The Wisconsin Badgers entered the 2023 season with offensive talent we haven’t seen at the school in some time.
New head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo went after the transfer portal this offseason, adding top wide receivers C.J. Williams, Bryson Green, Will Pauling and others.
But it’s one under-the-radar offseason acquisition that had a significant impact on the team’s 38-17 Week 1 win over Buffalo. And it has a Deion Sanders connection.
The player is true freshman tight end Tucker Ashcraft, who was committed to Colorado’s class of 2023 before the Buffaloes fired head coach Karl Dorrell and hired superstar Deion Sanders. If you’ve followed college football in the last year, or even in the last week, you’re aware of the impact Sanders is having on the sport.
Related: Big Ten starting quarterback rankings after Week 1: Where’s Mordecai?
Well, Ashcraft committed to Wisconsin in mid-December after receiving cold feet from the Colorado recruiting department once Sanders was hired. The three-star recruit didn’t project to do much in Madison as a true freshman, that until Wisconsin’s tight end room became the shallowest on the roster.
Fast forward to Week 1 vs Buffalo and Ashcraft caught two passes for 36 yards. I’m sure many were like myself and looked up who No. 38 was on the roster.
Fickell spoke glowingly about the freshman tight end in his media availability this week:
Luke Fickell came away very impressed with true freshman tight end Tucker Ashcraft.
"Tucker is gonna be a really good football player. By week four, he's not gonna be a freshman anymore."#Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) September 2, 2023
Ashcraft figures to be the No. 2 tight end behind Hayden Rucci this Saturday when Wisconsin battles Washington State. In the current college football media landscape where Sanders is the No. 1 story, it’s great to see someone with Ashcraft’s story find a home and make an immediate impact.