BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – A passion for playing the drums. An ambition to fly military planes. A commitment to himself and his mom to earn a college scholarship. A couple of Super Bowl rings. A trip to the College Football Playoffs. An exposure to another level of coaching in the NFL.
There have been sources of inspiration and sign markers on Greg Scruggs‘ road to becoming Wisconsin’s defensive line coach. Along the route, he has interacted with some former Badgers – Pat Muldoon, O’Brien Schofield, Chris Maragos, Russell Wilson, James White and Troy Vincent.
It has left Scruggs with a good impression of the environment that he can expect in Madison. So has UW head coach Luke Fickell, who had Scruggs on his Cincinnati staff for four years (2018-2021); the first two as the Director of Player Development and the last two as the D-line assistant.
“I love the way that he does things,” said Scruggs, who has rejoined Fickell after spending last season as an assistant defensive line coach with the New York Jets. “I love his commitment to pushing the needle and always wanting to go forward and challenge the norms, no matter what they are.
“I like being challenged. I’m a competitor. I don’t like to lose. But I also don’t like to get complacent because I’m scared of it. And I feel like coach Fickell never allows you do that. If this was just any other coach calling me to come, I would not be here.”
The interviewing process was much different this time around than it was at Cincinnati.
“I didn’t know him (back then),” Scruggs said. “I applied cold turkey. I went to the web site and put in an application. I asked my high school coach if he knew this guy and what he was about and if it would be a fit. He ended up connecting us. I talked with coach Fick several times over the phone.
“I rerouted a flight from one of the jobs I was working and caught a red-eye to Cincinnati.”
Scruggs interviewed for two days and Fickell hired him.
“I consider coach Fick,” Scruggs said, “a mentor of mine in this profession.”
He has another. The aforementioned high school coach, Steve Specht, a proven winner at Saint Xavier in Cincinnati. If it wasn’t for his influence, Scruggs truly wouldn’t be coaching here today. “I owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude,” he said, “because football has changed my life tremendously.”
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Scruggs’…
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