After coaching Wisconsin's tight ends, Mickey Turner has embraced his new role running the Badgers' recruiting department
MADISON – Mickey Turner has spent each of his first seven seasons at Wisconsin patrolling the football field, during the week and on then on game day.
His job, a job he embraced, was to tutor and push and Wisconsin’s tight ends to give their best.
Turner, who played tight end at UW from 2006 through 2009, embraced the grind.
“Loved it,” he told a group of reporters Friday. “Had a great experience. Coached a lot of good players.”
Turner is one month into his new job leading UW’s revamped recruiting department. He has filled the void created when Saeed Khalif joined the Michigan State staff before last season.
Head coach Paul Chryst approached Turner about the move shortly after the Las Vegas Bowl. Turner spoke to reporters for about 16½ minutes Friday and it was quickly apparent he is buoyed by his new challenge and his passion for UW – the program and the university – remains white-hot.
In summary, it is easy to see why Chryst chose him.
“A really important role and a unique role if you’re trying to get the best that you can,” Chryst said earlier in the week. “Someone that understands this university and this program. Understands the how-to of the recruiting process and has the ability and the skill set to do that job well.
“Mickey is perfect for this. I think that every position you have – and I want this for every person that works here – is that it has to serve two purposes to me. Help the individual grow in their career and add value to the program.
“If it is good for the individual and good for the program, that’s what you want. And I feel like this accomplishes that.”
Turner, who grew up in Missouri, knew the UW program well when he arrived in 2006.
“You have to know the identity, what this place is about,” Turner said. “I feel I have a good grasp on that. I know what Wisconsin offers. I think it is pretty darn good.
“But 'Joe Recruit' out there doesn’t know that. I need to bridge that gap and get them to understand that Wisconsin is an excellent place to look at, an excellent place to get your degree and an awesome college experience.
“I’ve always been good at building relationships. When I was going into high schools (recruiting), I loved that, sitting down with mom and dad. …
“You can really relate to anyone if you take the time to get to know them.”
Although the recruiting staff has not been finalized, the plan is to have personnel devoted to monitoring both high-school prospects and players entering the transfer portal.
UW added five transfers after last season – cornerbacks from Toledo, Kentucky and UCLA, a wide receiver from UCLA and a kicker from Arkansas.
“I don’t profess to have all the answers,” Chryst said. “But you better have a pretty good understanding of what you have and their talents and that they’ve got a really good chance to play.
“Otherwise, I don’t think you are doing them or your program a favor.”
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard noted that UW had previous relationships with two of the cornerbacks.
UW cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat recruited Justin Hall to Toledo and coached him there. The Badgers recruited Cedrick Dort Jr., who is from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, before Dort signed with Kentucky. Hall and Dort, along with UCLA transfer Jay Shaw, are expected to be part of UW’s cornerback rotation in 2022.
The Badgers have to replace four cornerbacks from last season. Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams are preparing for the NFL draft; Donte Burton transferred; and Dean Engram was moved to wide receiver.
Leonhard explained how the staff hopes to use, but not rely heavily upon, the transfer portal.
“We want to recruit and develop our guys,” he said. “That is where we want to live. But this is how we would like to use it. Three guys coming in for a year, with a purpose. I love the purpose these guys are coming in for and why they made the decisions they made.
"It is kind of a one-year situation where we knew we needed to create depth and experience. We want to be able to recruit kids, look them in the eye and say you have time to develop in our program.
“We want to be a recruit-and-develop program. That is what we’ve done. That is what we’ve had success doing.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football recruiting head Mickey Turner was tight ends coach
