Tag: 2024 preview

Florida head coach again calls former Wisconsin QB ‘one of the best in the country’

Billy Napier is calling Graham Mertz one of the best QBs in the country again. Do you agree with his sentiment?

Florida head coach Billy Napier is doubling down on his confidence in former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz entering the 2024 season.

Napier was recently asked about the potential for the Gators to run two-quarterback systems with the starter Mertz and five-star freshman D.J. Lagway. His response again labeled Mertz one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Related: Where Wisconsin football players have ended up out of the transfer portal in 2024 offseason

“We have one of the best quarterbacks in the country on our team,” Napier said. He went on to clarify that the Gators have “been [Mertz’s] team since day one of the offseason.”

This high praise is nothing new from the Florida head coach. He called Mertz ‘one of the best quarterbacks in America’ back at SEC media days in July.

The praise follows Mertz’s solid-yet-unspectacular 2023 season with the Gators. He threw for 72.9% completion, 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns and three interceptions as the Gators struggled to a 5-7 record.

Top options RB Trevor Etienne (transfer, Georgia) and WR Ricky Pearsall (NFL, San Francisco 49ers) are now both gone from last year. They together accounted for 1,952 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns.

That will put more on Mertz’s shoulders in 2024, tasking him to carry the team against a brutal schedule that includes preseason No. 19 Miami, No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 13 LSU, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 10 Florida State.

If Napier’s sentiment is correct, then Mertz will elevate his game and help the Gators return to bowl eligibility.

I’m sure Badgers fans may have a different read on the situation.

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Where ESPN ranks Wisconsin football in 2024 according to tiers

Where ESPN ranks Wisconsin football in 2024 according to tiers

Wisconsin football is in an interesting place entering the 2024 season.

The program is off consecutive 7-6 seasons, the most recent a disappointing debut campaign for new head coach Luke Fickell. But expectations are still high entering 2024. Those expectations are tied to the program’s success from 2000-2019 and to Fickell’s resume before arriving in Madison.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings entering Week 1: A clean slate for Wisconsin

2024 will be about tangible improvements and better results for the Badgers. Importantly, it should signal the rising stock of the Fickell era. But that requirement exists with the team set to face a gauntlet schedule in the expanded Big Ten Conference.

Several variables are working in the positive direction for the program, while others work in the negative. That is why it is interesting to gauge how national publications see Wisconsin entering the season.

ESPN’s David Hale recently divided all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams into tiers entering the 2024 season. Wisconsin was in Tier 8, the ‘In need of a vibe shift’ tier. Here is what Hale wrote about the Badgers:

The teams in this tier are like recent Marvel movies. Sure, we went to see it, and it wasn’t bad, but it’s just hard to keep getting excited for something we know will ultimately disappoint

(…)

Wisconsin wants to evolve into an Air Raid offense, which is a little like Miller High Life evolving into Dom Perignon. They’re technically both champagne, but it seems like a big shift.

Other teams in this tier are Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina and TCU.

Hale’s analogy for Wisconsin’s identity shift to Phil Longo’s pass-first air raid offense works. It certainly applies to the tier’s title. Wisconsin’s ‘vibes’ need to shift, especially on offense, if the program is to reestablish itself toward the top of the Big Ten.

That shift could come in many forms. Wins against Alabama, Oregon, Penn State or Iowa would certainly help.

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Prominent AP writer picks Wisconsin to make 2024 College Football Playoff

What are the chances Wisconsin makes the College Football Playoff in 2024?

Wisconsin fans must accept a recalibration of expectations entering the 2024 season.

The Big Ten West is no more, which means the Badgers’ classic path to nine wins and a birth in the Big Ten title game is gone. Now, those marks must come after outlasting an 18-team conference that is now headlined by Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Washington, and others.

Related: Big Ten starting quarterback power rankings from ProFootballFocus

In other words, it will require a significantly better Wisconsin team to finish 10-2 and reach the Big Ten title game. That is where expectations must change, as Luke Fickell leading the program to perennial 8-4 records would be impressive given the circumstances.

But although Big Ten titles just became arguably the toughest thing in the sport to win next to the national title, this new format does give programs like Wisconsin more opportunity.

That comes with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. The new format includes the five highest-ranked conference champions, then seven at-large teams. There is a real argument to be made that the Badgers finishing 9-3 with a big win over Alabama or Oregon could be enough to earn them a spot.

Think that’s unrealistic? Well, prominent Associated Press college football writer Ralph Russo just picked the Badgers to make the inaugural 12-team CFP field. Here is his seed breakdown:

Wisconsin tabbed ‘most overrated team’ in the Big Ten by CBS’ Chip Patterson

Wisconsin tabbed ‘most overrated team’ in the Big Ten by CBS’ Chip Patterson

Some in the media see a resurgent season for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2024. Others do not.

CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson fits into that second category. In his outlet’s recent 2024 Big Ten preview, he tabbed Wisconsin as the “most overrated team” in the conference

Related: Every former Wisconsin Badger currently on an NFL roster entering 2024 training camp

“This isn’t a huge gripe for me,” Patterson wrote. “I’m just two spots lower than where the Cleveland.com media poll had Wisconsin (No. 7), but I would rather have a couple of teams ahead of the Badgers given some of the uncertainty heading into the year.”

Patterson went on to address Wisconsin’s quarterback situation with Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke starting under center and the Badgers’ challenging conference schedule with games against Penn State, Oregon, USC, Iowa and Nebraska.

Wisconsin was listed in the overrated category along with Michigan and USC. The latter two are both ranked in the preseason AP Poll (Michigan at No. 9 and USC at No. 23), while the Badgers were only receiving votes.

Every CBS analyst picked Wisconsin to finish ninth in the conference except for Tom Fornelli, who picked the Badgers 14th. The outlet slotted Nebraska, Rutgers, USC and Iowa ahead of Wisconsin, in addition to the obvious top tier of Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan.

The national sentiment, at least from this collection of analysts, is much lower on Wisconsin’s chances this season than anybody locally.

Most around the team recognize its clear improvements after Luke Fickell’s disappointing debut season in 2023. While the regular-season record may still finish at 8-4 or 7-5, the team is expected to take a significant step forward as the Big Ten enters its new era.

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Wisconsin star defender earns 2024 preseason All-American honors

Wisconsin star defender earns 2024 preseason All-American honors

Wisconsin star cornerback Ricardo Hallman was named to the Associated Press preseason All-America second-team defense on Monday.

He was included on the second-team defense with edge defenders Abdul Carter (Penn State) and Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), defensive tackles Tyleik Williams (Ohio State) and Deone Walker (Kentucky), linebackers Danny Stutsman (Oklahoma), Jason Henderson (Old Dominion) and Nick Martin (Oklahoma State), cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) and Sebastian Castro (Iowa), and safeties Dillon Thieneman (Purdue) and Billy Bowman (Oklahoma).

Related: Projecting Wisconsin Badgers two-deep depth chart heading into Week 4 of 2024 fall camp

Hallman is the only Wisconsin Badger to make the AP preseason first or second team on offense or defense. Other top candidates including safety Hunter Wohler and wide receiver Will Pauling did not make the cut.

The rising redshirt junior cornerback earns the honor after a breakout 2023 season. He finished with 34 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, five pass deflections and a whopping seven interceptions. That statistical production matched impressive film that included a matchup against top NFL draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. He ended the season with an AP All-America third-team selection.

Hallman enters 2024 as the Badgers’ clear No. 1 cornerback. With the defense expected to improve around him, especially at linebacker, the Florida native could be in for an even bigger season. He will look to be the first Badger to earn an AP All-America first-team selection since ILB T.J. Edwards (2017).

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Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell: Badgers in a ‘really good place’ entering final week of fall camp

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Saturday as the Badgers concluded the third week of their 2024 fall training camp.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Saturday as the Badgers concluded the third week of their 2024 fall training camp.

One final week remains before game-week preparation officially begins on Aug. 26. Wisconsin then opens its season on Friday, Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Related: Projecting Wisconsin Badgers two-deep depth chart heading into Week 4 of 2024 fall camp

Fickell’s session with the media came after the Badgers’ last full scrimmage of the fall camp session. He explained where the team stands after the scrimmage, now entering the final stretch before the upcoming season kicks off.

“[Saturday’s scrimmage] was one of the last days where we could really truly kind of get after it in a way that we would like to before we find out on [Aug. 30] what we really got,” Fickell said. “That doesn’t mean we’re done. That doesn’t mean camp is over. There’s a different mode here as we move forward. I think we’re in a really good place.”

Wisconsin’s head coach continued to explain the balance between preparing for the upcoming games, and ensuring health before the schedule begins.

“I think it’s a little bit unique now to say ‘okay, we have to continue to work, we have to continue to do things we need to do.’ But we also need to get ourselves healthy. We need to try to find a way to get our legs and our minds back in this next phase of where we’re headed here,” Fickell continued. “So we can take advantage of not having our guys in school — that routine where we can spend more time. Not too much [time]. But spend more time. Where that’s even taking care of themselves physically. And that’s what we have to do.”

The Badgers open their 2024 season against Western Michigan, ESPN SP+’s No. 110-ranked team in the country (out of 133). They then host South Dakota, the No. 5-ranked team in the FCS preseason coaches poll.

All of that leads to Week 3 against No. 5 Alabama, arguably the biggest game at Camp Randall in over a decade.

Any of Wisconsin’s remaining preseason work before the days leading up to Aug. 30 will almost certainly be done with the Alabama matchup in mind.

