Tag: 247Sports

Where Wisconsin football falls in the 247Sports preseason top 25

A look at where 247Sports ranked the Badgers

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[lawrence-newsletter]Preseason rankings always act as an important piece of the puzzle that is figuring out reasonable expectations for a program from the perspective of fans. National 247Sports recruiting writer Chris Hummer recently released the 247Sports preseason top 25, which was voted on by a number of 247Sports national writers. The Badgers came in as the third Big Ten team listed.

Wisconsin was ranked as the No. 10 team in the nation, coming in behind Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State in the rankings. Here is what Hummer had to say regarding the Badgers in 2020:

“The defense will be there for Wisconsin in 2020 with nine starters returning off one of the best units in the country. The departures of Zack Baun (19.5 TFL) and Chris Orr (14 TFL) hurt, but the Badgers have always been a linebacker factory – Jack Sanborn is your next All-American candidate at the position. Offense is where the questions arise. Jonathan Taylor is one of the best backs in college football history. He’s irreplaceable. His backup, Nakia Watson, averaged nearly two fewer yards per carry than Taylor last season. Expect Wisconsin to have a committee approach replacing Taylor this year. It doesn’t help the Badgers that the interior of their o-line departs. Still, quarterback Jack Coan is back and the Badgers have generally been at worst solid on offense. Coan needs to continue playing super-efficient football (69.6 CMP%) while upping his production a bit in Taylor’s absence. Wisconsin’s 2020 title hopes will largely be determined by a three-game stretch between Sept. 26-Oct. 10: at Michigan, vs. Notre Dame, Minnesota.”

Ohio State was ranked as the top team in the country, while Penn State came in at No. 5. Michigan and Minnesota entered in at No. 17 and No. 18 respectively. Wisconsin was listed as the Big Ten West favorite as they should be headed into the 2020 season.

Badger football players now able to return to campus for in-person workouts

As many outlets reported a few days ago, today–June 8–is the day that Wisconsin football players are allowed to return to campus and…

As many outlets reported a few days ago, today–June 8–is the day that Wisconsin football players are allowed to return to campus and begin in-person workouts.

The workouts are expected to begin as low-number, weight room activities with an expansion in numbers and more coming if the first phase of the return goes well.

As if this recruiting season wasn’t exciting and suspenseful enough, Todd Rucci–the father of current Badger Hayden Rucci and five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci–tweeted yesterday a picture of the three returning Hayden to campus.

If the rumor mill wants to get going, Nolan Rucci–the nation’s No. 14 overall player and No. 3 offensive tackle—is thought by 247Sports to be choosing between Wisconsin and Penn State with his brother currently at Wisconsin and his parents both alumni of Penn State.

He was here this weekend, that is all.

In total, this news of players returning to campus is a good sign for the college football season starting on-time in early September–September 4 for the Badgers–as everyone around the country awaits the return of sports to everyday life.

4-star OLB Xavian Sorey includes Georgia football in top 5

2021 4-star outside linebacker Xavian Sorey took to Twitter Friday to announce his top-5 schools. Full list and details here.

2021 4-star outside linebacker Xavian Sorey took to Twitter Friday to announce his top-5 schools. The list includes Auburn, Alabama, Florida, LSU and Georgia.

Sorey (6-foot-3, 214 pounds) plays football and basketball at Graceville High School in Graceville, Florida, and holds 20+ scholarship offers.

Sorey is rated as the No. 5 outside linebacker, the No. 11 prospect in Florida and the No. 64 prospect overall, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

247Sports wrote:

 “Likely impact Power 5 prospect with early round NFL Draft potential.”

Sorey also holds invites from both the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl, which showcase some of the most talented high school prospects each year.

While Georgia can’t be counted out,  247Sports Crystall Ball predictions have Alabama as the favorite to sign Sorey at this time.

One Badger quarterback recruit ‘could be in line for a ratings bump’

An article was published today that looks at the class of 2021 quarterback prospects and identifies six players who are on an upward…

An article was published today that looks at the class of 2021 quarterback prospects and identifies six players who are on an upward trajectory. One of the six names listed is Wisconsin commit Deacon Hill.

The Santa Barbara, California native is a member of the Badgers’ No. 17-ranked 2021 recruiting class and–similar to the story of Graham Mertz when he committed a few years ago–seems to be on a big-time upward trajectory as he prepares for his senior season.

