After such a meeting occurred, Uthoff is now free to transfer anywhere outside the Big Ten. Many have said that Ryan caved, but he says that’s not the case. And he also says he’s not worried about any lasting ill effects from the situation or bad publicity — even despite an interview with Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio that didn’t win him any public points — because his situation simply became educational for those who were not knowledgeable about the process.

Bo Ryan joined ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to discuss Uthoff’s situation at this point, the public perception of his program, forcing Uthoff to have the conversation about transferring, ill effects of the incident going forward, working with the school’s administration throughout the process, and why he doesn’t think he took a PR hit.

On the entire situation with Jared Uthoff and the fact that he can now transfer anywhere outside the Big Ten:

“I’m feeling great because nothing has changed as far as what we knew what we were going to do. It’s pretty interesting that, as people gained more and more information on how transfer situations work, it’s amazing how much more astute and up on how the process goes. We were fine on no Big Ten schools and the only reason some other schools were listed was, OK, it’s a block to come in and talk to an administrator and that’s the only thing a coach can do. Coaches have done this for a long time. It protects the program sometimes for a lot of different reasons. … There wasn’t a change.”

What are your feelings on the apparent public perception that you caved in this situation?:

“That’s not true, but what difference does that mean? Why would that be something that’s relevant to what just transpired? What that is is an opinion and it’s like me having an opinion about you guys. Listen to me, there is a process that was followed to the letter of the rule. I can’t react if somebody has an opinion. There was no caving because the conference is what really counts. … Having had one transfer in 10 years … I never went through any of this, so as I’ve said many times, here I have a situation where, OK, if there is a change, all the young man had to do was talk to me about the change.”

Did you put non-Big Ten schools on the list basically a negotiating move to have Uthoff come in and have the conversation?:

“That’s part of it. … That is something that the coach or the administration can do. The school can block schools and then if there is a reason — and the young man hadn’t given us any — here’s one last opportunity for the person to say, ‘This is why I want to go to that school.’ And they would be granted that opportunity. They were. … What just transpired in this transfer situation is so mild compared to what other coach’s restrictions have been put on guys and nothing has been made mention of it.”

Are you worried that this could scare guys away from your program moving forward?:

“No, because a lot of people after that said, ‘Really, that’s how it’s done?’ or ‘That is the process?’ … Even before that, there are factions who firmly believe that student-athletes should transfer and move anytime, anywhere. That is what was really the issue and obviously when you have a program that’s a pretty big school, big conference … then they say, ‘Well, OK, let’s see about the process.’ But that wasn’t the way it was presented. I think if the whole things was presented, ‘OK, what is the process, Coach?’ when I explained the process, the only thing I was asked was, ‘Shouldn’t people be able to move freely?’ If that is the case, I simply say let’s sit down with the NCAA and college coaches and administrators. And that was what I received back from people was, ‘It’s about time somebody said how it really works.’”

Were you on the same page here as everybody else in the athletic department?:

“You’re always working with the administration. It was like all the other transfer situations that we’ve had on campus in other sports, but again, I wouldn’t know that until this happened because I got into the loop on how it works and how the appeal process goes. … You kind of know but you want to make sure you know the details. The details simply were, you’re going to have questions about schools, if you’re wondering about this, wondering about that, you let us know.”

What’s your counter-argument to the people arguing that you got Ben Brust, who had originally signed with Iowa, to come to Wisconsin and now you’re being hypocritical?:

“The statement you just made is totally false. Ben Brust got out of his letter of intent before Wisconsin even knew that he was attempting to get out of his letter of intent. … A coach was fired, he asked for a release and he got a release. Then he started visiting a bunch of schools. That’s exactly how it happened but nobody ever wants to tell the truth. … When I say they don’t tell the truth, what I mean is in their minds, they say, ‘No, this couldn’t be the case.’ We didn’t even know. Ben Brust contacted us, and a bunch of other schools, and traveled around the country looking for places to go.”

And you don’t think your program has taken any PR hit from this?:

“The fact that we stood up for the whole procedure and the education that people got about exactly how it works, it’s totally the opposite. Of course, some people are never going to change their mind, because always remember, accusations, people remember those. Very few people remember the outcome. In our situation, there are so many coaches, so many people who at first thought one thing that now have swayed totally to the other side.”

