I Love Mondays with Mike Heller
Mike Heller is back talking all things sports and all things Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Badgers and beyond.
I Love Mondays with Mike Heller
I Love Monday-Ep64, May 29, 2026
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Special edition featuring Badgers QB1 Colton Joseph and his dad David...courtesy of The Badger Connect Podcast
I love Mondays with Mike Heller.
SPEAKER_02Broadcasting live from an undisclosed bunker in the Badger State. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike Heller.
SPEAKER_01So we get to jump in on this Friday. If uh if you are tuned in to uh the I Love Mondays Thursday edition, yesterday I talked about uh this being a little bit of a different Friday. Uh I'm I'm actually playing in a golf event uh a little bit later this morning. So this uh this podcast uh is is recorded earlier this morning uh than when you're watching it uh instead of watching it live at 10 a.m. I'm doing this uh quite a bit earlier. Had to set an alarm clock for this one. Um but uh very excited to uh to do what we're gonna do today, and that and that is uh talk about some of the things going on in advance of Brewers uh in Houston and some of the other things uh happening. But then I'm gonna transition into the Badger Connect podcast interview I did with Colton Joseph, uh Badger's quarterback one came from Old Dominion. Uh and you're gonna get a chance to meet him in uh I think was a very fun interview that I did with both he and his dad, David. So uh that's coming your way in just a minute. So uh I want to make sure that we cover some of that some of the ground of what's going on today before I bring you that, and I think you're gonna enjoy that conversation. So uh, but I also want to, before we get too deep into it, uh I want to do uh what I do every day when we're talking about this, and that is uh thank you to uh my partner sponsors who are part of uh of what it is that we do here, and that's important to me, and I I bring it up a lot because it is important to me. So I hope that uh you understand that and and why we uh bring to light our sponsors, because without them, I don't get a chance to do this podcast. It makes a difference, and I wanted to share that with you as we do. Brought to you by One Community Bank. It is uh onecommunity.bank is the website you go to. 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Neuroscience Group, Wisconsin's leader in concussion care. Go to neurosciencegroup.com. And we are also presented by Pottawatomies Sportsbook and Casino. You know it isn't just all beating and betting and eating at Pottawatomy. There's great food there and a bunch of new items, all day brunch with steak and eggs and steak and bagel sandwiches, pancakes, and more, Wisconsin-style appetizers that feature a lot of cheese. And of course, it's got good things like chicken tenders and build your own burger, all that good stuff. Must be 21 to enter the casino, and also presented by Habish Habish and Rotier. 13 locations, ensuring a hometown attorney who understands your life and impacts of your injury on your life, personally committed to your recovery. So those are the partner sponsors. I want to make sure that we recognize them. All right, so the Brew are going to be in Houston to kick off a three-game set. It's a short road trip. San Francisco Giants come to town beginning of next week for a four-game set Monday through Thursday at American Family Field with the Brewers as we check the standings into this Friday going into the weekend. And after tonight, you'll be one-third of the way through the season. Couple of notes to make. Brewers are 33-20. They are four games better than the Cubs. Now the Cubs have won two in a row. They beat Paul Skeens and the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. The Pirates have dropped into last place, and the Cubs have moved back into second place. Everything's so compacted that a couple of wins is going to change your spot in the standings, with the exception of the Brewers, who are four games clear of the Cubs. It is St. Louis in third place, four and a half games back. Cubs and Cardinals begin a weekend set in St. Louis tonight. So now you get a little bit more into some divisional rivals, and that is a very important series for both clubs in St. Louis as uh the Brewers laid it on the Cardinals three in a row. St. Louis trying to find their footing again. And the Cubs, after losing 10 straight, now have won two in a row. Cincinnati's another half game back. They are 29 and 26 in Pittsburgh, as I mentioned, uh in last place right now. Cincinnati gets a home series with Atlanta. Uh the Braves, one of the best teams in all of baseball. Brewers haven't seen them yet. And Pittsburgh is home with the Minnesota Twins. Pitching probables for the Brewers in the set. Coleman Crow goes tonight for the Brewers. Uh Brandon Sproat tomorrow, and the Miz on Sunday in Houston. Brewers' fourth best record in all the major league baseball, on pace for 101 wins. I don't need listen when the season began, you you they all did the over-under stuff. Um and I would have taken the over, most of the over-under stuff for the Brewers was right in and around 82 wins. And I called for 87 wins was the number I think I put out when the season began. And right now they're on pace for 101. Uh that that's just they have been so impressive. I've run out of ways to describe how impressive they are. And note this the Brewers have that fourth best record in baseball, one-on-one pace. They are last in home runs with 37. The leader in the league, the New York Yankees, has 83. So the Brewers have hit 37 home runs. The Yankees have hit 83. That's a big difference. That's a big gap. That's a 46 home run gap. It's almost a home run a game, is is what it comes out to. And then I'll add this the Brewers are first in home runs allowed. Also 37. So kind of do some math there. If you go to a Brewers game, you will see the fewest home runs in a game in Major League Baseball because there have only been 74 home runs total in Brewers games this year, and they played 53 times. So uh the Brewers pitching is also third in earn run average in all of baseball. So they have done all the good things that you're supposed to do when we get to this point. All right. Um let me introduce you to I I did this Badger Connect interview with the quarterback who is gonna be understanding. They they when when they brought in Colton Joseph from Old Dominion, A, they paid him. We don't know how much, but they they they paid him, he was their target. They brought him in as QB1. It is there is competition there, but he is the starting quarterback, and he is a dual threat quarterback. And