Here’s what the people at 247Sports had to say about the future Badger.

Few have more juice in their arm or make as many high-level throws as the Santa Barbara (Calif.) product.

“Deacon Hill has one of the most effortless arms in this class,” noted Simmons. “He’s big and not elusive but he is athletic in terms of the way he can deliver the football in the pocket, the ability to disassociate his upper and lower body and make high level throws. He looks capable of making some of the most high level throws in this class.”

247Sports National Analyst Brandon Huffman added some interesting information on Hill’s background that points to a high upside given his relative lack of experience and family history.

“Hill was a full-time starter his first year at Santa Barbara in 2019 and was a backup in 2018 and starting the last two games after injury. His three older sisters played water polo at UCLA – the oldest two were on the 2016 Gold Medal Olympic team and the youngest is on the junior national team. His mom played basketball at BYU and his dad played basketball at BYU Hawaii.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder passed for 3,102 yards and 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions while running for 13 more scores in his first year as a starter.

247Sports’ Wisconsin insider Evan Flood reflected on the article and made the comparison to Mertz–that of the Badgers offering him before he exploded to the national stage.

Recently the Badgers have added one more four-star recruit and two more three-star players to their 2021 class, and the good news seems to keep on coming for the future of Paul Chryst‘s program.

“Notre Dame is back” says 247Sports

It’s fearless prediction time across the college football world and Notre Dame found mad-praise from one respected outlet recently.

If you recall the thrilling but heartbreaking finish to Notre Dame’s season opening loss in 2016 at Texas you may remember the television call that went, “Texas is back, folks!”

Well, 247Sports made 20 bold predictions for the 2020 college football season and in them discredit Texas a bit but think very highly of Notre Dame’s chances in the upcoming season.

From Brandon Marcello of 247Sports:

247Sports’ way-too-early bowl projections has UT in Alamo Bowl vs USC

Texas is predicted to end up in the Alamo Bowl again after this season. 247Sports has UT facing off against USC down in San Antonio.

After defeating Utah in the 2019 edition of the Valero Alamo Bowl, Texas is predicted to end up there again this upcoming season. In their way-too-early bowl projects, 247Sports has the Longhorns facing off against the USC Trojans down in San Antonio.

Here is what they had to say on the possible matchup.

Both of these Top 15 programs are expecting more out of the 2020 season, each blessed with top-end quarterbacks, but without a conference title for either, it’s hard to assume a berth in the New Year’s Six will happen unless they finish with a single blemish. Texas travels to LSU, takes on Oklahoma in Dallas and must navigate several other challenging matchups during Big 12 play. After the seismic opener vs. Alabama, the Trojans would likely have to run the table in the Pac-12 to reach the final four. Given Clay Helton’s hot seat, USC will be an interesting team to watch for sure.

If the prediction is correct, Texas and USC will be playing for the seventh time in their histories and the fourth time since 2000. The latest matchups came in Tom Herman’s first two seasons as head coach, where the Longhorns and Trojans split a home-and-home series.

Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger would end his career the way he began it, facing off against USC. His first start against a Power 5 program was in 2017 against the Trojans.

As for the rest of the Big 12, 247Sports predicts no one from the conference will make the College Football Playoff for the third time since the inaugural 2014 edition.

  • Baylor vs Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl
  • Iowa State vs Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl
  • Kansas State vs Virginia in the First Responders Bowl
  • Oklahoma vs Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl
  • Oklahoma State vs Virginia Tech in Cheez-It Bowl
  • TCU vs Tennessee in the Outdoors Bowl
  • West Virginia vs South Carolina in the Cactus Bowl

With the Sugar Bowl hosting a College Football Playoff semifinal, the Big 12 has no automatic qualifier into the New York 6 bowl games. Oklahoma would represent the conference in the NY6, facing off against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.

It is too early to predict the 2020 college football season. The goal for Texas should be trying to compete for a Big 12 championship and a spot in the NY6 bowls. Another Alamo Bowl appearance could be seen as a disappointment in year four of Tom Herman.

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247Sports’ Big Ten power rankings not a big fan of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers

Earlier today Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his “Big Ten Power Rankings ahead of the 2020 season” and had Paul Chryst’s Badgers at…

Earlier today Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his “Big Ten Power Rankings ahead of the 2020 season” and had Paul Chryst‘s Badgers at No. 5.

Ahead of Wisconsin is Ohio State at No. 1, Penn State at No. 2, Michigan at No. 3 and Minnesota at No. 4.