Do you regret going on with Mike and Mike before meeting with Uthoff?:

“Well, I’m not in on that. I’m not in, and that’s the other thing that people learn. They’re like, ‘Oh, you mean the coach doesn’t get to talk to them?’ No. That is why there are coaches who block, at times, certain schools, because they’re not getting the conversation from the young man, so the last attempt is to get a conversation with an administrator.

Listen to Bo Ryan on ESPN Radio Chicago here (Interview begins at 1:40:00)

Ryan didn’t like the fact that he was ripped by Colin Cowherd earlier in the week for his decision to block Uthoff from transferring to a slew of schools. The Wisconsin head coach made the situation worse by going on Mike & Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio) on Thursday morning and making himself out to be the victim and telling the hosts they have never played the game.

The reality is that college coaches don’t like it when student athletes transfer, but yet the coaches can get out of contracts whenever they want. It’s a complete double standard. Here are a few takes from some prominent college basketball head coaches on the topic that is dominating the college basketball world.

John Calipari joined ESPN New York with The Mike Lupica Show to discuss his take on Bo Ryan telling Jarrod Uthoff he can’t transfer to the college he would like to play for.

Say one of your players comes in and wants to transfer. Would you tell him he could transfer, but he couldn’t go to the Big 10, he couldn’t go to the ACC, you can’t go to Iowa State or Marquette? Yes or no?

“Well I probably wouldn’t do that, but there could be a reason why someone would do that. The reason would be if someone was messing with the kid to get him to transfer. You are not benefiting by it. He may leave, but you ain’t getting him. I’d have to have pretty solid proof that that was happening for me to do it, but that is just me. Then again there may be other reasons. You don’t want to play against him. I don’t know, but I don’t think that should play. If you wanted him to play so bad you should have played him more.”

Listen to John Calipari on 1050 ESPN New York here

Mark Few joined ESPN Radio on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss blocking student athletes that want to transfer, his own personal experiences of student athletes transferring from his program and the one instance where he would block a student athlete from transferring.

What is your take on blocking players that want to leave?

“My initial reaction is not knowing the full situation it’s difficult to comment, but I would just say that in many of these situations – I don’t know what the story is on this one. There’s a two way street. Players are reaching out to schools. Schools are reaching out to players and I think that is where you get the situation where coaches are reluctant to just give blanket releases. I’m not privileged to all this information on this.”

What did you do when a player wants out of Gonzaga?

“I asked him why he wanted to leave? I listened to him and in Ryan Spangler’s situation he was a really young and good big kid we had. He wanted to go back closer to home, so he listed a couple of schools he wanted to go look at and we said fine and that is what happened.”

Would there ever be an instance where you would block a kid and why?

“Yeah absolutely if I heard that there was some tampering going on, which happens often in situations like this where they are contacting kids while he is playing still on the team. I would probably say hey I am not real comfortable with you going to that school if they have been doing that while you have been a member of our team. Now if you could tell why they were doing this and what was going on then I would probably be more apt to go ahead and release, but usually how I feel about it is if a kid doesn’t want to be in our place then it’s time to move on part ways.”

Listen to Mark Few on ESPN Radio here

Jim Boeheim joined ESPN Radio on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss student athletes being transfer crazy in this day and age.

Are college athletes now transfer crazy?

“Well we had…I am told there’s 90 guys transferring this year. One of the new academic things is coaches really need to hold kids because when a kid transfers you lose an academic point and that can hurt and affect your program from going to the tournament, hurt the players in your program when you start losing academic points, so that’s something you have to consider. I’ve always felt if a kid wants to transfer and I think they are some 30-40% of the students that go to college, all colleges, just normal students that do transfer. I think it’s something that is kind of natural. I’d rather not have kids transfer, but if a kid is not happy, not comfortable and he’s not playing and he wants to go near home and he wants to get a better position. I think you release the guy. I think usually within a conference you can’t transfer. You can’t go from one Big 1o school to another Big 10 school. That’s a conference rule, but other then that I think…Bo Ryan is a really good friend of mine. I love Bo Ryan. He’s a straight shooting guy. I don’t think you should limit too much where kids can go. Just let them go.”

