Luke Fickell frustrated with Air Force as Wisconsin works for Michael Mack's eligibility
MADISON – University of Wisconsin officials continue to lobby the NCAA to grant transfer cornerback Michael Mack immediate eligibility.
Head coach Luke Fickell said Monday the initial waiver request was denied by the NCAA but that UW has appealed.
“I’m going to kind of hold my tongue to say anything about the Air Force Academy and how they’ve treated the kid, in my opinion,” Fickell said. “But we’ll wait on the NCAA. It’s in their hands.”
Mack, who started in two of his three seasons at Air Force, joined UW in time for preseason camp last month.
Fickell initially sounded optimistic Mack would be able to play this season.
Only cadets who leave Air Force before the start of their third year can do so without penalty, however.
Part of the process for gaining a waiver can involve the NCAA talking to officials from an athlete’s previous school.
When basketball player Micah Potter transferred from Ohio State to UW in the middle of the 2018-2019 academic year, athletes generally had to sit a full year before being allowed to compete at their new school.
The NCAA eventually ruled Potter had to sit out the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year to fulfill the full-year requirement, despite the fact Ohio State officials supported his decision to transfer to UW.
Based on Fickell’s comments Monday, Air Force officials are not supportive of Mack’s decision to transfer.
“It is tough,” Fickell said. “I’m not saying anything against the NCAA. But at some point, in time I will say how I feel about the way he has been treated by where he went to school.”
UW added more than a dozen transfers after the end of last season, with 10 playing Saturday in the opener against Buffalo.
The 10 transfers who played in the opener were: cornerbacks Nyzier Fourqurean and Jason Maitre; wide receivers Bryson Green, Will Pauling, CJ Williams and Quincy Burroughs; left guard Joe Huber; outside linebacker Jeff Pietrowski; quarterback Tanner Mordecai and kicker Nathanial Vakos.
UW generally played four cornerbacks against Buffalo. Alexander Smith and Ricardo Hallman started on the outside and Maitre manned the slot. Fourqurean split time with Smith but the staff wasn’t able to give Hallman a break.
“We had a plan to be able to play both those guys,” Fickell said of Smith and Fourqurean. “We don’t want them to have to play all 70, 80 snaps.
“We’ve got to be able to find a way to do that with Rico as well, get him a little bit of relief. We’ve got the ability to play for sure with those three guys (outside). We need to be able to get the fourth one ready as well.”
The next option could be freshman Jonas Duclona, who enrolled early at UW and participated in spring ball. He did not play in the opener but Fickell said Monday that Duclona will play this season.
The staff had envisioned Mack being able to give UW another experienced cornerback, but that plan so far has been stymied.
More: Freshman Tucker Ashcraft helping fill a large void at tight end for Wisconsin
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Transfer Michael Mack still not eligible to play for Wisconsin