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Wisconsin WR Will Pauling: ‘We have so much depth in our [wide receiver] room’

Wisconsin star wideout Will Pauling is optimistic about the depth of talent in the Badgers’ wide receiver room entering 2024.

Wisconsin star wideout Will Pauling is optimistic about the depth of talent in the Badgers’ wide receiver room entering 2024.

The former Cincinnati transfer expressed his excitement to Big Ten Network during its recent feature on the Badgers.

Related: Projecting Wisconsin Badgers two-deep depth chart heading into Week 4 of 2024 fall camp

“We got a lot of guys in our receiver room that are going to make a lot of plays for us this year,” Pauling said. “Guys like Bryson Green, big-bodied guys that can go up and make jump ball plays. And obviously you got guys on the side like myself, and a kid named Trech Kekahuna who I think is going to turn a lot of heads this year.”

The rising junior continued to applaud the group’s talent, focusing on those who are set to step forward after playing reserve roles in the room last season.

“From top to bottom, I just think we have so much depth in our room,” Pauling continued. “Like I said, it all goes back to that confidence. We got a lot of guys that were here last year that are going to only grow from what they did last year, and do some big things for us this year.”

These comments notably come from Wisconsin’s unquestioned leader at the position. Pauling paced the team with 837 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2023, numbers that should only increase in 2024 with the Badgers offense set for a substantial improvement.

It is easy to see where his sentiment is coming from.

Wisconsin returns both him and Green, two of the team’s top options from 2023 who should both see increased targets with the offseason departures of Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell. They quietly form one of the better duos in the Big Ten entering the season.

Returning contributors also include C.J. Williams, Trech Kekahuna, Quincy Burroughs and Vinny Anthony — all players who are set for big steps forward after gaining valuable experience last season.

That group is then supplemented by transfers Joseph Griffin Jr. (Boston College) and Tyrell Henry (Michigan State), two players with proven production at the college level.

Phil Longo’s air raid offensive attack utilizes a collection of players at wide receiver. That is a significant separation from the program’s old pro-style attack, which would only see two or three receivers lead the room in snaps and targets.

Wisconsin could go seven or eight-deep at the position in 2024. According to Pauling, the receiver room is well-equipped to handle that workload.

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Only one Wisconsin Badger makes ESPN’s ranking of college football’s top 100 players for 2024

Should more Badgers make the list?

The 2024 Wisconsin Badgers could be much improved on both sides of the football after a disappointing 2023 season. The team, as a whole, might be strides better than last year’s group that went 7-6 against a light schedule.

But if that is the case, ESPN thinks it will happen without any of college football’s premier players. Oonly one Wisconsin Badger made its list of the top 100 players in the sport entering 2024: cornerback Ricardo Hallman.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers game-by-game picks entering 2024 from ESPN FPI matchup predictor

Hallman is No. 62 in the top 100. He is on the list thanks to a 34-tackle, 3 tackle-for-loss, 7-interception, 5-pass-deflection 2023 campaign. His rise to No. 62 overall comes after entering the 2023 season unranked entirely.

Here’s what the ESPN staff wrote about the Wisconsin star cornerback.

Hallman’s journey has been one to watch. After being a redshirt freshman who barely got any snaps during his first two seasons, Hallman made a leap last year. The Miami native secured a starting spot in the Badgers’ secondary and tallied a nation-leading seven interceptions on his way to All-America status. Going into his junior season, Hallman somehow remains one of the more underrated defenders — and players — in college football and should be primed for another big year.

The path that ESPN mentions includes joining the Badgers as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021. He was the program’s third-lowest-rated commit in the class (the lowest rated was Jake Chaney, the Badgers starting inside linebacker entering 2024). The class broke records, led by five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, four-star OT Riley Mahlman and four-star safety Hunter Wohler. Hallman has emerged as arguably its best player.

That path also includes playing in three games as a true freshman in 2021, nine (eight starts) as a redshirt freshman in 2022, then exploding onto the scene in 2023. Now entering 2024, he’s arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the sport. In ESPN’s eyes, at least, one of the most underrated.

Other Badgers who could have made the list include safety Hunter Wohler (120 tackles in 2023) and wide receiver Will Pauling (837 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns in 2023).

Either way, Wisconsin’s success in 2024 will come from a deep group of productive players, rather than from just one or two known stars.

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The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel predicts Wisconsin football’s record in 2024

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel predicts Wisconsin football’s record in 2024

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel released his predictions for the 2024 Big Ten football season on Friday.

His predicted final standings are unsurprisingly led by Ohio State (projected 12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) and Oregon (projected 10-2, 7-2 Big Ten). Iowa and Michigan also tied the Ducks with 7-2 conference records.