Listen to Jim Boeheim on ESPN Radio here

Regardless, Syracuse won, then beat Kansas State to move on to the second weekend, where it will play Wisconsin on Thursday night. Boeheim believes it’s one of the most dangerous matchups for his team because the Badgers have so many players who can shoot from beyond the arc. It’s the first game Thursday night. Could it be the first time we see a No. 1 seed go down in this bracket?

Jim Boeheim joined 1260 The Score in Syracuse with Bud and the Manchild to discuss his team’s play in the first weekend, playing without Fab Melo, those that say Syracuse should have lost its first game, Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach’s postgame comments, Charles Barkley’s take that refs need to use more common sense, the matchup with the Badgers and how the bracket is shaping up with 16 teams left.

How did you feel about the team’s performance in the opening weekend of the tournament?:

“I think we shot the ball well the second half the other night. When we shoot the ball well we’re a different team. It’s a one-point game at halftime; the second half is a 15-point game. It just goes back to if you make some shots, your team’s a lot better.”

How do you think your team is doing — in games and practice — with the absence of Fab Melo?:

“We practiced well all year long when he was here and when he wasn’t here. It hasn’t affected practice. It affects games. He can make some plays that we know very few people — there’s only a few guys in the country — … can make. I think one of the biggest things he was good at was drawing charges. You think back to Marquette, he drew four charges and we won by four points or whatever it was. Without those four charges they probably get four baskets and we lose the game. His effect on the game is important. We can overcome it if everybody else plays better.”

On the people that say Syracuse didn’t deserve to win their first game:

“You look back on the course of the game and the fact that somebody would say we didn’t deserve to win, we had an eight-point lead. We went up eight. It doesn’t matter that they went up eight in the first half. I don’t know how anyone could say we didn’t deserve to win the game.”

Did it bother you when Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach said that the better team didn’t win the game?:

“I think he was wrong. It doesn’t bother me, I just think people make mistakes. If it was a tie game and it was a close out-of-bounds call, then maybe they should get it, maybe they have a chance to win. But we were up three even with that. They would’ve had to make three points and us not score with what, 20-some seconds to go. It was still a long ways from winning.”

On Charles Barkley’s comment that the refs need to use common sense:

“Charles is an idiot. … You have to call calls. If they’re there, you have to call them. If a foul occurs or whatever happens, you have to call it. It’s as simple as that. If referees start doing that, we’ll have a chaotic situation. They have to make the calls that are there. If it’s a little touch foul away from the ball, a good referee won’t call that.”

Looking at Wisconsin now, do they have enough offense to outscore you?:

“They’re probably one of the most dangerous teams we can play because they have five guys on the floor that can all shoot the 3-point shot. I think that’s a dangerous team for a team that plays zone. Most teams have one or two guys that shoots 3s. They have five. … They’re a very good defensive team, one of the best in the country. A very dangerous team. At this stage, it’s pretty much a coin flip from now on in in terms of this tournament. If you play well, you can win. If you don’t play well or don’t shoot well, you’re not going to win. That’s just the way the tournament is now.”

On how the bracket is shaping up:

“I actually didn’t even fill out a bracket this year. … But I would’ve picked Kentucky, obviously, and North Carolina. Now, that changes a little bit depending on the availability of their point guard. And I’m sure I would’ve picked Michigan State, too, going in. I knew there would be a lot of upsets, but I didn’t think those teams would get upset. And I still don’t think they will. I think Kentucky will get there and Michigan State will get there and I think, well, North Carolina’s a little bit more difficult now without Marshall.”

Listen to Jim Boeheim on The Score 1260 in Syracuse here

That’s the analogy Ryan has for his group at Wisconsin this year. The Badgers aren’t going to dazzle you with style points and they’re not a fan favorite with their defense-first approach. But they’ve kept the court. They beat Montana and Vanderbilt on their way to the Sweet Sixteen and now turn their attention to No. 1-seeded Syracuse.

Bo Ryan joined The Jim Rome Show to discuss his team’s run, bouncing back from a tough start in league play, a momentum-shifting victory at Purdue, the perception of his team, if it’s possible to be an elite program if you don’t make the Final Four and Thursday’s date with Syracuse.

