There is no denying the special level that Wisconsin’s defense has played at the last three years. Few defenses have been as consistently great across the board as UW’s was, but as 2016 approaches there is a whole lot that is new.
Chief amongst the new pieces to the puzzle is a new defensive coordinator, with Dave Aranda off to LSU and Justin Wilcox in from his last stop at USC. Transitions can go one of two ways, and for a team that prides itself on hard-nosed defense and a pounding offensive attack that transition better go well.
That’s especially the case for a Badgers team with a razor-thin margin for error given its brutal Big Ten conference slate.
On Tuesday during Big Ten media days, Chryst spoke about the transition happening and believes it has been an easy one for his players.
“Our kids, they made an easy transition, I think, for our kids as far as how we’re calling the defenses,” said Chryst. “And every year you’re going to change. And Vince Biegel, who is here, and I think is certainly one of, if not our best player, one of our best players. And yet Vince is going to have a different role than he had last year.”
The exact reasons for the ease of transition aren’t as simple to pin down, but Chryst does believe the affects of the past three or four years have helped his players deal with what can be a jarring period in a young players life.
“A lot of what you do…how do you get comfortable being uncomfortable,” said Chryst. “A lot of how do you learn again.”
Wisconsin has gone through three head coaches, a switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4 defense and now sees the architect of the 3-4 transition off to a new gig.
Aranda came to campus and installed the 3-4 look that has taken UW’s defense to another level, and that could mean any change could upset a team at the height of its defensive power.
There are also some very key missing parts from last season’s success, including Big Ten Linebacker of the Year Joe Schobert, a retiring DE in Arthur Goldberg and three quarters of a secondary lost to graduation.
Yet, Chryst sees a lot of potential thanks to playing time earned over the last year or two by younger players.
“We’ve got guys that played a lot of football last year that need to step into a new role,” Chryst sad. “So I think change is always a part of college football, certainly. I think it’s a part of everything. It’s a part of life.
“I’m excited to see our kids and coaches as we grow and adjust to each other and certainly our defense last year, they gave us a chance to be in a lot of games and I think that we value and our kids know what good defense is, what it should look like. We’ll be tested differently than we were last year.”
One major test will certainly come in the form of the secondary that Wilcox puts out on the field in 2016. Not only are there three starters to replace, Wisconsin is thin on experience outside of the lone returning starter in Sojourn Shelton.
Wilcox also comes in with a reputation for getting the best out of secondaries and it appears he is less a proponent of leaving cornerbacks on an island than Aranda was. It usually has added up to secondaries with big numbers at his past stops, and it certainly was something UW’s secondary struggled with under Aranda.
The Badgers never got more than 21 turnovers forced in Aranda’s three years at the helm of the defense and USC has done a bit better in that time.
When the ball gets in the air for real against LSU, what may be the biggest factor isn’t experience but the ability for personalities to mesh. To that end, Chryst has also been impressed thus far this offseason.
“I also think the personalities of the people — players and coaches — help in that transition,” said Chryst. “I’ve been really pleased to see players, coaches…everyone kind of came together. I think it’s been good, we’re just starting (and) we have a long way to go. The people are what’s making it good, and I do think it has been good.”
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