The Wisconsin Badgers, then, are tied for fifth in Mandel’s ranking. They are part of a pack of 6-3 teams with Penn State and Rutgers. Specifically, he projects the Badgers final record at 8-4, with that 6-3 mark in Big Ten play.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers game-by-game picks entering 2024 from ESPN FPI matchup predictor

An 8-4 season would certainly be a success for Luke Fickell in year two at the helm.

Wisconsin plays one of the nation’s toughest schedules with games against AP preseason No. 3 Oregon, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Penn State, No. 23 USC and No. 25 Iowa. That schedule comes as the Big Ten’s East-West division model is eliminated, which increases the required record for the Badgers to reach the Big Ten title game.

An 8-4 season means at least a few big-time victories, including against those top teams listed. It also means the team avoids upsets against the Purdues and Northwestern’s of the sport.

On the field itself, Wisconsin improving to 8-4 this season requires a significant step forward on the offensive side of the football.

While the offensive line projects to be better, the receivers are definitely improved and veteran QB Tyler Van Dyke is a good fit in Phil Longo’s scheme, there still is a necessary proof-of-concept of the air raid approach at Wisconsin. The scheme is a significant departure from the program’s classic approach, which requires tangible results before calling the change a success.

If Longo’s offense takes a big step forward and the Badgers capitalize on home atmospheres against Alabama, Oregon or Penn State, then a resurgent 8-4 season could become a possibility.

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Tyler Van Dyke joins long list of Wisconsin season-opening starting quarterbacks since 2000

Wisconsin has had 15 different starting quarterbacks since 2000:

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo officially named veteran transfer Tyler Van Dyke the Badgers’ starting quarterback on Wednesday.

Van Dyke won the job after a multi-week training camp battle with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke. He had been trending toward winning the job for some days, though his status was not official until Longo’s availability on Wednesday. Locke will enter the season as the backup in what Longo calls a ‘1A, 1B’ situation.

Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season

Van Dyke joins a long list of Wisconsin starting quarterbacks since 2000. He is the 15th overall name on the list and the second added in the last two seasons (Tanner Mordecai, 2023). The Badgers certainly hope that rate slows moving forward as Longo’s system is fully implemented and high school recruiting at the position picks up.

But as we enter 2024 with Van Dyke officially starting under center, here is the updated list of every Wisconsin starting quarterback since 2000:

2000 Stats: 11 games, 52.6% completion, 1,363 yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions

2001 Stats: 9 games, 51.4% completion, 1,257 yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, six touchdowns, four interceptions

2002 Stats: 13 games, 53.5% completion, 1,758 yards, 7.2 yards per attempt, 14 touchdowns, four interceptions

2003 Stats: 12 games, 56.5% completion, 2,251 yards, 9.1 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions

2004 Stats: 12 games, 52.6% completion, 1,999 yards, 6.2 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns, seven interceptions

2005 Stats: 13 games, 60.1% completion, 2,920 yards, 8.9 yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns, nine interceptions

2006 Stats: 11 games, 59% completion, 2,185 yards, 8.2 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, six interceptions

2007 Stats: 13 games, 58% completion, 2,607 yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2008 Stats: 6 games, 53.8% completion, 949 yards, 7.2 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, five interceptions

2009 Stats: 13 games, 64.3% completion, 2,705 yards, 8.2 yards per attempt, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2010 Stats: 13 games, 72.9% completion, 2,459 yards, 9.2 yards per attempt, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions

2011 Stats: 14 games, 72.8% completion, 3,175 yards, 10.3 yards per attempt, 33 touchdowns, four interceptions

2012 Stats: 7 games, 60.5% completion, 523 yards, 6.1 yards per attempt, three touchdowns, one interception

2013 Stats: 13 games, 61.9% completion, 2,494 yards, 7.4 yards per attempt, 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions

2014 Stats: 14 games, 58% completion, 709 yards, 6.3 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, six interceptions

2015 Stats: 13 games, 60.8% completion, 2,687 yards, 7.3 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2016 Stats: 11 games, 68.1% completion, 1,245 yards, 8.8 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, three interceptions

2017 Stats: 14 games, 62.3% completion, 2,644 yards, 8.3 yards per attempt, 25 touchdowns, 15 interceptions

2018 Stats: 9 games, 59.5% completion, 1,532 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2019 Stats: 14 games, 69.6% completion, 2,727 yards, 8.0 yards per attempt, 18 touchdowns, five interceptions

2020 Stats: 7 games, 61.1% completion, 1,238 yards, 6.4 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns, five interceptions

2021 Stats: 13 games, 59.5% completion, 1,958 yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2022 Stats: 12 games, 57.3% completion, 2,136 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

2023 Stats: 10 games, 65% completion, 2,066 yards, 6.6 yards per attempt, 9 touchdowns, four interceptions

Van Dyke was named the Badgers’ 2024 starter on Wednesday. He is the program’s 15 different season-opening starting quarterback since 2000.

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