On his team’s run to the Sweet Sixteen:

“We had to replace more production this year, coming back from last year, than any other year that I’ve been here, this being my 11th year. Fortunately we’ve been in the tournament every year and some years have been better than others. This group, I think, has really done a lot of special things considering what we had to replace.”

You guys stumbled a bit out of the gate in Big Ten play. Are you even a little surprised you are where you are now?:

“Yeah, I have to be honest with you. And, we were going to Purdue after being 1-3. And we all know what a great program they have. We go in there and get one and I think, without a doubt, with our players … and that just started it. It’s not that we weren’t competing at a high level before that, but we just didn’t get the results on the left-hand side. But after the Purdue game, things fell into place.”

What did you see in your guys after that game?:

“They knew they were playing a feisty team, a tough team defensively. … Our guys believed that if they just kept working, this was a sample of what could be ours. We didn’t quite get the conference championship, but we came from back in the pack to do some good things.”

Do you think the victory over Vanderbilt was the team’s best-played game this year?:

“Vandy was playing as well and had as much confidence as any team in the country with proven weapons against very good teams. I thought that was some of our best basketball, for sure.”

Does it matter to you how victories look or how your team is perceived by some people?:

“We’ve got guys who we kid about the Whataburgers All-Americans and the Sonic forward and a Whataburger guard and we have some fun with that, but we’ve got guys here who are very bright, hard-working and very good players who maybe were under the radar but players who we thought could come in here and get some things done. … I think that’s been the secret to what we’ve been doing here. We get guys who are willing to commit to that and play the game the way you have to play it in order to survive. I just equate it to those guys on the playground who just always seem to find a way to keep the court.”

Can you be an elite program without getting to the Final Four or do you feel you already are that?:

“The thing that I always say is, in any profession, in anything that you do, it’s the striving, it’s the will power to continue on a road to success. If you happen to get to be, say in the media here somebody gets a chance to be in L.A. or New York. Does everybody get a chance to do that from a Madison, an Omaha, a Des Moines? Of course not, but they’re in the mix. They’re trying every day; they’re trying to get to that pinnacle. … Coaching a bunch of young men who are always in it, as we have been for the last 11 years, it’s that try, that attempt, that will power of trying to get to the top. If you don’t win a national championship, it’s still the quest, still the education you’re getting along the way. … You never know when that year might be. … Wisconsin won in 1941. We did win it once.”

How do you prepare for Syracuse and the zone defense?:

“We’re practicing half-court shots today, because as long as they are, they might be the only ones we can get off. OK, I might be exaggerating a little bit. … Jim’s been around a long time and he’s used that zone a lot. His players know it; that’s their strength. But they can get out and do some other things. … What we’ve got to do is we’ve got to hit our open ones. Some teams will give you open ones and dare you to make them. Syracuse doesn’t do that. Syracuse doesn’t give you shots. So that’s our challenge there.”

Listen to Bo Ryan on The Jim Rome Show here

Montee Ball joined the Big 1070 in Madison with Mike Heller to talk about his decision to return for his senior year at Wisconsin, what he makes of people’s reaction to his decision, what is motivating him to return rather than enter the NFL Draft, who he consulted on the decision, and what he expects from Wisconsin in 2012.

What he makes of the reaction that he has gotten since making his decision to stay in school for another year:

“People that are confused with my decision to come back it’s their opinion but other than that I look at myself in the mirror and believe I made the right decision with the bottom of my heart. I believe I really did.”

When he knew he was staying at Wisconsin for another year:

“I actually told Coach B (Bret Bielema) and the running backs coach my decision last Saturday, two days before the game. Coach B was excited, he hugged me and stuff like that. That’s why I believe I made the right decision. With the coaches leaving and stuff like that I have a lot of faith in him that he’s gonna bring back some great coaches and next year we’re gonna be just as good.”

What is motivating him to return:

“I believe leading this team, leading the entire team and being a captain for this team and just being there for my players. That’s huge motivation for me, that’s gonna motivate me throughout the offseason and I’m gonna make sure to carry it throughout the season for my teammates, be accountable, and be a playmaker.”