the interview that I did with him uh two days ago with he and his dad is for badgerconnect.com. And part of that, the interview process is a get to know you less about maybe the specifics of his game and more about a little bit of the family focus. And and with that, we brought in his dad. Uh, and I think you'll find him to be quite entertaining and and and interesting as well. So uh without any further ado, and I don't do this uh very often, so make sure we'll see if we can do this right. Let me add in the uh the interview segment we did uh with Colton Joseph and his dad, David. Colton Joseph, he is the quarterback for Wisconsin football. Uh spring practice is done. They're back on campus now getting ready in summer drills. Uh the other gentleman you see on the picture is dad, not mine, Colton's. That's David in the middle. Uh uh, so we're gonna run through and have a conversation and kind of a get-to-know you kind of a concept. So, Colton, let me begin with you. You arrive on campus after spending uh a couple of years at um at Old Dominion, and uh the process of the transfer portal is interesting. But for you, my my guess is, and I'll let you tell a story, it happened fairly quickly. It wasn't a long drown drawn-out process. Uh, give us a sense, a thumbnail, elevator pitch on how you end up going from Old Dominion to Madison and now being the quarterback at Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, first off, thanks for having us on this podcast. Um here, but um yeah, so you know, entered my name in the portal after the season last year, and um I feel like it definitely did happen pretty quick. I think most teams were looking to have their quarterback, you know, signed fairly quick. So once I, you know, came on a visit here and saw what I needed to see and and kind of confirmed what I've heard from the coaches and heard from the other players, like I think that was just the biggest thing was getting on campus and seeing everything. And that's kind of when I made my decision to hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna be a badger. And yeah, it very it really all I could say is it happened pretty quick. Um, you know, the transfer portal, you put your name in there, all these all these different numbers are calling you. Um, you know, just and then you got to do your own research. And so by the time you know Wisconsin had contact with me, and I I felt comfortable with them and talking to them and and getting that connection built, and I saw the place, I I made my decision, and and you know, now we're here.
SPEAKER_01David is your dad. David, let me ask you uh in that process, I mean, you're an advocate, he's you've got a uh two sons and and a daughter. Um, you and mom are gonna be part of the process. How much of that process were you part of? And and I talked about it with the with Colton, how it happened relatively quickly. What's your view of how that scenario played out?
SPEAKER_03Yes, I mean to describe it, it's fast and furious and crazy. Um, so as you narrow it down between 25 teams or schools to five to two to three, whatever it is, that happens all within two to three weeks. And uh as you get in all the contract negotiations and all the deal points and the ups and downs, and you're talking to a couple different teams all at the same time. And it's uh, you know, I've been in business for a while negotiating contracts and how deals come together, but this is at lightning morph speed. And uh it was just uh just an amazing process to go through.
SPEAKER_01Let's uh let's back up the bus a little bit and talk about uh uh about growing up, and and I'll begin with you, David. Um, because I think when Colton starts to play padded football, I think you've been uh his coach in one way, shape, or form all the way through the process. And I think the first time you guys are in pads, well, Colton's in pads, and you were coaching, like you were just part you were in the throw game from the very beginning, Colton, from uh from coach and offensive coordinator. David, walk me through how you play, you played Division II college football, David. How did how did your role in Colton's development from the early time as a football player, how did that play for you?
SPEAKER_03Well, I was his dad, um and an older brother Drayton played uh Pop Warner before him that I was a coach for. And so it just kind of took everything we learned from obviously a bunch of other dads, a bunch of other college players, and uh created his Pop Warner team, which everybody does around the country.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um kind of what we did a little differently is uh just recognizing that was kind of an air raid kind of started evolving, developing, and obviously Pop Warner at age six, seven, eight, everybody just runs the ball. Um, but I saw another team um just happened to be watching um my daughter's soccer practice, and they were just throwing the ball all over the place and practice, and they were really good. And I said, Well, hey, you're you're you get really good what you practice, and so knew knowing I had a good quarterback, Drayton uh Colton's brother, and then Colton coming up, um, said, Hey, well, let's uh practice uh passing plays and and create all these great passing plays. Uh, we probably had three or four running plays, and so we just threw it all over the yard and was uh crazy successful. The most fun thing was watching parents or the fans with these little six, seven, eight-year-old kids just out there lighting it up. Everybody just couldn't believe it. Uh just uh so it's so fun to see and do and be part of all that all the way through from when he was six to fourteen, whatever it was, 15 when he went to high school.
SPEAKER_01So Colton, what are your memories of that? And did did it kind of start with watching your brother do some of the thing same things that then you did just a couple of years later?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 100%. So I mean, as a kid, that's all I knew as the offense. So I thought everyone was doing that kind of stuff. Um but yeah, you we got really good at it, and we we just throwing the ball all around the field. Um, we had some a lot of good players too growing up, so we always had a pretty good team. And actually, one of the one of the funniest things is like my very first time ever putting pads on. Um, I was probably six years old, maybe seven years old, and my brother and his friends are they're three years older than me. They take me to the park and they just start lighting me up. Uh I'm like, what is going on over here? That was kind of my my welcome to football, and ever since then, you know, I've it's been hard to get away from it.
