Notes: Devon Spalding on lofty aspirations, decision to come to Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. -- Local reporters had the chance to catch up with assistant coaches Paul Haynes and Devon Spalding for the first time on Monday.

A 27-year old running backs coach, Spalding is walking into a room filled with talent at the top of the depth chart. And while he's still learning about the tailbacks, Spalding discussed his decision to join the staff at Wisconsin, his goals and the work ahead on the recruiting front.

Here are a handful of quick takeaways from the 10-minute chat with Spalding.

There appears to be a consistent message from the top down at Wisconsin. Head coach Luke Fickell voiced a goal and expectation for the Badgers to reach a championship level. Spalding didn't limit that vision for his group of running backs, either.

"I learned that you have to set a certain standard in your room. The standard that we have set when I was at Youngstown State and what we’re going to have here is we want to be the best unit in the country," Spalding said. "It’s not one guy that’s best in the conference, it’s not one guy that’s (the best) in the country. We want to say that when people talk about the running back group at Wisconsin, we want them to say that they have the best unit in the country, overall."

It may come off as coach speak, but Spalding stressed a mentality of working hard to get to where they want to be.

"If you have a great mentality and you want to be great every time you’re on the football field, you’re going to find something to get better at - you’re going to put yourself in a good position," Spalding said. "But if you have that work ethic and you’re willing to put that work in that’s required to be the best, you’re going to have success."

The tradition of running backs at Wisconsin and a room that features a pair of talented backs in Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi likely made the position appealing to any coach. For a young assistant entering his fifth year coaching, however, Spalding "sprinted" to Madison.

"Oh, I sprinted here," Spalding said. "Being able to reunite with Coach Fick was awesome and having the opportunity to be back with him and some of the guys that I worked with on the Cincinnati staff was something that I couldn’t wait to be a part of."

Spalding spent the previous three seasons working in the same capacity at Youngstown State. He was also a graduate assistant at Cincinnati in 2019.

Spalding's first opportunity to get into coaching came after getting advice from former tight ends coach Gino Guidugli, who spent six years with the Bearcats. Spalding battled injuries during his playing collegiate career and the message from Guidugli was that he could spend a few seasons in the NFL or get a head start in coaching with an opportunity Fickell had for him.

Spalding, along with tight ends coach Nate Letton (29 years old), is a part of a handful of staff members who are on the younger end of the spectrum in the coaching world. That youth has made it easy for him to connect with prospects on the recruiting trail.

Catching up with 2024 backs Peyton Lewis and Da'Jaun Riggs, two recruits Wisconsin has offered, both pointed to their relationship with Spalding and consistent conversations with the assistant coach that weren't about football.

"I think being able to have the ability to relate to the kids," Spalding said. "I’m obviously one of the younger guys and just being able to crack jokes with them and talk with them on a loose basis and also being able to put the hat on and be business like."

With Mellusi set to move on after the season and Allen making it his goal to go pro after 2023, there is pressure to get off to a hot start when it comes to recruiting.

"Obviously recruiting running backs, that is something that is very near and dear to the community, and the expectation of bringing in good football players is extremely high. That’s a challenge that I’m met with and it’s a challenge that I’m excited that I get to have," Spalding said. "Being able to recruit really good running backs at the school that they call ‘RBU’ is pretty cool as well, and we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback. We’re talking to a lot of good football players at the moment."

Part of his recruiting pitch to prospects includes a revamped offense under Phil Longo. The new look may increase the volume of the passing attempts but it should also lighten boxes to run against.

"I think it’s more exciting to everybody in the entirety of the offense," Spalding said.
It doesn’t matter what the defense is throwing at you. If they give you a light box, we’ll run the ball as many times as we have to. If you load the box, we’ll throw the ball as much as we have to, and that’s kind of the way Coach Longo operates and I love that. That’s football. You have to take what the defense is giving you and a lot of people are going to be able to have a lot of opportunities to touch the football."

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