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Wisconsin AD explains how SEC snagged his school’s big-name assistant

Talal Elmasry

By Talal Elmasry

Published:

LSU officially announced its new defensive coordinator today during an introductory press conference for Dave Aranda.

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez has an opinion as to how an SEC school was able to snag such a notable assistant from one of the top-tier programs in the country.

Here’s what he had to say in a story by Andy Baggot of UWBadgers.com.

“The reason they can go up higher (in the SEC) is they’re not supporting as many sports,” Alvarez said. “It’s a difference in philosophy. The Big Ten is known for being more broad-based in its sports offerings. We are committed to supporting a broad-based athletic program. People may dismiss that, but it’s a real thing. They can sink more of their money into football.”

Baggot’s story states that most SEC schools have about 18 athletic programs, while the Big Ten has 23.

Aranda was quite possibly the biggest name among potential hires at defensive coordinator. LSU hired Aranda less than 48 hours after Wisconsin’s 23-21 win over USC in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30.

The Badgers only allowed 13.7 points per game this season (2nd in the FBS), while allowing 268.5 yards per game (3rd in the FBS).

Talal Elmasry

Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.

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