SPEAKER_01So well, that's uh a big brother's role. Uh so Drayton was doing that with you from an early go, and and now he's here at the University of Wisconsin too. And I imagine that that has uh as a grad assistant. So I imagine that has maybe smoothed this a little bit too. You got a familiar face uh uh around uh with your older brother here. Has that helped your transition?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's definitely uh good to see a familiar face around, just to have someone to lean on and and to have there who who knows everything about me and someone I can you know trust, and someone that's there for me to just you know help out and and just be a be a brother and be a be a good friend.
SPEAKER_01So I'm gonna ask dad this question, and you know, mom probably would have been a better ask on this, but but she's not on the podcast. So I'm gonna go to you, David. Uh, from competing at home, parents and how they manage their kids, sometimes in board games or whatever that is, and obviously in your case, it included, you know, uh athletics. But how did you manage that? And when did you, as dad, begin to see, obviously with Drayton a little bit, but with Colton, that there was something special, different, um, that was gonna work its way through. So let's talk about competition from a parent standpoint. How did you guys, you and your wife, manage what you had with your kids?
SPEAKER_03Well, they're all uh including his sister, she was uh very athletic too, with soccer, lacrosse, everything, golf. Uh they all three play golf, amazing golf wing speeds that I don't have, so I don't I don't know how that happened. But um obviously we're a big sports family, and so all the kids were which again, everybody does this, they're all in soccer, they're all in baseball, they're all in every sport you can imagine uh when they're young. Uh, but obviously with the boys, we focused on football since I was a big football uh guy, and both of them early on, um, both quarterbacks uh excelled, and and you could tell basically first year of Colton played flag one year. I think it was five. Um, but you can you can tell the athleticism, and every coach and dad can tell you. You can you can tell who those standout players are. Uh, but the big uh item is moving forward. So there's a lot of talented kids. Um you know, the very few that make it have that drive, that perseverance and that passion, uh, which you can see a great athletic kid, but he doesn't have the drive. He doesn't want to practice, he doesn't have just whatever it takes, he doesn't have that it factor. Uh but Colton um from early on all the way through, and he keeps getting better at it. Uh, those just initial instincts that he has, and uh just being able to make plays out of nothing that he's been doing since six years old. And you will all see that this year. Uh uh, I can't wait for everybody to see him and make some of these plays that you don't normally see uh at the collegiate level. So um it was it was from early on. You you know, everybody could tell uh he had some special skills, and thank God for all of us. Uh he continued to develop and uh stay uh true the course and true to himself and remained himself. He's still a great kid, yeah, like he was uh when he was six, and uh just excited for all the Badger Nation to see what I've seen for the last uh 21 years.
SPEAKER_01And so are we. Uh Colden, let me ask you about athleticism and when football became number one. Maybe always was, but um let's talk about the other sports though, too. What what what was if football was number one, which I think it was, what what was uh what else was was there for you that was top of your list?
SPEAKER_00I mean, like uh David said earlier, I kind of played everything growing up, whether it was swimming or over here playing basketball or baseball. But I think like if I didn't play football, my top two would have been either baseball, because I was I was pretty good at baseball as well, and then golf too. You know, I've I like you said I got that swing speed, but you know, can't hit it straight. So if I if I just practiced a lot, I think I could I could get a lot better at that.
SPEAKER_01But um well, your your brother hit it straight. Now he played collegiately, right? You're in in in the golf world. So now can do you have you beaten him on the golf course? Is that you know he's giving me some strokes and I I beat him, you know. How about the straight up game now? I mean your brothers. I don't know that he can legally give you strokes as your brother in the family. I would think that would be hard to negotiate.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, he he's too good to no, he gives us a lot of strokes. He gives Colton a few strokes, he gives me a lot of strokes.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, well, and now we're we're in that kind of season now. Uh Dad, you you you live in Austin, you guys, your family uh relocated a couple of years ago to Austin, and we were talking off the air before we started uh the podcast is that Austin is very much like Madison. I mean, it is very state, state university town, and a lot of similarities between what Austin is and what Madison is. So that has to be a little comfortable for both of you too.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, I've as I uh mentioned, uh so we moved to Austin about two and a half years ago, and when we went up to see Madison, this is like January, super cold, uh snow, yeah, probably wasn't the best light to see it. Uh, but just instantly recognized uh Madison's a basically a uh almost a better Austin. It's a smaller, more manageable, probably a little not to rag on Austin a little bit, but just more livable, cleaner, safer Austin, but all the great college things that Austin has and the bars and the restaurants and the parties, uh it's just an amazing place. And I can't wait to see in the summer, uh, which is probably the best time, obviously, to be there.
SPEAKER_01So it's pretty good, pretty good right now. Uh, I think Colton can attest to that. What have you discovered here, Colton, now that the weather has turned, especially in the last week or two we've we've arrived at summer. Uh what have you found that you like?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I left for like a week and a half, two weeks, and this whole place changed. It's like so you know, I've been out at the pool for a little bit. Um, still need to get on the lake, maybe you know, rent some jet skis or something, or or have have the boys out on a boat or something. something. Um been golfing too, been golfing a lot. And you know, I this it's just, you know, ever since everything's bloomed, like it's been beautiful. Everything's looks great and the sun's out. So I'm excited for that too. Tired of that uh cold snowy yeah weather that that was kind of making me mad but we know we're back to the sunshine so that's good.
