Why new Badgers AD Shawn Eichorst Won't Stop Talking About Texas

Wisconsin athletics is many things — proud, storied, iconic, and one of the primary economic drivers of the state. But one thing it's not? University of Texas-Austin athletics.

The Longhorns boast one of the most robust, opulent and recognizable University brands in the world. Their programs, led by its four-time national champion football team, are one of the gold standards for athletics departments in the nation.

Texas isn't just a football school, however. It's won five of the last six Director's Cups, awarded to the best overall athletics department in the nation based on a point system for each team's respective finish. Their current athletic director, Chris Del Conte, is one of the most revered in the country.

His former right hand man, Shawn Eichorst, is now Wisconsin's athletics director after spending the last eight years of his career in Austin, primarily holding the title of deputy athletics director.

Eichorst told the media his main asset is experience. His most recent experience came at Texas, of course, but he also has experience as the AD at both Miami and Nebraska. However, during his introductory pressers and interviews thus far, Eichorst has almost exclusively referenced his time at Texas.

Of course, given the success the Longhorns' athletics department has had in recent years, that checks out — it's natural for the newly hired AD to point to his recent success. But he's also consistently compared Wisconsin and Texas upon his arrival in Madison.

"The size and the scale. It's a public, research institution. Our enrollments are about the same," he said. "The research enterprise, the overall budgets, the way they're tied to their state legislatures, the way they go about it. Excellence. What starts at Texas changes the world, right? The Wisconsin idea, right?"

Of course, Eichorst isn't wrong. The schools are inherently similar. But there's layers to this comparison.

Texas Comparison — spot on or delusional?

University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sure, Texas and Wisconsin share some key similarities. They're big, state schools in a capital city. But does Eichorst see similarities — from an athletics standpoint — that he can expolit to elevate Wisconsin's programs? Those are the kinds of similarities that matter.

Or, conversely, is Eichorst simply offering empty words, using his success at his last gig to inspire hope when in reality the two aren't comparable situations?

The former would be just what the doctor ordered. Eichorst has said multiple times that Wisconsin needs to stick to what it does well and who it is, while making the necessary changes and adjustments to adapt to the rapidly changing college sports landscape. If he can implement those changes using what he learned at Texas in terms of fundraising, administration, analytics and more, while playing to the strengths of Wisconsin athletics, the Badgers just made a home run hire.

The latter would of course be far from ideal. Texas and Wisconsin are comparable on paper, but are they as comparble as Eichorst implies from a donor, booster, funding, almuni and fanbase perspective? Again, that's what matters as the new AD looks to elevate Badger athletics.

Time will tell just how apt the Texas comparisons are.

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