Wisconsin

What Kenny Guiton will bring to Wisconsin’s new-look quarterback group in 2025

Published

11 months ago

January 24, 2025

What Kenny Guiton will bring to Wisconsin’s new-look quarterback group in 2025

MADISON, Wis. — As Kenny Guiton exchanged pleasantries with reporters this week before settling in to discuss his promotion to Wisconsin’s quarterbacks coach, he flashed a wide smile that said everything about what this role meant to him. How was Guiton feeling in that moment?

“Awesome, awesome,” he said. “Living a dream.”

That remark might seem like mindless small talk for some. But for Guiton, it represented his genuine appreciation for a job opportunity more than a decade in the making.

GO DEEPER

Kenny Guiton taking over as Wisconsin’s QB coach, shifting from WR duties: Source

Guiton, 33, spent five seasons as a quarterback at Ohio State from 2009-13, primarily as the backup to Braxton Miller. He became a beloved Buckeye whom then-Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman once referred to as “the best backup quarterback in America.” Guiton played one season for the LA Kiss in the Arena Football League before beginning his coaching career by reuniting with Herman as a graduate assistant at Houston.

The position mostly involved coaching wide receivers and not quarterbacks. But since Guiton wanted to get his foot in the door as a college football coach, he accepted. Guiton went all-in on learning the intricacies of wide receiver play and proved to be quite good at teaching his players. That led him down a path as a full-time wide receivers coach at five different schools in eight seasons: Houston, Louisiana Tech, Colorado State, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Guiton acknowledged he fell into an enjoyable rhythm coaching the position and loved the job. Still, his curiosity and desire to mold quarterbacks given that he played the position his entire career remained. So when Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell had an opening for a quarterbacks coach this offseason, Guiton couldn’t wait to stand up in front of the staff and present his ideas during the interview process.

Fickell had known Guiton since he was 18 years old, when Guiton arrived at Ohio State and Fickell was the Buckeyes’ linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. He thought highly enough of Guiton to hire him as Wisconsin’s wide receivers coach before the start of last season. But none of that guaranteed Guiton would earn the quarterbacks coaching job this offseason. He had to earn it on his own merits.

Guiton said he wasn’t sure if he had done enough to convince the staff after leaving his interview and pored over what he could have said in talking afterward to his wife, Rachell. But Wisconsin’s coaches were impressed with Guiton’s passion and vision for shaping the quarterback room.

“We talked to a lot of people about that job, interviewed several in person as well as talked to a lot of guys on the phone,” said Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, whom Fickell hired last month. “But at the end of all that, to a man, our offensive staff — and all those guys sat in on the interviews with me and coach Fickell — but all of us felt like he was the best guy for the job.

“I think you probably have a certain perception of someone based on what his position is at that time. And he’s been a receivers coach. You know that he knows that position. But then you hear him start talking about the quarterback position and immediately you go, ‘Oh wow, this guy really knows.’ It’s not just something that he did a long time ago. You can tell he’s continued to pay attention and learn along the way.”

Wisconsin football announces that Kenny Guiton has been named quarterbacks coach.
🔗| https://t.co/0TKo9rZCMu@CoachGuiton x #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/5twbJImDWw
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) January 8, 2025
Advertisement

Guiton was named in 2020 while at Colorado State to 247Sports’ “30 under 30” as one of the nation’s top young assistant coaches. He was consistently praised during his first season at Wisconsin for his energy and positivity around players. Guiton also showcased his versatility as a coach in each of the last two seasons.

He was the interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas in 2023 after head coach Dan Enos was fired eight games into the season. Fickell fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo last November with two regular season games remaining, which allowed Guiton to coach both the wide receivers and the quarterbacks in what amounted to an additional job interview. Guiton said he believed those two weeks played a small role in providing him a legitimate shot at the job this offseason.

Guiton’s ability to work well with others continues to be on display. New wide receivers coach Jordan Reid, whom Fickell hired from Western Michigan, said Guiton had been “unbelievable in terms of helping me transition in this process” by sharing his knowledge of the players and what to expect.

This marks the first quarterback-specific coach at Wisconsin since Jon Budmayr during the 2020 season. Former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst worked with the quarterbacks after Budmayr left to become offensive coordinator at Colorado State. During Fickell’s first two seasons at Wisconsin, Longo also served as the quarterbacks coach. Fickell stressed last month the value of having someone work exclusively with the quarterbacks given the time demands and the importance of the position.

GO DEEPER

What will new Wisconsin OC Jeff Grimes bring to Badgers?

