MADISON, Wis. — All the right keywords were there as Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes described his philosophy Tuesday evening about how he wants to build the Badgers’ new-look scheme.
He referenced “a rough, gritty brand of football” that emphasizes establishing the run and building off that approach. He discussed the importance of pass game efficiency by working the field with play-action throws for explosive gains that keep defenses honest.
In truth, it sounded a lot like Wisconsin football of the past, which is part of what Luke Fickell was going for when he hired Grimes from Kansas last month. That doesn’t mean Grimes’ system will replicate what traditionalists became accustomed to for three decades at Wisconsin. But after two failed seasons of the Phil Longo air raid experiment, Grimes represents what Fickell believes is a necessary return to roots for the Badgers.
“I see a real excitement about learning something new and I sense a hunger,” Grimes said. “A hunger to prove that this can be a good offense and we can get Wisconsin back to what it’s known for.”
When Fickell arrived at Wisconsin, he decided the offense needed an overhaul with a more spread-out passing attack and opted for a scheme that served as a drastic program departure. Despite attempts to upgrade the roster, the plan generally yielded worse results than it did under a previous coaching staff. Wisconsin averaged 22.5 points per game in 2023 under Longo and 22.6 points per game last season — the two worst consecutive seasons for the Badgers since 1991 and 1992.
One of Wisconsin’s biggest traditional advantages — time of possession — evaporated. Wisconsin ranked 82nd and 87th in time of possession in two seasons under Longo after the Badgers spent the majority of the past decade in the top 10. If Wisconsin wasn’t going to be a quick-strike offense but also couldn’t control the game clock with sustained scoring drives, the Badgers were doomed. So, with the pendulum having swung too far in the wrong direction, Fickell attempted to alter course with Grimes.
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What Grimes brings is a history as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Grimes, a former offensive tackle at UTEP under then-position coach Andy Reid, said he gravitates toward the linemen and feels a sense of ease in building relationships there.
Whereas Longo in his first interview opportunity at Wisconsin likened his offense to tweaking a Ferrari, making it lighter and faster for a race each year until it achieved maximum output, Grimes emphasized something else. One of his talking points with players is “toughness over tactics.” Everybody, he says, has cool play designs. But it’s about instilling a culture of tenacity and passion that will help those plays work.
Grimes made clear he would not judge his roster based on how it performed last season, wanting to ensure everybody had a clean slate and an opportunity to earn a spot. Because of that approach, he said he did not spend much time watching film from last season. He is learning about his players through meetings and offseason conditioning and will gain a greater sense of their on-field ability during spring practice, which begins in mid-March.
Although Grimes said players would be “in a system that’s going to be completely different from what they’ve done before,” Fickell has indicated he doesn’t want to abandon some of the passing concepts Longo built. Wisconsin still should be a shotgun-oriented offense, though with a greater ability to play under center. According to TruMedia, Longo used shotgun on 98.4 percent of snaps at Wisconsin, while Grimes used it 97.5 percent of the time last season at Kansas.
Where the changes will be noticeable is in how Wisconsin’s personnel packages are utilized. In 23 games under Longo, Wisconsin used 11 personnel — three receivers, one tight end, one running back — on 62.4 percent of snaps. The second-most used grouping was 10 personnel — four wide receivers, one running back and no tight ends — on 18.1 percent of snaps. Longo used 12 personnel (two receivers, two tight ends and one running back) 13.6 percent of the time.
Grimes favors 11 personnel. He used it on 50.2 percent of snaps in three seasons at Baylor from 2021-23 and on 52.7 percent of snaps last season at Kansas. But he emphasized two tight-end sets in 12 personnel roughly 40 percent of the time and rarely, if ever, used 10 personnel.
Wisconsin Football announces that Jeff Grimes has been named the Badgers’ Offensive Coordinator.
Welcome to Madison, @coachgrimey!
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— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 10, 2024
Wisconsin figures to be more of a run-based offense. Wisconsin’s dropback percentage under Longo was 53.1 percent, while Kansas had a dropback percentage of 44.3 percent last season. Grimes had two top-15 rushing offenses in the past four seasons, in 2021 at Baylor and last season at Kansas, though he can adapt to his personnel, as he did at BYU in 2020 when he had a top-10 passing offense behind quarterback Zach Wilson.
“We got a lot of things out of the last two years systematically offensively with our ability to throw the ball better and make some changes and grow in that area,” Fickell said last month during an interview with 97.3 The Game. “But our ability to adapt, our ability to even do a better job of playing to our strengths is where we have to I think take the next step.
“If you look at Jeff’s history from BYU as a coordinator to Baylor as a coordinator to Kansas as a coordinator, what I love is his ability to adapt to having a first-round draft pick quarterback to maybe not having the quarterback position to having a guy that’s more of an athlete ahead of a quarterback. His ability to adapt and adjust offensively what he was able to do is where schematically I really kind of fell in love with, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do to grow.’”
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Grimes was announced as Wisconsin’s new offensive coordinator on Dec. 10. He said he spent his first few weeks recruiting transfer portal quarterbacks and interviewing coaches for the vacant quarterbacks coach job. Wisconsin added Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. and San Diego State’s Danny O’Neil, both of whom Grimes said fit the dual-threat ability he wants in a quarterback. The Badgers moved wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton to quarterbacks coach. Guiton said Grimes’ fit with the staff already has made an impact.
“Coach Grimes’ openness to make sure that he has everyone involved is something that just sticks out the first time you get a chance to meet and talk with him,” Guiton said. “He makes sure everyone else feels involved. No matter who you are, you have a voice. You have a voice so if you speak up, he’s able to at least take it into account what you’re saying. Whether we build in that or not, it’s just awesome to be able to open yourself up and say, ‘Hey, I don’t mind bringing my idea up because at least I’ll be heard.’ He’s awesome about that.”
Wisconsin’s offense returns some key pieces Grimes can lean on including three starters on the offensive line: left guard Joe Brunner, center Jake Renfro and right tackle Riley Mahlman. Receivers Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kekahuna caught 64 passes for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Darrion Dupree showed flashes as a true freshman and could be part of a rotation that features as many as three or four players, Grimes said. Wisconsin added five portal players on offense, including its two quarterbacks, two wide receivers and Tanner Koziol, who was one of the top portal tight ends available.
Grimes’ hiring may not come with considerable flash. But at this point, all that matters are results. And he hopes to let the work speak for itself.
“From what I know, everybody’s excited about the direction that we’re headed,” Grimes said. “Right now, it’s just talk. I’m in a honeymoon phase. I haven’t called any bad plays yet and we haven’t lost any games since I’ve been here. … At the end of the day, it comes down to winning games.”
(Photo: Wisconsin Athletics)
