Luke Fickell was not going to let 2024 happen again. It was brutal for him to watch a position where he hinges his whole offense around spiral with mediocre and backup quarterback play. He made two very intentional changes to ensure it would never happen again. Both decisions were not subtle; they were extreme. He changed the entire offense and ensured he had a backup quarterback with starting experience.
Last season, Tyler Van Dyke was injured in week three against Alabama, and he never returned. The Badgers had to turn to Braedyn Locke, and the season just never got back on track. While Van Dyke was probably not going to lead them to some sort of promised land, it derailed Fickell's plan completely.
Luke Fickell changed the entire offense to fix the QB woes from 2024
The first thing that Fickell did was change the entire offense. He went away from a spread style to a pro style. Phil Longo, the previous offensive coordinator, departed, and Fickell hired Jeff Grimes, who runs a more balanced attack. Fickell even said that he wanted an offense like this for balance, and his line that really makes you know he lost sleep about 2024 is that he needed an offense that could overcome "average or below average quarterback play."
Just in case.
Luke Fickell made sure he had a backup QB that could be the starter if needed
He also did something he hadn't done in the past. He went into the transfer portal and added not just one starting quarterback but two. He brought in Billy Edwards Jr., a transfer from Maryland with Big Ten experience and a ton of leadership qualities, to be QB1. He also convinced Danny O'Neil, a true freshman starter from San Diego State, to come and be QB2.
O'Neil started all last season for the Aztecs, and coming in and being the backup is a big switch for him. But as Fickell learned the previous season, you may need that backup to play a lot more than you planned. He needed two starters.
Just in case.
The offense completely evolved from 2024 to 2025 thanks to a week three injury and a system that just couldn't overcome it.