SPEAKER_01That is good.
SPEAKER_03Mifflin Street what was that Mifflin Street party I went to Mifflin uh block party yeah that's that's a yeah that was amazing yeah the whole world needs to learn about the Mifflin Street block party that was uh that was so fun.
SPEAKER_01Yeah it is there are a lot of uh traditional things in a game day obviously neither of you have been here I would assume for a for a game day um so David let me start with you uh because you're gonna experience it different than Colton is uh what have you understood about it and what are you most looking forward to away from watching what uh the badgers and your son do on the field what are you most excited about well we're we're on the tailgate the pregame the pre-party all that so we still don't know really how that's gonna evolve at uh Madison or pregame but if anybody out there has some suggestions of hey what what's the best pregame pre-party we're all in so uh we're totally looking forward to that so well uh let me ask uh on either now I don't think you've also either one of you been to Lambeau have you uh and you're gonna open at Lambeau Field on that Sunday night against Notre Dame on September the 6th and I think Colton you're gonna get a chance to go up as a team here in June you guys are gonna go up I believe just to to get a tour and and get a feel for it. But right uh start with you Colton you you haven't been to Lambeau Field.
SPEAKER_00Nope never just uh seen it on TV but haven't actually been there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah you're you're both in for a treat uh it to be at Lambeau I think of all of the the sports in this country uh the stadium that is most uh I think a shrine to its game is Lambeau maybe Yankee Stadium for us uh who grew up here uh the Rose Bowl has that same feel and you're gonna get a chance to be at the Rose Bowl uh this year but maybe growing up where you did uh you had been there before um so let me ask you about the the growing up part and and dad you jumped in before when we were talking about when you identified when you could identify but football doesn't have the same club sport atmosphere travel uh maybe that has grown in I don't know how much of that you guys did in in the seven on seven world but give us a sense of the development and David I'll start with you Colton I'll come to you next on this um David give me a sense of the development of the game before you get to high school in a different world of football that doesn't feature the same club travel that that basketball or soccer or volleyball some of the other sports do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah well we tried to make sure we focused gave them downtime play the other sports instead of 247 365 just football yeah but having said that it basically is you've become a one sport 247 365 kid uh in family so you know early on you're going all the seven on seven camps you're going to especially once you get into eighth grade ninth grade it's just uh full time like it is at college now of getting on the circuit getting with the trainers um going to every camp you can not only just uh college camps but all the other third party camps uh you know the the crazy thing about football now is all this rating system three star four star five star um and that's all just kind of hype uh as we know you know most uh NFL players are three stars they're not five stars uh and so you but you got to get caught up into that whole circuit now uh and it's a full-time job as a parent uh to get your kids into that whole circuit and program to be recognized develop talent and uh to create the athletes they are today it's uh it's a machine and you have to be part of that uh it's not a go up go show up and uh just play uh there's a lot of time effort and resources uh behind all of these kids Colton you had to fight a little bit through high school because of an injury walk us uh walk us through how you uh kind of navigated the high school football landscape including an injury which at any age can be traumatic but the at a young age uh you've got to be mentally tough to get through that kind of a time walk us through that path for you yeah so I played freshman ball that that was um that went well and then like really my sophomore year um I felt like I could play but there was a a guy who was a three year starter ahead of me so it was his time to shine and then my junior year is when I was my first starting year on varsity and then after around game four is when I um I hurt my low back a little bit and so I was out for pretty much most of the year maybe got in a little bit towards the end um but that was just like uh you know something you know heartbreaking for me you know first first year starting in uh in high school and and you know it got and uh cut up short um so you know I found a a good physical therapist and you know it was definitely um you know hard for me to battle through and and it was a lot of adversity um but I came back really strong and you know really had a really good year my senior year. I was you know going into that year with a lot of you know not only pressure from outside people but pressure on myself to you know if I want to make this college thing work I got to have a good year here. So I really put my head down trained really hard and you know went out there and played really well my senior year and that gave me some opportunities to play at the next level. So David let me ask you about uh again this is a kind of a parenting kind of uh of a path conversation and that is to you you mentioned earlier about not being 247 365 so how did the game come home with you you're a coach so how how do you how did you make sure that it wasn't the only conversation at the dinner table and that that uh like give us a sense of how that played for you David yeah well luckily uh my wife Colton's mom's uh very good um at you know keeping uh other items up front instead of just football um we're very good we're close family but it helps to have three kids too so sure hey Colton's got all his stuff going on but so do the other two kids so you know once we get home all bets are off of what happened that day um we're just a family now and then and shut it down so we were pretty good at just uh hey we're family football's a big piece of our life and sports but you know bigger things are out there besides just football so yeah well let's let's walk through the original uh decision because recruitment has happened a couple of times so uh I mean you're going west coast sort of to east coast uh Colton how did the decision to go to old dominion come about for you yeah well it was one of my uh better opportunities and I'm blessed to have have received it and had people who uh trusted me to come you know be a quarterback for their program and it was it was definitely a blessing um the beach sold it off pretty well too I you know it was it was good to see the beach over there um yeah on the coast um but yeah it was just it was just another opportunity for me to show my my skills and and and me as a player just another opportunity to play football you know at a at a at a collegiate level at a division one level and you know I I did uh I did my best with what I was with what I was given um you know I had some hardships there too a lot of adversity I had to face there as well and you know I I overcame that and and you know just put my head down again and worked hard and hard and got myself into that position to become the starter one day and I did and had another great year and that's how I ended up uh you know getting to the place I am now which is here in uh Madison.