How much his parents helped with his decision:

“Heavily. Talking to them was something I looked forward to and knew they would give me the best feedback. What they both told me is that they will be by me 100 percent whatever I decide. I really appreciate them saying that because this is one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made in my life and like I said I believe I made the right decision,. I want to thank them for being honest with me. I believe what they did a great job with was giving the pros and cons of both sides and then just left it at that. Just told me to look in the mirror, make the right decision, and listen to your heart.”

What he is going to focus on improving this offseason:

“Last season I really focused on losing weight to become faster. I really didn’t focus a lot on strength , which I should’ve and a lot of it showed in my games. I wasn’t strong enough to get the third and ones or the third and twos so this season I’m gonna make sure I really, really attack the weight room and I believe it will carry forward to the field which will make me strong, I will be able to shed more tackles, and I believe attacking the weight room with squats and stuff like that will make me a faster running back.”

What he expects from the team in 2012:

“Being a player for this great program I do believe we will be better next year because a lot of people believe we won’t be good. I believe that’s a motivation for us all to prove everyone wrong. I’m gonna make sure to tell the team that. A lot of people are believing that we’re not gonna get the job done this year so let’s prove them wrong. I believe we will.”

Listen to Montee Ball on the Big 1070 in Madison here

First things first, though. The Badgers get an opportunity to exact some revenge against Michigan State on Saturday as the two tangle on Saturday in the first ever Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

Bret Bielema joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Dan Dakich to Wisconsin’s win over Penn State that advanced the Badgers to the conference championship game this coming weekend, how his defense has turned things around since the two losses in the middle stages of the season, the excitement surrounding the first ever Big 10 Championship Game, getting a shot at redemption against Michigan State in the title game, Montee Ball’s emergence in the Heisman race and why he’s not an advocate of a full-blown playoff system in college football.

On beating Penn State to get to the Big Ten title game:

“Our guys really, after the two back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Michigan State and Ohio State, our guys have played pretty well. I’ll take our team against any team in the country. We’ve just played well on offense; defense has done a nice job. I think we’re the only team in the country that’s in the top five of scoring offense and scoring defense.”

What happened to turn your defense around since those two losses?:

“I think our kids, probably a little more on defense than any other phase of the team, realized that every play matters. Both of those games they played pretty well except for maybe four or five plays and those four or five plays cost us big. … And we’ve also had some injuries. This has probably been the most injury-prone year I’ve had as a head coach. We lost our starting corner, our best defensive end, and those things take their toll.”

As a guy who played in the Big Ten and is now coaching there, how exciting is this game?:

“I’d be pulling your leg if I didn’t tell you that this is something I’ve had earmarked since the concept of getting a 12th team in the league. … It’s a very competitive league. People want to beat us up here and there, but it’s a league that you’ve got to show up ready to play every weekend. To get to the championship game, to have a rematch against Michigan State, to play in Indianapolis I think is going to be a great environment.”

Could it have played out any better to be back and have a shot against Michigan State, given how that game ended on the final play?:

“A lot of people are drawn to that. I think our kids are excited about the opportunity and to have Michigan State there, who I really do feel the two best teams in our league are represented in the championship game. … The winner of the game gets to go to the Rose Ball. That’s what’s at stake.”

On Montee Ball now being in the talk of the Heisman Trophy race:

“Montee has done a tremendous job. He’s got 34 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards rushing against some really good defenses in our league. To do it quietly, like he has, is just exceptional. … He’s five touchdowns away from breaking the all-time NCAA record set by Barry Sanders. He already has the Wisconsin record, already has the Big Ten record. … He’s only played in basically two fourth quarters.”

Do you wish there was a playoff in college football?:

“I think the world of college football maybe deserves a plus-one. I’ve always said that I really like the idea of 1 playing 4 and 2 playing 3 and the winner plays in a game. I know this, we’re playing our 13th game in 14 weeks. We’re not a professional football team. Our kids have class, they have academics. … If we put another four- or five-game schedule on our kids’ docket, it’s just unfair to them.”

Listen to Bret Bielema on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here

Wilson played three seasons for North Carolina State then dipped his toe in the Major League Baseball waters by playing a bit with the Colorado Rockies organization. He decided that he wanted to play his final season of football to show what he was capable of, but NC State coach Tom O’Brien decided to release the quarterback from his scholarship because baseball kept him from offseason workouts.

