INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — For the first time since he became head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers in November, Luke Fickell basked in reality for a moment.

The former Ohio State player and assistant coach (interim head coach in 2011), who spent the last six seasons leading the Cincinnati Bearcats, reflected on what it means to be back in the Big Ten as he strolled into Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday for Big Ten Media Days. He couldn’t help but look around.

"Today was probably the first day it felt a little bit surreal," Fickell said in front of a large scrum of reporters crowding his table. "You look around and say, 'Wow, has this almost come full circle?'

"I looked around and realized how much it (the Big Ten has grown) and how big it is. It was a small, short moment of surreal ... full circle. I enjoyed it."

Fickell and three players — inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta, quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Braelon Allen — represented Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday, the second day of Big Ten Media Days.

BadgerBlitz.com will have much more from the event, but as a starter, here’s a notebook with the top Wisconsin news and notes from the day.

Wisconsin inside linebacker Jordan Turner, who was suspended earlier this summer after being cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, will not face additional discipline.

UW athletic director Chris McIntosh announced Turner's suspension on June 30 and reinstated him on July 10 after an internal review.

In a statement he released after he was suspended, Turner said he committed additional traffic violations on top of the OWI. He was also stopped for going 47 miles per hour over the speed limit on I-39/90 in Rock County on June 5.

"We're all good to go," Fickell said of Turner, a redshirt junior who's expected to start for the Badgers again this season. "Obviously, there are residual effects... got to earn some respect and build some trust back and get back to where he was and things like that."

Turner wasn’t the only UW player that made headlines for an off-field issue after spring camp ended.

In late April, wide receiver Markus Allen was arrested for possessing a stolen firearm at the Mifflin Street Block party in Madison. He entered the transfer portal in late June.

About two weeks after that incident, Wisconsin safety Kamo'i Latu settled a civil lawsuit over a sexual assault allegation from his time as a high schooler in Hawaii.

Fickell addressed the string of off-field news on Thursday.

"Through the offseason, I have to do a better job of making sure we all understand the parameters and the expectations. But it's also a great reminder to everyone in our program. This stuff is very fragile, and nothing is guaranteed to you if you don't do things the right way. It's a hard lesson to learn, but that's why we study history too, so we are not going to repeat it. With all of those things, we have to find a way to make our program better because of it."

A handful of players missed most (or all) of spring camp due to injuries, including transfers Darian Varner (defensive end), Jake Renfro (center) and Bryson Green (wide receiver).

Fickell said some players — specifically those who've been out with long-term injuries (like Varner) — may be limited to start fall camp. Overall, though, Fickell believes the Badgers will be in good shape.

"I think, and I hope, that we're going to be pretty clean as we get rolling," Fickell said. "We have guys like (wide receiver) Chris Brooks Jr. who broke his leg in spring ball. You hope (those guys), whether it's the first week or so of camp, can get a lot more action."

Fickell didn’t disclose many other details on the injury front, but he added that Renfro, who transferred to UW from Cincinnati, could be limited to start camp. Renfro suffered a lower-body injury early on during spring ball and needed surgery.

"He's another guy you're monitoring volume with coming off of a little surgery," Fickell said.

Fickell said outside linebacker Aaron Witt will not be ready for fall camp. Witt has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the spring of 2021.

The Badgers will not have the comfort of home during their first week of training camp.

Fickell is taking his team approximately 65 miles southwest of Madison to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. That campus will be UW's home from the night of Aug. 1 through Aug. 7.

Anyone who has dug into Fickell's background understands the veteran head coach is a proponent of getting away from campus for at least part of training camp. As Cincinnati's head coach, he continued that program's tradition of holding preseason practices at Higher Ground Conference and Retreat Center in West Harrison, Indiana. The Bearcats typically spent about two weeks there under Fickell.

While some aspects of this road trip could be uncomfortable — let's face it: Wisconsin is giving up its Division I facilities to train at a Division III campus — the players in Indianapolis spoke highly of the idea. They believe the experience can bring the group closer together ahead of a season they’ll enter as favorites to win the Big Ten West.

"We told coach, 'Hey, coach, we don’t want to have our phones during that time if there is a way you can take them,'" Njongmeta said. "We'll use this as an opportunity for the offense and the defense to come together. Talking to the guys, 'Hey, make sure you're sitting with people that aren’t in your position group or your main friend group.

"We're trying to find ways to branch out and create those bonds because that's what we're going to have to lean on during the season more than anything."

Allen looks forward to having "no distractions."

"It's a good opportunity for us to bond as a team," he said. "...It will be interesting, but I am excited about it."

The Chicago Bears held their preseason training camp at UW-Platteville from 1984-2002. The 1985 team, famous for its dominant defense, won the Super Bowl.

"I guess that is some good mojo," Mordecai, a transfer from SMU, said.

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