MADISON -- New Wisconsin offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. was introduced to local reporters for the first time Monday afternoon. Part of the 20-minute session, Bicknell Jr. fielded questions on his philosophy, recruiting, the move to UW, what the linemen at Wisconsin will be asked to do, and more.

Here are some takeaways from the availability.

Veteran players in Wisconsin's offensive line room like guard Michael Furtney and tackle Jack Nelson have played under two position coaches - Joe Rudolph and Bob Bostad - who had different philosophies when it came to running the room.

Rudolph subscribed to the idea of cross training and mixing and matching players at different positions. Bostad preferred to stick athletes at one position and let them grow there. For new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., his philosophy is a mix of the two, dependent on the situation.

"For the most part from the NFL after spending time there, if you’re Branden Albert and we just signed you for 60 million, OK, you’re staying at left tackle. You’re not moving because when we send five guys out there, one has to be guard and tackle and one has to play guard and center and guard, and there is no such thing as left and right," Bicknell Jr. explained. "You might have a veteran guy where they are going to be kind of staying right there and then you might have a young guy who just came in, you’re not going to move him, you’re going to let him learn what he’s doing."

For redshirt sophomore Trey Wedig, his time moving around the offensive line won't change anytime soon. After having played every position with the exception of left tackle this past season, including starts at left guard, right guard and right tackle, Wedgi will continue to be flexible.

"Trey Wedig just popped into my head right now, he has to know guard, tackle, left, right," Bicknell Jr. said. "You’d love to keep him on one side, but except what if the left tackle gets hurt? I try to approach it like there it no left and right and try to figure out who can play guard and center and who can play guard and tackle and then if a guy is struggling, then obviously OK, he’s not the guy to move around. Let’s just keep him right there and see if he can learn one thing. But other guys you can have that flexibility, which is great."

Of the 10 assistant coaches hired at Wisconsin this winter, all but three had worked with Luke Fickell at some point. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo and Bicknell Jr., who came over after working together at North Carolina and Ole Miss, are two of the three coaches working with Fickell for the first time. That familiarity shouldn't go overlooked.

"There is no question about it," Bicknell Jr. said when asked if the partnership with Longo is an important one. "I think it is very important and I also think it eases the transition. I’m not trying to come in and learn a whole new offense like other places I’ve been. Phil and I are very close friends, our families are very close. We were at Ole Miss together and North Carolina and now here and there has to be a trust there."

The duo spent two seasons together at Ole Miss before Longo moved on to join the staff in North Carolina in 2019. The two reunited this past season in Chapel Hill before they made the move to Madison.

"He has to trust that I am going to coach my guys well but also coach them up exactly the way he wants them coached up and run exactly the way he wants it done," Bicknell Jr. said of their tandem.

"When you think about it, when 11 guys go out there, half of them are almost offensive linemen and those guys have to do it precisely correct or else the plays will never get off. So I think you’re kind of seeing that around the country where offensive coordinators are getting offensive line coaches they are comfortable with and then they move together a lot of the time, but he’s a great guy. Very good personal friend and I love this offense. It’s the best offense that in however many years since 1986 - I don’t want to count them up - but it’s the best offense to have success, I feel like, and it truly does take whatever the defense give you."

Bicknell Jr.'s connection with Longo was key to his decision to join the staff at Wisconsin. His familiarity with the UW offensive coordinator also helped bridge the gap that was there with Bicknell Jr. having no prior relationship with Fickell.

"I think I had a good feel for what he was all about probably through Phil, honestly," Bicknell Jr. said. "Phil had been friends with him and would always talk about him, so that’s been three or four years now that I heard about him and just like everyone else. If you really respect someone and they say, 'hey, I really respect this guy,' then OK, that’s good enough for me. Really that’s a big part of it because I had never really met him before coming here."

The history and success Wisconsin has had on the offensive line was the other major draw. As a coach who has made 13 stops along his coaching career, both in the NFL or college, there have been times where Bicknell Jr. has been forced to find another spot. This time around, the move came by choice.

"I had a pretty good job. It’s not like I was struggling," Bicknell Jr. said. "It’s not like I had no choice but to come... you come here to this tradition. I’ve never been in the Big Ten, I’m excited about that.

"I’ve been in a lot of other leagues but never really been in the Big Ten, and like I said for 30 years, I’ve been sitting and watching Wisconsin and saying, 'man, there are some good offensive linemen.' And then when I was in the league I wrote up all those guys and I remember all of them really just writing reports on them. The opportunity to come to a place where I feel like the offensive line here is maybe more respected or more thought of than other places where they are thinking more of the receivers, quarterbacks - that was really attractive to me."

Bicknell Jr. may not have ever interacted with Fickell, but the opportunity to work with the first-year Wisconsin head coach appealed to him as someone he thinks is the "real deal."

"I think Coach Fickell was a big draw just because I think he is the real deal, I really do," he said. "He’s a guy that truly does care for everybody and is really intense and I just feel like he’s going to have success."

Bicknell Jr. put his recruiting chops to the test once he made his way to Madison. Senior guard Michael Furtney initially entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the regular season, but he ultimately decided to return for one more year. That change of heart came after a discussion with the new offensive line coach.

On the traditional recruiting trail, it's clear Bicknell Jr. feels he has no shortage of selling points to get players to Madison, whether that's his 36 years of coaching experience, the NFL style offense, the tradition at UW or getting to play for Fickell.

"You kind of get the old adage of well you don’t prepare them for the NFL because it’s not an NFL style," he said. "Well in case you watched the Super Bowl, that’s exactly our style, so that whole bologna has gone out the window. The NFL is evolving more and more to what we’re doing, and so now I can say some the same thing about an under center team that doesn’t throw the ball, so that’s the biggest thing when I’m recruiting."

Bicknell Jr.'s seven seasons working in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers leaves him with the experience of scouting players and knowing what it's like at the next level.

"No. 1, you’re going to come to a place that when I was in the NFL, if you had a Wisconsin lineman that you were looking at, you paid pretty close attention because you knew they just had a string of success and the Big Ten and the whole deal," he explained.

"So if you’re an offensive lineman this is the place where you want to be, in my opinion, and I do think my experience in the NFL helps because I can say look I’ve developed you since you were a junior in high school and I’ve talked to guys just like you and I’ve made them first round draft picks."

Just like working with Fickell was a draw for Bicknell Jr., that same sentiment will be shared with recruits he may talk to.

"I think Coach Fickell and the way he runs this program everything is positive and I love that," Bickell Jr. said. "We don’t dwell on the negative, we search out the positive things and talk about that.

"Look, I don’t know how to do another thing in the world, but I do know how to coach the offensive line and I’ve been doing it for 36 years or whatever it is. You have a chance to come here where you’re going to be developed, not only in the run game but also pass protection."

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