What are you still skeptical about when it comes to the offensive side of the ball?

Yeah, two things.

Defensive line, I think Eric Mateos has got a proven track record, came from Arkansas.

He's had successful offensive lines over the year.

He certainly is, in terms of being quotable, is as quotable as they come for an assistant coach.

I like him.

I like his demeanor.

But the bigger thing for me is it seems like the Badgers have moved from, I've made the joke of like, the kind of like the outhouse to like middle class and i think back in the day when recruiting was not as blatant as far as spending money and all of that they probably were in that middle class upper middle class level of recruiting and then coaching and development would lift them up do you think the badgers are getting closer to the equivalent of how they used to be under the old system i

it's been a little you know up and down I guess is what you would perhaps expect and I'm wondering if though if that's going to impact their confidence in him to make him the two as opposed to deuce Adams who didn't jump out today but has had a string of several really good days

Yeah, I mean, I guess I'd be surprised if Hopkins is number two when the season starts, but I don't know.

Is or is not? I'd be surprised if he is.

As he is.

I think it's going to be Deuce Adams.

But I certainly think Ryan Hopkins has the higher ceiling and long-term, for whatever that's worth, it's hard to do long-term stuff anymore with rosters changing as they are.

You know, I think he's going to be the better quarterback long-term.

where is your confidence that that is going to be different they've they've obviously remade the secondary the only you know guy that's back that played last year was matt young like played a lot last year as matt young you get jabon robinson he's got kai bates you've got uh bryce west you've got marvin burks and then obviously jameer scott is the lone corner back from last year even though he didn't he didn't play last year where's the confidence level there

So did he actually, after listening to him talk, did he move the needle for you? Did your opinion actually change on him and the hire after yesterday?

Slightly.

I mean, I, I would say this when I, when I, even throughout this process, when I considered him as a candidate, it didn't blow my socks off.

Um, But, you know, he was named on, when the news broke on Tuesday morning, I made a lot of calls.

I spent most of Tuesday on the phone talking to people.

And there are a ton of people whose opinions I trust and respect who really like this hire.

And so that was noteworthy as I kind of tried to write a piece that is my thoughts and my opinion, but an informed opinion in many ways.

Do you know what did he do at Texas? Do you know what his day-to-day sort of looked like or what his responsibilities involved at Texas?

So did he actually, after listening to him talk, did he move the needle for you? Did your opinion actually change on him and the hire after yesterday?

Slightly.

I mean, I, I would say this when I, when I, even throughout this process, when I considered him as a candidate, it didn't blow my socks off.

Um, But, you know, he was named on, when the news broke on Tuesday morning, I made a lot of calls.

I spent most of Tuesday on the phone talking to people.

And there are a ton of people whose opinions I trust and respect who really like this hire.

And so that was noteworthy as I kind of tried to write a piece that is my thoughts and my opinion, but an informed opinion in many ways.

Do you know what did he do at Texas? Do you know what his day-to-day sort of looked like or what his responsibilities involved at Texas?

What have you seen to be the turnaround since, you know, early on in the season it was, you know, kind of getting familiarity and some growing pains, but what have you seen that has made you go, okay, yeah, this is now on the right track and this is really kind of motoring in the right direction?

Yeah, I mean, three things.

I'm not trying to be too long-winded.

I mean, Nick Boyd and John Blackwell are playing better together.

They're both really, really talented guards.

I think it took them some time to kind of gel and figure out, how to work off one another.

So I think since that's happened, this team has become really, really hard to defend.

Also, contested shots, getting the boards, but more so, they get points now in transition off of their defense, and their defense really, in my opinion, drives that defense.