SPEAKER_01How much better are you in your own mind and and there's obviously improvement that happens at every step and from practice to practice and week to week and and year to year.
SPEAKER_00What's different about you than that freshman kid that that went to old Dominion three years ago I've just grown a lot whether it's um my physical strength and skill set or you know just my mentality whether it's going into a game with um a certain mentality of of how I should play or or just the mentality where it comes to studying and and knowing where to go with the football and where are my reads and I think the the biggest growth I've had to you know that I've come upon is just mentally growing you know looking at new defenses certain coverages and and being able to process that faster each play and and and I think that is helped me slow the game down and and play with with a reaction rather than um trying to guess or or you know kind of stuff like that. But I think it's just the mental part is where I've grown a lot from the kid three years ago.
SPEAKER_01David the the quarterback position is just unique in the world of sports um and you were coaching it through him um because you you're you're in charge of everything and you have to know what everybody's role is how is Colton best suited to do that what are those attributes in him that have allowed him this progression to play that position in the world of sport which is uh we know gets a lot of conversation and it's uh there's a lot of importance in that role on the football field yeah one is just that dedication to learn and know those plays inside and out and how that offense works and how to know how the defense works.
SPEAKER_03A lot of great quarterbacks look great in shorts great arm great everything uh but you get them in the game the second piece of that is just raw instincts that he has which is rare uh even for good athletes uh and so you'll see uh later this year in season just how instinctive he is in that pocket and the ability to escape or throw and do make the right decisions almost every time and when you've got a guy like that at quarterback that makes your entire team obviously much much better and uh that's been at every level that he's been and you can go back to his eighth grade ninth grade sophomore junior high school two years of old Dominion it looks exactly the same so you'll see that instinctive athlete come through over and over and over again and uh those are the big two things that separate them.
SPEAKER_00Colton do you lean into both uh your brother and your sister Lindsay I mean are are they are Drayton and Lindsay both a part of your support system when you when you need somebody or are they both on uh well you don't have speed dial but you your dad gets the term they're both on speed dial for you speed dial for sure yeah uh Drayton's more you know football talk but Lindsay you know that's more if I need to you know get away from football you know on her for for other things for sure what did you admire about uh about your brother uh you know because uh we all look up to if you got an older brother you kind of look up to him so what role did he play in your development what did you admire or want a role model from him well yeah so he was obviously a quarterback as well so as a younger brother I was like hey I kind of want to do that too that looks fun yeah um so I kind of just followed the the stuff he would do follow him around high school sometimes as a as a freshman he was a senior um just kind of seeing what he did day to day and even during practice like who I should be talking to during practice or what he's doing because we were on the same team there for for a year um and yeah I just I just looked up to really what he was doing and his his thought process and and just how he went about his day and you know that kind of I started doing that myself and that's you know obviously we have different you know a lot of differences he he goes about his way different I go about mine different but you know I think there's definitely some similarities there that I I've gained from him and some of the knowledge and and things like that.
SPEAKER_01So David let me ask about adversity because uh I I've lived in the sports media world for all of my adult life and one of the things that coaches and athletes constantly refer to is how you handle adversity.
SPEAKER_03So how has Colton handled adversity how have you seen that how important a part of his maturation has that been uh before I answer that let me give a shout out to his sister Lindsay yeah because oh she great athlete in her own right but as a girl they don't have the same opportunities as the boys do and uh but she's world class in her own right and uh we we talk about all these sports things and how crazy and important football is but she's an ER nurse uh in Orange County actually is saving lives every day yeah doing something really really truly important uh so just a shout out to Lindsay and and Colton's mom too she was a nurse uh as well so uh but as far as adversity um man you just go back to high school and hurt his back and so that whole junior year uh he was excelling early on recruiting was great and then did it all fell apart because he hurt his back uh bounced back from that had a stellar year uh his senior season uh even at old Dominion um you know he started his first game against Virginia Tech uh two series they went with another uh QB uh so man what a uh tough time that was uh and then uh I think the next game or two games later uh he comes back in and just balls out and takes the team over uh program now is completely different uh once he started uh starting uh so you just see it over and over again of over overcoming a challenging time from either injury or just circumstances of coaching or the situation and once you get through that you realize hey you can you can do a lot uh just keep persevering and good things are gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01Colton what's been the most challenging thing of stepping in with no familiar faces as teammates um new coaching staff totally different language of an offensive system because that's always going to be different what is what has that transition for you been like and it walk us through how that's worked and getting over some hurdles there because I sure I'm sure there have been yeah no it's definitely been a challenge for sure um just going into a completely unfamiliar space and and you know I've kind of took that as an opportunity to um kind of show my teammates who I am and and try to step in as a leader as early as possible.