Guiton inherits a quarterback room that will look almost entirely different from last season, save for the return of redshirt freshman walk-on Milos Spasojevic. Wisconsin added two transfer portal quarterbacks: redshirt senior Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland and sophomore Danny O’Neil from San Diego State. Wisconsin also signed four-star incoming freshman Carter Smith. It is unusual to enter a season with just three scholarship quarterbacks, and Guiton said the staff was having ongoing conversations about whether to add a fourth before the start of next season.

One of the areas Guiton said he shared during the interview process was his philosophical approach to quarterback play, which he noted required intangibles including leadership and toughness to allow teammates to follow the quarterback’s direction. As for the traits he values on the field, Guiton cited decision making and playmaking ability. He wants quarterbacks with a blend of passing talent and athleticism either to run or create a second play by working the pocket and making off-schedule throws.

Guiton said he believed all three scholarship quarterbacks provided those traits. Smith ran for 2,620 yards and 56 touchdowns during his high school career. Edwards amassed 375 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in three seasons at Maryland, while O’Neil recorded 93 yards rushing and a touchdown as a freshman at San Diego State last season.

“You have to have a guy back there that can kind of be an eraser, and I do see that in all three,” Guiton said. “Right now I see three guys that are eager obviously in a small amount of time that I’ve had a chance to get with them, to learn. I think you’re going to get much better leadership. That’s just the things that I’m preaching to these guys that I think will be good throughout the room.”

Guiton will attempt to elevate a Wisconsin passing game that hasn’t been particularly impressive since the 2019 season with Jack Coan when the Badgers reached the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin’s quarterbacks haven’t completed better than 60 percent of their passes in a full season in any of the past four years. Last season with Longo running the offense and backup Braedyn Locke starting the final nine games, Wisconsin ranked 102nd in passing yards per game, 110th in completion percentage and tied for 118th in yards per completion.

It is no small task to undertake but one Guiton has waited on for a long time.

“Once the opportunity arose, I just knew that this is really what I wanted,” Guiton said. “It was a dream of mine. It’s still fun to be in that wideout room but, man, it’s a lot of fun to coach the quarterbacks.”

(Photo: Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA Today)

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Wisconsin Badgers

Click to comment

Wisconsin

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Published

9 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Nearly all artificial Christmas trees in the world today are made in China. And with that comes an up to 30 percent tariff rate on imported Christmas products — including artificial trees.

Kris Reisdorf is co-president of the Racine- and Sturtevant-based home and garden store Milaeger’s. On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Reisdorf said tariffs are affecting their prices on artificial trees, but she’s mitigating most of the rate hike through negotiations with manufacturers and by taking on lower profit margins herself.

“We are doing our fair share in making Christmas affordable,” Reisdorf said. “When the average person is thinking 30 percent (tariffs), that’s not by any means what they’re really paying.”

News with a little more humanity

WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.

Milaeger’s “almost real” trees range from under $100 to well over $3,000. Reisdorff said she’s raised prices for all artificial trees by only around $20 compared to last year.

Residorf said tree sales are largely stable despite the uptick in tariff pricing.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll last year found that 58 percent of Americans were buying artificial trees instead of real ones. That’s up from 40 percent in 2010.

Greg Hann owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Oregon. Hann also sits on the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association Board and is president-elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Hann told “Wisconsin Today” the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a surge in business for real evergreen trees and that demand has been holding relatively steady ever since. That said, Hann acknowledged real Christmas tree sales are up for him and fellow growers this year. He attributed the increase in sales to the tariffs and the fact that farmers’ supplies are finally catching up to the higher demand brought on by COVID-19. Nearly all real trees come from the United States or Canada, according to Hann.

Hann said a recent survey by the National Christmas Tree Association found 84 percent of Christmas tree growers nationwide have kept prices the same over the last two years, and that includes his own farm. Being grown locally in Wisconsin, Hann said his business is largely unaffected by tariffs.

“It’s kind of nice to have a good supply with a stable price in this economy,” he said.

Reisdorf said that some artificial tree manufacturers are moving operations outside of China to places like Cambodia. But most other countries in the east are also facing tariff threats.

Instead, Reisdorf said artificial tree importers are lobbying President Donald Trump to lower his 30 percent tariffs on Christmas products like trees and ornaments, because those kinds of goods aren’t coming back to be made in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Hann said his organization is lobbying to have tariffs on artificial trees increased to 300 percent. He said the added tariff costs help create an “even playing field” between real and artificial trees, since farmers have to pay farm staff and cover fertilizer costs.

But it isn’t always about the cost. Reisdorf said artificial trees have the benefit of lasting “forever,” essentially.

Hann said many of his customers come to the farm looking to keep up the Christmas tradition of picking out their own family tree.

“They’re looking for that fragrance of a real tree,” he said. “They want to start that tradition of the family together. They pick the tree, they take it into their house.”

Source link

Wisconsin

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

Published

21 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.

Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.

“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”

Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.

With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.

Source link

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Sisters Alicia and Lizzy Andrew will face each other in the NCAA volleyball tournament regional semifinals.
Alicia is a redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin, while Lizzy is a sophomore middle blocker for Stanford.
Alicia and Lizzy Andrew have similarities on and off the court as they each contribute to college volleyball powerhouses.

MADISON — It did not take long for Alicia Andrew to text her younger sister after watching the NCAA volleyball selection show with her Wisconsin teammates in a lounge area in the south end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.

“I was like, ‘Girl!’” Andrew said. “She’s like, ‘I know! I’ll see you in Texas! And I was like, ‘I’m so excited!’”

Andrew will not see her younger sister in the Gregory Gym stands like any other family members, but rather on the court as an opposing player in the Badgers’ NCAA tournament regional semifinal match against Stanford.

Alicia Andrew is a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin. Lizzy Andrew is a 6-foot-5 sophomore middle blocker for Stanford. The sisters will play against each other for the first time with a spot in the NCAA regional finals on the line.

“Certainly when you’re having two high-level Division I starters on teams that are top five, top 10 in the country playing the same position, that’s pretty unique,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They’re both talented and competitive. But I also know that the players aren’t going to make it about themselves or the person that’s on the other side of the net. They’re parts of teams that are trying to move on and move forward and play great volley.”

Alicia has naturally fielded questions about the sibling rivalry, but she is “not reading too much into rivalry stuff and just playing this sport.”

“It’s another game,” she said after a recent UW practice. “Yes, it’s her across the net. But it’s a business. We both want to move on to the next round.”

Both players have played key parts in their respective teams’ path to this stage.

Alicia, after transferring from Baylor, is the only UW player to appear in all 98 sets this season and one of five to appear in all 30 matches. She is second on the team with 111 blocks, barely trailing fellow middle blocker Carter Booth’s 119.

“Really wants to be good for the people around her,” Sheffield said of Alicia. “Wants to do her job. Takes pride in her job. There’s a maturity, but yet there’s a playfulness that is a really good balance for her. Love coaching her. She’s wired the right way. She really is.”

Lizzy, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the country with a .441 hitting percentage in 2025 after earning a spot on the all-ACC freshman team in 2024. She also has experience playing with the U.S. U21 national team.

“I’m so proud of how hard she worked and her journey to Stanford,” Alicia said. “She puts in so much work, and she just loves the sport of volleyball. And I have loved watching her grow. It’s been fun to see her get better and better every year. And this past season, she’s been playing lights out.”

That pride has turned Alicia into a frequent viewer of ACC volleyball, of course whenever it has not conflicted with the Badgers’ own matches.

“We try to watch as many of each other’s games as we can, and I always just love watching her play,” she said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s just worked her tail off at Stanford, so to see her excel has been so fun.”

The Andrew sisters — Alicia, Lizzy and Natalie, who is on the rowing team at the U.S. Naval Academy — competed together in high school. (They also have a younger brother, William.) Competing against each other is a new concept for them, though.

“We’re not huge trash talkers, neither one of us,” Alicia said. “So I think that she’s going to play her game. I’m going to play my game. We’re going to have our heads down. There might be some looking across and smiling because we make the exact same expressions and quirky faces and reactions.”

The sisters don’t look the same – Lizzy has blonde hair and Alicia has brown hair. But Alicia quickly sees the resemblance with those on-court mannerisms.

“If there’s a silly play or if there is like a really unexpected dump or something, she’ll turn around and make the exact same face that I will,” Alicia said. “And it’s funny watching her on TV because I’m like, ‘Wow, that looks scary familiar.’”

They have some similarities off the court, too.

“We’re just goobers,” Alicia said. “We just like to have a good time together. Obviously she’s my little sister, but we have always been a close family — like all the siblings — so I feel like we’ve done all the things together growing up in all the sports.”

The Andrew parents are perhaps the biggest winners of the NCAA tournament bracket.

“My parents were super excited,” Alicia said. “They don’t have to split the travel plan, so they can save some frequent flyer miles there and both be in Texas. … They’re always trying to coordinate all the schedules.”

The Andrew family made T-shirts for the unique sisterly matchup. (Alicia thinks she is getting one considering they asked her and Lizzy for their shirt sizes in the family group chat.) The shirts are black, too, so there is no favoritism between Wisconsin and Stanford’s variations of cardinal red.

“They have a Stanford ‘S’ and a tree on it and then a Wisconsin ‘W’ and a little Badger on it, too,” Andrew said. “They’re really excited about these shirts. They’re being non-biased; they’re repping both daughters.”

Source link