“Wisconsin will have one of the best defenses in the country in 2020 and it will have an offense that is going to lean on that unit,” the article reads. “Quarterback Jack Coan has proven to be nothing if not efficient and as long as he continues to take care of the football, a committee approach at running back will do enough to get the job done.”

These rankings disagree with those of ProFootballFocus, Athlon Sports, ESPN and others–power rankings which listed the Badgers No. 4, No. 3 and No. 2 respectively among Big Ten teams.

Jeff Potrykus tweeted yesterday that Badger football players will be able to return to campus to begin in-person workouts in the next week or two as Big Ten schools begin to prepare for the 2020 season.

Only time will tell if Wisconsin is truly the No. 5 team in the conference–but as of today it appears that 247Sports is the one outlet that sees it that way, not trusting Jack Coan to get the job done without the services of Jonathan Taylor, Quintez Cephus and other key pieces gone to the NFL or graduation.

247Sports named Sam Ehlinger one of 20 irreplaceable players

247Sports put together a list naming the 20 most irreplaceable players throughout CFB. Sam Ehlinger was the only player from the Big 12.

No player has been more important to the Longhorns than Sam Ehlinger during the Tom Herman era. Without him, it is difficult to think about where Texas would be as a program.

Both on and off the field, the senior quarterback has been the leader for Texas. Ehlinger’s numbers speak for themselves, being one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12.

247Sports put together a list naming the 20 most irreplaceable players throughout college football. 13 of the players listed were quarterbacks, with Ehlinger being the only one from the Big 12. Here is 247’s reasoning as to why Texas cannot replace Ehlinger.

No quarterback in the Big 12 carries his team quite like Ehlinger, whose shoulders had to be tired last season from the weight of national expectations and a disappointing defense. Ehlinger’s best games of his career have come in spotlight opportunities against nationally-ranked competition, the mark of a true competitor. He has accounted for 80 touchdowns over his last 27 games, the second-most in college football during that stretch (Joe Burrow, 88). The Longhorns’ coaching staff expects Ehlinger’s senior numbers to be gaudy within new OC Mike Yurcich’s scheme and if it happens, Texas will challenge for double-digit wins and a potential Playoff berth.

As much as Ehlinger has carried Texas these best two seasons, his job may be harder going into 2020. The wide receiver group will bring the most questions on the offensive side of the ball. Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson made up 50% of the passing game last season but now are both in the NFL.

Being a dual-threat quarterback also makes Ehlinger a factor in the run game along with Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson at running back. He will be involved in every facet of Yurich’s offense where he should be able to thrive.

Ehlinger’s senior leadership will be the key factor in carrying the Longhorns toward their goals this season. With the pressure to win in front of the entire Texas team, Herman and his staff will be looking to Ehlinger.

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4-star OL Dietrick Pennington includes Georgia football in top 5

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive guard Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. Details here

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. The list includes Georgia, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and LSU.

Pennington (6-foot-5, 326 pounds) plays football for Evangelical Christian School in Cordova, Tennessee, where he sees playing time at both guard and defensive tackle.

247Sports has Pennington rated as the No. 12 guard, the No. 4 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 212 prospect overall in the 2021 recruiting class.

From 247Sports:

“Wide-bodied lineman, big-jointed with a thick lower half and a bulky upper body. Plays both ways for his high school and has multi-positional and multi-sport background. Natural feet and lateral agility.”

 https://twitter.com/Dietrick80P/status/1266862668717178881

Wisconsin receives two new crystal ball predictions

Four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers and three-star cornerback Ricardo Hallman–both Badger targets in the class of 2021–each received…

Four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers and three-star cornerback Ricardo Hallman–both Badger targets in the class of 2021–each received 247Sports crystal ball predictions yesterday that they will join Paul Chryst and the Badgers in Madison.

Bollers and Hallman have both expressed excitement on Twitter when other Badger targets including four-star tight end Jack Pugh committed to Wisconsin. So there’s a good chance they aren’t far behind.

These crystal ball predictions also come on the heels of several Badger football recruiting and personnel employees tweeting that there could be two recruits set to join their class of 2021 in the near future.

No news is close to set in stone, though with the recruiting process comes kernels of information and signs that point towards a conclusion.

The people at 247Sports seem to believe that solution will be the commitments of Bollers and Hallman in the not-so-distant future.