SPEAKER_00You know, because we got you know 30 other brand new guys and you know including the freshman probably another you know 40 50 total brand new people here. So we're all kind of in the same boat. So I think that was a great opportunity for me to come in and kind of assert myself as you know the the player they want me to be and the per not even the player but like kind of the person they want me to be. And along with that bringing in my own personality with it and just having fun with it you know going out there each day um just having fun with the guys whether it's you know during practice or even afterwards out at this at this pool over here. But I think it was just it's just good to um learn how I operate myself in new circumstances. And I think that's helped me grow a little bit more too as we mentioned earlier um because things are new things are different.
SPEAKER_01I got to overcome things and learn myself and create new new routines and new processes and so I think just coming together as a team and building those relationships helped me you know you know every day and there there there was a point in spring practice now I'll let you walk me through this because uh I wasn't there on a um to to see the process as it played out but in talking to some others I think you guys broke during the middle of spring practice whether that was spring break or whatever and when you came back you were better than before is that a fair way to look at it and was there something in you that changed a little bit that you transitioned to tell me walk me through that if you understand where I'm going with that question.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I think the first week there was just a lot of growing pains there was a lot of um a lot of information a lot of new faces a lot of chemistry that had to you know if we were the best team on on day one that wouldn't have been good because then you got a lot of time left and and you you know a lot can happen but we had a lot to glue together a lot of new faces a whole new playbook for me and a lot of those guys so I think we just we needed some time you know we got a week under our belt and it wasn't the best but it was a lot for us to learn those you learn the best from mistakes rather than doing well and so we learned from those we had a week off to think about things get away from football but also still have that mentality of we got to come in and grind every day. And so when we got back a little more comfortable even each day I would get a little more comfortable I feel like towards the end of spring I was even better. And so I think that just you know as time went on I grew and I got more familiar with the offense more familiar with my teammates and so I think that just overall helped me get better as a player.
SPEAKER_01Tell me about your relationship with with the your kind of power structure there with Kenny Guyton, Jeff Grimes and then the head coach Luke Fickle walk me through what you have learned about them and maybe what they're starting to learn about you as you went through spring practice and now beginning summer drills.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I think they all just want to win and and succeed and have guys that'll fight for them obviously coach fickle has his um approach to things and he's putting that mentality into us of how what we need to do to win. And then Jeff Grimes Coach Grimes he's he's there always uh firing us up in the in the meeting room and and getting us going before practice and installing the the plays and and and having all that you know behind he's he's kind of more behind the scenes from the from an outside perspective I would say um but then and then Coach G, Coach Guyton, he's just he's just there helping us out he's he's getting us right installing the plays with us uh going over everything you know from the littlest details from the broadest things he's always there for us to lean on and and have a guy there to coach us up um every single play and and uh you know I think they're all great it's everything I expected and and um they're definitely keeping it real and and just great guys to be around and great coaches.
SPEAKER_01All right David I'm gonna bring you back in in a second but you you're gonna be able to hear Colton's answer to this before I ask you kind of the same question. Now Colton you probably never really got in trouble at home right I mean you're pretty good kid uh but if you got in trouble at home who was the person that you didn't want to have to face was it mom or dad probably mom yeah that's the right answer uh dad would that would that have been a a fair way to to to look at that probably I mean I'm sure you two we all were kids we're all in high school we're all in college we know what we all do what we did uh so you want them to have fun you just don't want them to get in trouble so our whole motto was yeah go have fun just don't get in trouble so luckily he didn't get in any trouble but uh you know he's very balanced very social great kid to uh go have a beer with now that he's 21 obviously didn't drink before he was 21 of course but but yeah great uh great family and obviously great uh kid with Colton uh and I think that helps with your teammates too uh we know in college uh I played you know all the guys who played you know we're out having fun partying enjoying life too as college kids we forget they are college kids and they do need to have fun uh outside of football but uh yeah so far he stayed out of trouble so stay out of trouble Colton stay out of trouble Colton there's a bunch of dads here uh that want that same thing for you um so let me ask you uh David about what the fall looks like I mean we even got some scheduled details today um with we knew the Notre Dame game would open at Lambeau Field on that Sunday night but then a 615 game at home the following weekend the home opener is um against western Illinois eastern Michigan the week after at 1130 then there are some TBAs but you're gonna finish uh Colton on a f on a Friday night 6 30 home game against Minnesota I got news for you it might be cold that's November twenty seventh um but figured so so you get some you get a little bit of an advanced look. So today with some of that Colton Was it uh kind of exciting to see some of that kind of maybe take shape that you know, some game times, things of that nature?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, it's all it's all good to look at and exciting, but I'm just you know, I'm still still here look worrying about tomorrow's workout. You know, I'm not really looking down the line that far, not too worried about that until it the time comes, but it's definitely good to see uh some things get into range and and something uh for the fans uh get hyped about.
SPEAKER_01What is tomorrow's workout? What do you what are you looking forward to? And and you know, it's there's a lot of talk about how the the uh strength and conditioning uh here can be some some hard work and obviously accountability towards one another. So, what is tomorrow's workout?
