Badgers fans hopeful for 2023 as regular season comes to a close

MADISON, Wis. – With the 2022 Badgers football regular season winding down, fans flocked to Camp Randall to jump around one last time.

Even if 2022 didn’t go exactly how Badgers fans hoped, it’s Axe Week, the battle of the border, it’s Minnesota at Wisconsin.

“We don’t like them, they don’t like us, that’s pretty much the best way to put it,” said Daniel Meissner, a die-hard Badgers fan. 

And while the Badgers wait on the announcement of their new full-time head coach, they took a shot at the Gophers’ top dog. 

“I always tell people PJ Fleck’s been around for five years, my son has seen the axe more in this locker room than PJ Fleck has,” said, Brian Scribner, Host of the Scrib and Gib Podcast. 

Anticipating a potential announcement for a new permanent head coach, fans are riled up.

“Ushering in a new era with Jimmy Leonhard, right, you expect after today, after a victory, we expect the announcing of Jim Leonhard as your new head coach here at Wisconsin,” Scribner said. “I think for a lot of Cadger fans that’s exciting, I mean young guy, NFL guy, hey, walk-on guy from Northern Wisconsin,” 

Recognizing Paul Chryst’s contributions, Leonhard is their guy.

“You hate to do that to a Wisconsin guy like Chryst, but I think Jim Leonhard isn’t just the guy because he is a Wisconsin guy,” Meissner said. “He understands the program and he understands tradition, but also because he’s one heck of a football coach.” 

Despite the lackluster season, energy is abundant at Camp Randall, fans are thrilled to see the fire in the belly of their Badgers. 

“You can tell the players care, it’s awesome, I mean, at the end of the day, we’ve had the guys we’ve had Russell Wilson and JJ Watt, they’ve kinda passed the tradition down,” Meissner said.  “So I think it’s great to give the younger guys on the team a little taste of what this is all about.” 

“It’s huge when you see the excitement of the players, And I think that’s what Jimmy’s done, excitement back to the program, and the fans are excited about it,” Scribner says.  “A young guy bringing excitement to the program, hey he’s also a homegrown kid.”

It’ll be another 279 days till the next Badger home game, but when the time comes, these fans are always down to jump around. 

“There’s just nothing like Madison Wisconsin on a Saturday afternoon, it’s as plain and simple as that,” Meissner says. “You hear Matt Lepay say it all the time, this is the best college town in America.” 

While the Badgers are still headed to a bowl game, the team expected more, something these fans are certain will happen when the Badgers open their 2023 season on September 2nd.  

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