker Elijah Hodge, who stood out in the spring.
Behind those groups is a veteran defensive-back crew. Bielema calls senior strong safety Joe Stellmacher a “chemistry guy,” and that his absence from the Northwestern game was a likely reason for much of the Wildcats scoring. Senior free safety senior Roderick Rodgers was second-team All Big Ten last season, while sophomore Jack Ikegwuonu returns from a 3-interception, 26-tackle 2005.
Don’t count on Thomas as a defensive replacement anymore – “I’ve got a pretty good pass rush,” he says – but he says don’t count out the Badgers in 2006, despite their sharing a conference with four teams likely to be in the preseason top 25 and having a two-name offense. Most will, though.
“That would be just fine with us,” says Thomas. “We snuck up on Auburn.”

Haha, whatever. I’m living the American Dream, for real, and dont need fucks like mrjer, who are just sad, sad, people, questioning me or what I have done.

You moved to Denmark?

/Where Horatio Alger moved
//We talking ’bout social mobility

Just like being a doctor, this means nothing without knowing what school.

Florida Coastal!

Soused – please start a sister blog “Girls Eating Bananas” ASAP

Not sure how that works for feminism (when a woman calls me out for using the word “cunt” I will her I am a feminist blogger)?

/yells at kids

I’ve also been a licensed attorney, graduated law school, written a law review comment, and am getting licensed in another state. So fuck you troll

I’ve also been a licensed drunkard, graduated school of hard knocks, written the worlds greatest blog, and am getting drunk in different countries so fuck you troll.

/Is good game

graduated law school,

Just like being a doctor, this means nothing without knowing what school. There is an amazing amount of shitty doctors out there from crappy medical schools.

Internet fight!

Naw, I know when I’m beat…the guy is a convict lawyer….I wouldn’t stand a chance…HE WROTE A LAW REVIEW COMMENT FOR CHRISSAKES

I’ve also been a licensed attorney, graduated law school, written a law review comment, and am getting licensed in another state. So fuck you troll

I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

I can attest to the fact that at least two of these are overrated.

“Written a Law Review Comment” Lol

Soused, anytime you ask something like that to a guy thats been to prison you are asking for a beat down. Just saying.

I knew at the time, but it was too funny to pass up.