SPEAKER_00I think we got some sort of sprints with some field work, and then we're uh heads and legs after. So a lot of squats, our uh hamstrings, all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Well, and you listen, if you're gonna play college football, you better learn to love the weight room. How does that play for you? Obviously, it's played pretty well, but it did was that something that you desired? Did you learn to love the weight room? How has that worked?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think growing up, uh especially like sophomore, junior high school, I really got into the in the weight room a lot. And I think I kind of grew a little passion for for lifting there um and working out. Um, and I think as as I've grown up and as I've gone through this, you know, and playing this in football, even in college, um, I've kind of tailored it more to what my body needs rather than just going up and lifting as heavy as possible. But I definitely love to get in there and work out and and and uh push the guys around me also and push myself and just throw those weights around.
SPEAKER_01David, let me ask you uh about this fall, and I'll hold on, hold on.
SPEAKER_03I gotta speak of working out, yeah. Uh so it's the third thing about Colton is he just works, man. He's in the weight room from high school to everywhere. He's just he comes home, he's at the gym, he's working. I also want to give a shout out to Coach Brady. Uh keep hearing uh great things about him. So uh Coach Brady, keep up the good work, man. Uh I'm hearing great things, and all the coaches uh I've heard great things as well.
SPEAKER_01So um, so if I if I go back and and talk about this fall, um how does it play? There are 12 games spread out over 13 weeks. Um, how many of the 12 will you be at? And do you do it as a as a family as much as possible? How will that work?
SPEAKER_03Yep, we'll be at all 12. Uh there you go for sure. Uh barring some some reason that is beyond our control. Um, and yeah, most of the family uh his sister will probably go about half because she's got a real job, you know. Can't just get off all the time. Yeah. Uh and in Drayton, we've uh hopefully be able to go to all the way games too. So he'll be there, which is a nice thing to have him in Madison too. So uh we just uh are looking forward to uh the first game, obviously, and every game thereafter, just can't get enough of it.
SPEAKER_01What are you like as a uh as a parent fan, you know, because you're not coaching now. So uh what are you like to watch a game with? Uh and would uh would Christine answer that question differently?
SPEAKER_03It's it's evolved. Uh well I tried to negotiate a field pass right next to Coach Fick on the in the game. Uh that didn't happen, but uh yeah, I'd love to be down on the field. But other than that, uh as a player, obviously it's great, but you have more adrenaline when your son's down there or your kid is down there, and especially the QB because all eyes are on him. So I'm feeling all that adrenaline rush, good or bad, uh, which is an incredible feeling. If uh the people who don't have an athlete playing, uh it's just you're you're just adrenaline is after the game, I'm just exhausted just from adrenaline. Uh, but there's I also tell people there's nothing else like it. I wouldn't trade it for the world because we're only gonna have so many of these opportunities where you get that adrenaline rush. And I think the fan, that's why the fans love football so much. We all get that adrenaline. Yes. Uh, but then when it's your son's face up there on the big screen, uh, you get more of it. So uh just amazing stuff. Football's amazing.
SPEAKER_01Well, and tremendous tension. Like, I I think of it from the tension is is uh similar, I think. When you're watching your son as you did with Drayton golf, that tension is totally different, but it's heightened. Um, but it's hard to watch your kid play golf at a high competitive level. Um, it's different from an adrenaline standpoint when you're watching your son play football and people are running around at a million miles an hour on the field and the speed and the violence of the game. Uh, you get a compare-contrast, right? Because you know, Drayton's a heck of a golfer. You watch him play in in highly competitive tournaments.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so Drayton actually made it to the U.S. Open final qualifier twice. Uh, he was leading after 18 hole. I was I'm his caddy, so we're we're thinking we're going to the U.S. Open. That's an adrenaline rush. Uh, but it's not quite the same as uh football, they're gladiators. Yes, you know, it is kill or be killed, and it is intense. And uh, and then you got the injury factor, you know. Every game I'm going, oh my god, you're praying just to be healthy, you know, after the game, too. So all that comes into play, and just the stakes and everything at play here. Um, football is just an amazing sport, and that's why I think America, the world loves it. So we can't get enough of it.
SPEAKER_01We sure do. Um, let me let me ask you about uh Colton, let me ask you about the the quarterback room. This is a competitive environment, and it everybody that walks in that quarterback room uh likely has the confidence to be the number one, but you've got to navigate through that. Walk us through what's in your quarterback room and how that brotherhood of competition, you guys have to make it a positive and not a negative.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I think every every room I've been a part of has been extremely competitive. I think that's just the nature of it. Um, but all the guys in in this room specifically, uh, I think we've all grown to be good friends. Um so although we're highly competitive throughout practice, we're also cheering each other on. I know as at least for myself, I'm cheering on the other guys. They make a cool play in practice. I'm over there celebrating on the sideline, or even I'm in the end zone celebrating. I was I didn't even throw the ball. Um but I think it's just good to have each other there to compete against each other. You know, iron iron sharpens iron. Um, so I think it's good to have guys there that'll continue to push me and me for me to push them. Um and ultimately we're also good friends out the field, so it's good to have a good relationship with those guys.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I think uh all of us can't wait. You know, I I see that in you, David. You can't wait to to get to the season. Uh Colton, you got a journey in front of you to get from here to there, and it's and it's daily, but I think I would uh uh speak for for all of us uh at the excitement level of of what's out in front of us um to to watch this team evolve. And and Colton, I'll finish one more here with you, and that is you guys are fully aware that the the program and the standard hasn't been met in the last couple of years. What is it about your confidence and the people, your teammates, your brothers that are in that locker room that changes the narrative uh around Badger football this fall?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I think it's just the mentality of the leaders. The leaders are the ones who gotta push everyone else and lead the herd to to have the same mentality and same focus for what it takes to you know be a good football team. And I think with all the the guys we've gotten, plus the guys who've been here, you know, last the past couple years, um, I think together um they've done really good job of gluing together and and the and the guys leading are the ones saying, hey, we need to do this. Uh whatever that was, um, you know, that didn't work, we're we're cutting that out. Now we gotta be here at this certain time, we gotta practice at this a certain time. We gotta have player-led meetings at a certain time. Like things have to get done, and and we all want to win, and we all have that passion and drive. So I think it comes down to who you who you look up to as a player and and you know who you can bring with you um in that path that you want in that path to win, really, is is what everyone's you know fighting for. And so I think the guys who are gonna um let themselves um be led are the are the the teams that are gonna be great. And so I think that's what we've done really is just try to get out there and and push each other as a team and and come together and just trying to be the best team we can.