Say it with me Wisconsin fans: “Thanks Tom.” Wilson threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as the Badgers throttled Nebraska 48-17 Saturday night, a game that thrust the Badgers firmly into the national championship discussion and Wilson into the Heisman Trophy talk.

Russell Wilson joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss the environment at Camp Randall Stadium this past Saturday night, his journey from NC State to professional baseball to Madison, why he was released at North Carolina State after deciding to return to college for one final year of college football eligibility, if he hopes to be a two-sport star professionally, and whether he believes he’s ready for the NFL right now.

How different is the environment playing at Wisconsin compared to North Carolina State?:

“Obviously being up here and playing in the Big Ten it’s a great conference. In my opinion it’s the best conference going on right now. … Playing a team like a Nebraska, it’s great tradition and they brought a great crowd. But there’s no better place to play than Camp Randall. It’s an awesome atmosphere.”

Explain how you got to Wisconsin:

“I promised my dad I’d graduate in three years, so I got my communications degree from North Carolina State University and ended up getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round, which was a tremendous blessing in my life. Then my dad ended up passing away, so I went back to NC State and played there my junior year and ended up going through spring training and Coach O’Brien thought it was within the best interest of North Carolina State for them to move on. I wanted to go back there, but I just prayed about it and Wisconsin came down to my favorite place to go. I thought it was the best situation for me and for my career in terms of football and just progressing as a quarterback.”

Were you trying to decide between baseball and football when O’Brien said that?:

“I had the opportunity to go back and I had another year left. I wanted to pursue my football career still. I didn’t want to give up on it. … It didn’t end up working out at NC State, but it’s worked out well here.”

How big of a factor was Wisconsin’s massive offensive line in your decision?:

“I came up here and took a visit and I was extremely impressed by the offensive line and their size. When you see these guys, you wonder, ‘How big can these guys get?’ They’re 6-5, 320-plus pounds, pretty much every single one of them.”

So is your future in football or baseball?:

“My future is this bye week and then Indiana next.”

Do you want to be a two-sport star?:

“I think that I’m blessed enough to play two sports at a very high level, but when it comes down to it, I just want to do whatever’s in the best interest of my family. … I’m still in the Rockies organization. I’m glad to be in that organization. It’s a great organization to be in. In terms of football, I’m definitely going to pursue football for sure and see how things work out.”

Do you think you’re pro-ready right now?:

“I think I am. I think that with my knowledge of the game, knowledge of protections, understanding of how to throw the football … I think that I’m definitely ready. I think I can grow every single day though. I’m trying to be the best quarterback there is in college football and then, you know, eventually one day down the road, maybe in the NFL.”

So you came back to show people that you have the ability to play on the big stage?:

“Yeah, definitely. I wanted to show everybody that I have the ability to play in the NFL. In my opinion, I’ve always felt that.”

Listen to Russell Wilson on The Dan Patrick Show here

Bret Bielema joined the Big 1070 to talk about the injury situation and how practice is going leading up to the opener against UNLV, what he looks for from his captains, what his thoughts are so far on Russell Wilson, and Wilson taking over as a captain so soon.

On the injuries to the team and how he feels heading into the first game against UNLV:

“A number of our guys have been held out and some of those guys got back in there Friday and Saturday. You can kinda begin to see where the first groups are going. Obviously we will get a little bit more into it today and tomorrow as we introduced UNLV prep last night. I’m excited, I like the chemistry, I like the way they have gone about their business and as we get more and more players back it makes everybody feel better.”

What he looks for from his captains:

“Two things. They have to be the pulse of the team for me. If there is anything I need to know or hear or if players have something they want to talk to me about a lot of times they will go through the captains as the conduit to get to me about anything and everything from football to non-football stuff like team snack. Also those guys have to kinda be the police in the locker room. The people that can get things done when the coaches aren’t around and I know these guys are seasoned veterans and all four of them will know kinda how to go about their business. It’s really a fun group and the great thing was, there was a number of votes and every starting offensive lineman received I believe four more votes. It just goes to show me there is a greater amount of respect for the offensive line and when that happens I think we’re destined to have some good results on the field.”

On Russell Wilson:

“It’s kind of fun to watch. As you guys I’m sure are around him you realize he’s true blue. None of that stuff is fake or false. I thought last night all four captains got up and addressed the team and he really kinda hit on the finer points of his unique situation but how humbled he is to get voted by them as peers. It’s one of those delicate situations but everything seems to be going good so far.”

How Russell Wilson has fit in so quickly:

“He has and a true credit to all of our guys. It was truly, at first we wanted to make sure he was going to be a fit as a human being, as a guy that we could count on and blend into our crowd. It was brought to my attention that a certain program had a bed check I guess at like 10:30 and like 40 players snuck out. Somebody asked me ‘coach do you have a bed check?’ I said ‘bed check? I don’t need a bed check.’ My guys, just the character and composure that our guys have I’m just so happy to be around them and truly blessed to have an opportunity to work with them on an everyday basis because it’s just a really fun group to be around.”

Listen to Bret Bielema on the Big 1070 here

Many of you will remember Wilson from North Carolina State as he quickly established himself as a starter there, then graduated in three years and opted to try his hand at baseball after being drafted by the Colorado Rockies. He’s ready to hang up those spikes and return to football and chose the Badgers in what was a high-profile recruiting competition. Wilson can play right away, but has just one season of eligibility.

Bielema says the quarterback position will be a competition, but it’s pretty easy to see the writing on the wall. And now many Badgers fans — believe me, as a Wisconsin grad I know a few — are already beginning to save up for another trip to the Rose Bowl.

Bret Bielema joined The Big 1070 in Madison with The Mike Heller Show to discuss landing Wilson, the uniqueness of the situation, how critical it was for Wilson to get out of baseball before August, if he’s ever had a high-profile recruit come in for just one season, what Wilson can provide at quarterback and if this changes the Badgers’ goals.

On landing Russell Wilson:

“I knew getting into this situation that we were going to deal with, ‘Is he coming in as the starter? Is he coming in as a prima dona? Is he coming in as a guy that’s been tabbed as a savior?’ All I told Russell is I want him to come in and be who he is.”

How unique was this recruiting process?:

“Very unique. The first thing that happens in a situation like this is you get an email or a fax on your desk that says this person has extended a desire to speak to you in the possibility of transferring to your school. When I got Russell’s, I was like, ‘OK, I know this name,’ but didn’t know what the exact situation was so I did a little recon on the internet, just looking up what his storyline was leaving NC State, looked up the professional baseball team he was with in Asheville and then I reached out to some people I knew close to NC State. … It was interesting because really unlike any other kid that you’re recruiting he’s truly in a unique situation. He’s a three-year grad, he’s playing professional sports, you’re in a time of year when it’s illegal to contact and evaluate prospects off campus. I actually put forward special legislation and went all the way to the NCAA review panel that got denied, but I was trying to get a way to go see his mom or have the possibility to see him play a baseball game. We were denied on both aspects.”

How critical was it that he step away from baseball right away and not in August?:

“It’s fun because, as you know, you’re trying to develop a relationship with a kid, but you don’t want to upset him. … It’s not like we could say, ‘You need to move here by this date, you need to do this by this date.’ … The thing I loved about Russell is he, pretty early on in the process, said, ‘Coach, if I make the decision to play football, I need to come there in July to work with my teammates and the playbook.’”

Have you been a part of a process before, where a high-profile player comes in just for one season?:

“Never. It’s a very unique situation. I think what you’ll find is Russell Wilson is a very unique individual. I wouldn’t have put ourselves, as a program, in this position, or pursued this, unless I felt very comfortable about the type of person I was bringing in.”

What do you need from your quarterback position and what can Wilson provide?:

“It’s what he is. He’s been able to establish over a period of time as a pretty reliable starter. One of the greatest stats I saw when I began to read up with him is he has the longest record in college football of passes thrown without an interception. … That’s a pretty big stat. I think we’re going to let him come in here, we’ll get a chance to evaluate what he can do during fall camp … as well as [our other guys] and figure out who the best man for the job is to move forward.”

Do the goals change now with Russell Wilson coming in?:

“No. We’re kind of a program that has been established as being consistent. The only way you can be that over a period of time is to stay true to who you are. It’s not going to change anything we’ve done. … My practice plan didn’t change from two weeks ago to today just because Russell is coming.”

Listen to Bret Bielema on The Big 1070 in Madison here (Interview begins at 29:50)

“To win, you don’t have to do things illegally. … Everyone is not breaking NCAA rules,” Alvarez says in the following interview. It’s one of many interesting responses concerning the many topics going through the brains of athletic directors all around the country.

Barry Alvarez joined WSSP in Milwaukee with The Big Show to discuss the firing of Jim Tressel, trying to keep an eye on what athletes are doing, the shoe scandal during his time as Wisconsin coach, proposals to pay players on top of their scholarships, what the struggles of Ohio State and Michigan mean for the Big Ten, why it’s possible to run a clean program and what he’d say to fans who are jaded by all the NCAA violations swirling about.

On how the Ohio State athletic department handled the firing of Jim Tressel:

“I’m not on top of it. I know probably what you know … what’s been reported. I think the fact that Jim reported that he made a mistake, that he was in err of not being truthful to the NCAA led to a lot of this. And it’s quite obvious that it’s not over. The investigation isn’t over and there may be some other issues out there. I think it’s a sad day for college football when you have a brand name like Ohio State and certainly a sad day for our league.”

On the need to have a legion of people trying to control and contain what student athletes are doing:

“I don’t know if it’s just the athletes of today. So many of the athletes have a third party involved. You have to deal with them. So many of them are spoiled coming in. I think the media and just the awareness because of the internet and social media and all those things just make people more aware of what’s going on. The NCAA, we continue to get more regulations and rules. Compliance offices in all the colleges have continued to grow just to keep up with all the rules. … It’s a problem that is continually magnifying.”

When Wisconsin went through a shoe scandal when he was the coach, what was that investigation like?:

“They did not come in to investigate. Our administration, I felt, didn’t do a very good job of representing us. They just basically said we were in violation and accepted a penalty without trying to build a case for really what the issue was.”

How much do athletic directors and presidents really know about their football programs and coaches?:

“I think there’s a lot of different situations. Sometimes people turn a blind eye, sometimes they don’t know. The presidents aren’t there with the coaches or the players. The athletic director should be much closer to the program and your compliance people certainly should be very close to the program as far as educating and staying on top of all your student-athletes. … You try to do the best you can of informing everyone, but my job is to keep my president informed of what is going on and making sure our program is being run in the proper way.”

On Jim Delaney’s proposal to give players an extra stipend on top of the scholarships they receive?:

“First of all, I’ve always been in favor of doing whatever you can for your athletes. I just think there are a lot of questions. I think that’s just loosely thrown out there about paying all your student-athletes. I’ve got 800 of them. Do you pay all 800? How can you afford that? You really only have a couple handfuls of teams or schools nationally that are operating in the black. … I don’t think you can do it just for the revenue-earning sports. I don’t think Title IX would allow that. … You can take a look at it.”

With Michigan and Ohio State struggling for various reasons, is that good or bad for the Big Ten?:

“Those are our brand teams. Those schools have been, historically, very good. We have another team in Nebraska joining the league that is a brand team. I think we’re a team that has continued to garner respect and continue to move up because we’ve been consistently good since the early 90s. I don’t think it’s good for our league. It might help us, but I don’t know if it’s overall good for our league or good for college athletics.”

Is it possible to run a clean, successful program today?:

“You can. You’re inadvertently going to break rules. … Every month we turn in violations, secondary violations, such as that. I think that’s what the NCAA wants to see are those schools that are diligent and really do watch what’s going on. If you don’t turn in any secondary violations, your compliance people probably aren’t doing their job. But the rules, there are so many rules and they are so complex it’s impossible not to have secondary violations. But if they continue or there are just too many of them, you’re probably not doing as good a job as you should.”

What does he say to a fan that might think that looks at Ohio State and USC and believes every program must be doing the same thing?:

“I don’t think that’s true. I think we have so many more good things than bad things happening in college athletics right now. The interest is higher than it’s ever been. … It does concern you when you have the two teams that played in the national championship in football last year under investigation and UConn in basketball went on some type of probation. … You have schools like Ohio State and Southern Cal that had their issues. … It does send up a flag and some concern to people. But I do want to make it perfectly clear to the listeners: To win, you don’t have to do things illegally. … Everyone is not breaking NCAA rules.”

Listen to Barry Alvarez on WSSP in Milwaukee here