SPEAKER_01Colton, we're really we're really looking forward to it now. David, by the way, when you floated out uh looking for the best tailgates and and pregames, uh you just went a whole can of worms. I mean, we're gonna give an invites for these places to go both before and after. Now, before I'm busy, uh, because I work on our on our broadcast team. Uh, but I I'd I'd love to catch you guys after and uh have more dad. Uh post parties too.
SPEAKER_03We're all open to celebrate all the great wins we're gonna have. It's gonna be amazing. Absolutely. And I was just add for uh Colton. I mean, I watched some from Papa Winter to High School to Old Dominion, how it's uh it's a it's the entire team, but how he through hard work and just instincts, uh, he's improved. Every team that he's been a part of, and I just can't wait to see how Wisconsin improves uh this coming season. Is uh is there they're gonna see some amazing things, I think, from that whole team. Uh, we just are so excited to get started here and introduce Colton and the new Badger team uh to the whole country. It's gonna be amazing.
SPEAKER_01Very excited about all of it. What a pleasure it is to meet you and to get a chance to have a conversation with you, Colton. David, thank you very much. Uh, we'll see you both very soon, I hope, and and have a great spring and summer, and we'll look forward to it. Thanks for being part of Badger Connect. Awesome. Thank you. Thanks for having us. Let's jump around. Can't wait to jump around. We are gonna do that. Uh I'm Mike Heller. All right. So uh I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did having a chance to visit with him. You kind of get uh a sense of personality uh and uh a little father-son relationship there. Uh Colton Joseph and Wisconsin will open the season September the 6th. That's a Sunday night at Lambeau Field and Green Bay against the likely number one, number two, number three team in the country before the season begins in Notre Dame. It's actually listed as a Notre Dame home game, and there are some undercurrents there. Marcus Freeman is the head coach at Notre Dame, and he and Luke Fickel have a history together at Cincinnati and at Notre Dame. And uh there are also former Badgers that have gone to Notre Dame. So I think there are some undercurrents in that game that are important as we get into August and to talk about that game on September the 6th. The other games that got set, as I mentioned in that conversation, was Western Illinois. The home opener is one week later on a Saturday night, 6.15 at Camp Randall on BTN, Big Ten Network. The following week, and I don't recall one of these, the following week is an 11.30 kick time, not 11, but 11.30, and that's on Peacock. So just understand you're gonna have to get uh some of these um streaming services again in order to see all the games. Uh game against Michigan State, it's gonna kick off before 4 p.m. So what they've done on some of these is they've taken the opportunity of a night game away. So before 4 p.m. is the homecoming game against Michigan State on October the 3rd. October the 10th is a bye. And then at Iowa, Kinnock Stadium in Iowa City on Halloween, October 31st, will be a game that kicks before 4 p.m. An important note uh for that one. And then, yeah, the finishing game against Minnesota, which is at Camp Randall Stadium, is November the 27th. It's the day after Thanksgiving, and that is a Friday night, obviously, Black Friday, and that's a 6.30 game on NBC. So you'll finish with a night game the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday. That'll be an uh interesting weekend, a great slate of Thursday, Thanksgiving Day NFL games. The Packers will play that Wednesday night, and then the Thursday games, and then the Badgers play Friday night. So uh that'll be a fun weekend as well. We're gonna wrap things up. I want to say uh thank you to all of our sponsors again, uh presented by one community bank, M3 Insurance, and the neuroscience group and our partners on this broadcast as well with Pottawatomie Sports Bookend Casino and Habish, Habish and Rotier. Back in the chair live on Monday, a big weekend for the Brewers on the road at Houston. Keep an eye on the goings-on in Green Bay as it relates to the Packers, OTAs, and the Josh Jacobs story as well. Plus, Major League Baseball and the Players Association opening salvos in their collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the end of this season and interesting goings on there. We'll touch on that more as we get through the weekend. Hope you all have a fantastic uh weekend, not a holiday weekend, but I hope it's a fantastic weekend. The weather should be great. We'll talk to you Monday. It is the uh end of a work week. I love Mondays. Thanks for watching and being part of what it is that we do.
SPEAKER_04I love Mondays with Mike Heller.
SPEAKER_02Broadcasting live from an undisclosed bunker in the Majesty. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike.