Tag: Aaron Witt

Wisconsin injury report vs. Purdue sees key defensive starter listed as ‘questionable’

Wisconsin injury report vs. Purdue sees key defensive starter listed as ‘questionable’

This story was updated to add new information.

Wisconsin released its updated availability report for its Week 6 game against Purdue.

Those listed as ‘out’ include RB Chez Mellusi, QB Tyler Van Dyke, WR Joseph Griffin Jr., OL Leyton Nelson and DL James Thompson Jr. None of those designations come as any surprise.

Related: 10 keys to Wisconsin Badgers bounce-back victory over Purdue Boilermakers

Those with the ‘questionable’ designation are CB Max Lofy, true freshman WR Kyan Berry-Johnson and starting OLB Aaron Witt.

Lofy’s inclusion is expected — he left Wisconsin’s Week 5 loss to USC with an injury. Witt, meanwhile, is the most notable player listed. He’s been arguably Wisconsin’s best outside linebacker through four games and finally appears to be past the lingering injuries that held him out for multiple years.

The in-game snap distribution should tell us more about the extent of Witt’s injury.

One notable omission from the injury report is true freshman OLB Thomas Heiberger. He was an offseason standout after joining the program as a four-star commit in the class of 2024. A knee injury halted his progress, though he now appears fully healed.

It’s worth watching whether Heiberger sees the field against the Boilermakers. Wisconsin is still in search of strong production from the position.

Purdue, meanwhile, enters Saturday’s game without starting CB Markevious Brown, who recently stepped away from the team. Here is the Boilermakers’ status report, which sees WR Jahmal Edrine possibly returning to the field after missing the last two games:

The Badgers and Boilermakers will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Aaron Witt made the game-sealing play in Wisconsin’s win over Western Michigan

This is one of the best stories from Wisconsin’s Week 1 win:

The story of Wisconsin’s 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan was inconsistency. In many ways, the Badgers faced the same growing pains that plagued the team during its 7-6 2023 season.

There are some significant bright spots from the win, however. One came on what became the game-sealing play from the Badgers defense.

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan

Western Michigan had a 4th-and-1 from midfield with 8:00 left in the contest. The Badgers led 21-14 after having just taken the lead a few minutes earlier. The team badly needed a momentum-maintaining stop.

Wisconsin got that stop, thanks to redshirt junior outside linebacker Aaron Witt.

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1829729151361700338

Witt finished the contest with two tackles, that 4th-down stop obviously being the biggest. Wisconsin went on to score on the short field and put an exclamation point on a 28-14 win.

The impact play is great to see from someone in Witt who has battled injury after injury over the past three years.

Witt first joined the program as a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He saw the field as a true freshman, including a 1-sack, 1-forced fumble, 2-tackle-for-loss performance in the Badgers Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Wake Forest.

He showed immense potential as a true freshman, though went on to miss 2021, 2022 and most of 2023 due to various injuries. The veteran returned to game action in the final games on the 2023 schedule. He is now fully healthy entering 2024, and is already making a positive impact.

Witt will look to build upon his strong Week 1 when the Badgers face South Dakota next Saturday. Wisconsin managed just one sack against Western Michigan, a number that will need to change moving forward.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

Wisconsin veteran outside linebacker Aaron Witt returns to practice

Remember Aaron Witt?

Wisconsin veteran outside linebacker Aaron Witt is back on the practice field as the Badgers’ spring session continues.

WOZN’s Zach Heilprin was in attendance at the team’s practice on Tuesday. He wrote on X that “today was the first time I’ve seen [Witt] actually practice. Ton of energy from him, especially after he crushed the move TE on a run play. Got some work with 2nd-team defense.”

Related: Wisconsin football’s starting offense and defense begin to take shape at spring practice

Witt appeared in two games in 2023 after being out since Wisconsin’s 2020 Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over Wake Forest. He returned to practice in a limited capacity in the Badgers’ preparation for the ReliaQuest Bowl in December 2023, but he appears to be full-go for the first time in nearly four years.

Witt registered two tackles for loss and one sack in two games of action as a freshman in 2020. His sack on Sam Hartman in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl had Badgers fans excited for what was to come, though injuries unfortunately derailed the next three years of his career.

Predicting Witt to be a starter or play consistent snaps may be a stretch. But he still has a ton of potential if he can just stay on the field once the season begins.

For more spring practice preview, we’ve analyzed the spring position battles, the biggest questions entering the period and Wisconsin’s possible breakout candidates — plus predicted Wisconsin’s depth chart on offense and on defense.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Wisconsin’s latest ‘Dudes of the Week’ has a notable addition

Aaron Witt breakout season incoming?

Wisconsin strength coach Brady Collins released the program’s latest ‘Dudes of the Week’ on Saturday, this offseason’s fifth edition of the honor.

Included on the list: transfer OLB Leon Lowery, S Kamo’i Latu, transfer LB John Pius, DB Max Lofy, TE Mike Cerniglia, C Jake Renfro, RB Gideon Ituka, transfer WR Tyrell Henry, TE Riley Nowakowski, QB Nick Evers, DB Amare Snowden and veteran OLB Aaron Witt.

Related: Big Ten starting quarterback rankings for 2024

We are focusing on the last addition: Aaron Witt — a talented outside linebacker who has played in just two games since Wisconsin’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Wake Forest in December 2020.

The veteran defender’s only action came in the Badgers’ last two games of the 2023 season. He recorded just one tackle against LSU in Wisconsin’s narrow ReliaQuest Bowl loss.

For those who remember the Duke’s Mayo Bowl well, all we need is a hint that Witt may be healthy and effective entering the season. Because when he’s seen the field, this has happened:

[lawrence-related id=71472,71360,71360,71210]

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Wisconsin outside linebacker returns to practice for first time since 2020

Wisconsin outside linebacker returns to practice for first time since 2020

Aaron Witt might be back, finally. Evan Flood of 247Sports shared on ‘X’ that the veteran is back at practice for the first time since the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2020 as the Badgers get ready for a ReliaQuest Bowl matchup against LSU.

Witt joined the Badgers as a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He played five games as a true freshman, including a two-tackle, sack and forced fumble breakout against Wake Forest in the aforementioned bowl game.

Then injuries hit. Witt was forced to redshirt in 2021, did not see the field in 2022 and has not played yet this season. The long road back to the field could finally have reached its end, and according to accounts from the practice field he doesn’t seem to have missed a beat:

To refresh everyone’s memory, this is the lasting memory from Wisconsin’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Wake Forest:

Witt and the Badgers face LSU on New Year’s Day in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Though it should be noted: the veteran pass rushed does have several years of eligibility left if he chooses to use them.

2021 Wisconsin Football Preview: Early breakout players, true freshmen to watch

The Wisconsin Badgers’ 2020 football season saw sophomore ILB Leo Chenal, freshman RB Jalen Berger, freshman OLB Nick Herbig and others…

The Wisconsin Badgers’ 2020 football season saw sophomore ILB Leo Chenal, freshman RB Jalen Berger, freshman OLB Nick Herbig and others break onto the scene and make their names known.

The team would not have had the same success without these guys and what they did on the field, as Chenal and Herbig were two of the driving forces on defense and Berger was far-and-away the best option in the backfield.

Going into any season there will be hype given to certain players and positions, hype which I expect the three names above to receive as well as QB Graham Mertz, WR Chimere Dike and NT Keeanu Benton.

Related: The Badgers’ projected 2021 depth chart on offense, defense

But aside from the names that every Badger fan knows and players that we know will take a step forward, who else should you watch and keep on your radar?

I set out to answer that question in this week’s edition of way-too-early breakout players and freshmen to watch for the 2021 football season.

For 2020 season review:

Breaking Down Wisconsin’s 2020 Signing Class

Taking a closer look at how Wisconsin’s 2020 recruiting class breaks down by position and by state.

MADISON, Wis. – After signing 19 scholarship players and two walk-ons during the early signing period in December the Badgers saw their scholarship class officially grow to 20 players while adding four more preferred walk-ons to the program during national signing day on Wednesday. The Badgers class ranks 25th by 247 Sports, 26th by ESPN, and 27th nationally by Rivals.

Here’s an overview of the class. Click the player’s name for a more in-depth breakdowns on that specific player.

Scholarship Commits by State

Arizona (1): Malik Reed

Colorado (1): Max Lofy

Hawaii (1): Nick Herbig

Illinois (1): Dylan Barrett

Massachusetts (1): Cam Large

Michigan (1): Jordan Turner

Minnesota (2): Kaden Johnson, Aaron Witt

New Jersey (1): Jalen Berger

North Carolina (1): Devin Chandler

Ohio (1): James Thompson

Pennsylvania (1): Preston Zachman

Tennessee (1): Isaac Smith

Wisconsin (7): Ben Barten, Tanor Bortolini, Cole Dakovich, Chimere Dike, Cade McDonald, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig

Commits By Projected Position

QB: None

RB: Jalen Berger

WR: Devin Chandler, Chimere Dike, Isaac Smith

TE: Cole Dakovich, Cam Large

OL: Dylan Barrett, Ben Barten, Tanor Bortolini, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig

DL: Cade McDonald, James Thompson Jr.

ILB: Malik Reed, Jordan Turner, Preston Zachman

OLB: Nick Herbig, Kaden Johnson, Aaron Witt

DB: Max Lofy

Specialists: None

UW walk-ons: Inside Linebacker Ross Gengler, Offensive Lineman Kerry Kodanko, Long Snapper Duncan McKinley, Outside Linebacker Riley Nowakowski, Offensive Lineman Sean Timmis, Kicker Jack Van Dyke

Breaking Down Wisconsin’s 2020 Signing Class

Taking a closer look at how the 2020 recruiting class came together and where each player projects to play.

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin football officially announced 19 scholarship players and two preferred walk-ons in its 2020 signing class during the early signing period on Wednesday. The Badgers class ranks 26th nationally by both ESPN and 247 Sports and 32nd by Rivals.

Here’s an overview of the class. Click the player’s name for a more in-depth breakdowns on that specific player.

Scholarship Commits by State

Arizona (1): Malik Reed

Colorado (1): Max Lofy

Hawaii (1): Nick Herbig

Illinois (1): Dylan Barrett

Massachusetts (1): Cam Large

Michigan (1): Jordan Turner

Minnesota (2): Kaden Johnson, Aaron Witt

North Carolina (1): Devin Chandler

Ohio (1): James Thompson Jr.

Pennsylvania (1): Preston Zachman

Tennessee (1): Isaac Smith

Wisconsin (7): Ben Barten, Tanor Bortolini, Cole Dakovich, Chimere Dike, Cade McDonald, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig

Commits By Projected Position

QB: None

RB: None

WR: Devin Chandler, Chimere Dike, Isaac Smith

TE: Cole Dakovich, Cam Large

OL: Dylan Barrett, Ben Barten, Tanor Bortolini, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig

DL: Cade McDonald, James Thompson Jr.

ILB: Malik Reed, Jordan Turner, Preston Zachman

OLB: Nick Herbig, Kaden Johnson, Aaron Witt

DB: Max Lofy

Specialists: None

UW walk-ons: Long Snapper Duncan McKinley, Offensive Lineman Sean Timmis

Wisconsin Signing Class Preview – Kaden Johnson

Wisconsin received Kaden Johnson’s national letter of intent as part of the early signing period on Wednesday.

With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on December 18, Badgers Insider takes a closer look at the recruits that signed with the Wisconsin football program.

In this edition, we examine Minnehaha Academy (MN) outside linebacker Kaden Johnson.

Note: All notes and stats provided by uwbadgers.com

Johnson chose Wisconsin over other offers from: California, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon State, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Virginia

Johnson’s High School Accolades: Four–star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals…No. 1–ranked recruit in Minnesota…First–team All–Metro by Minneapolis Star Tribune…Helped Minnehaha to consecutive Class 2A state titles in basketball

Johnson’s Impact as a Badger: Wisconsin has been on Johnson for a while as the relationship they developed with him early on paid off on Wednesday as he announced he was signing his national letter of intent with Wisconsin.

With the addition of Johnson at linebacker, it continues to add what is already an impressive haul for the Badgers during the 2020 recruiting cycle.

Johnson a consensus four-star prospect joins a linebacker class that already includes projected outside linebackers in consensus four-star Nick Herbig and three-star Aaron Witt and a trio of inside linebackers in Jordan Turner, Malik Reed, and Preston Zachman as all three are rated as consensus three-star prospects.

Like many of the other commits in the 2020 recruiting class, Johnson is a multi-sport athlete as he also is a member of the Minnehaha Academy basketball team. Due to Johnson playing both sports he has demonstrated good footwork in addition to having good foot speed.

Johnson’s quickness allows him to be able to generate pressure in the backfield. Johnson is well put together as he’s listed at 6’4″ and 200 pounds allowing him to bull rush his way in order to create pressure in the backfield.

Johnson does well with his hand placement, which allows him to create the pressure. Although Johnson has done well in creating pressure in the backfield in high school he simply won’t be able to consistently bull rush people at times in order to have success from the outside linebacker position.

Making it important that outside linebackers coach Bobby April is able to provide him with additional tools to help support his pass rushing skills. Considering the more tools Johnson has at his disposal will only make him more dangerous.

Johnson like Herbig is capable of playing as a true freshman. The Badgers lose Zack Baun due to graduation but the success of the Badgers defense relies on creating pressure on the outside by the linebackers. As great as Baun has been this year the Badgers are going to need someone to replace his production in creating pressure in the backfield.

With that being said Johnson will be given his chance of showing he’s capable of creating pressure in the backfield. If he’s able to consistently string together strong practices he’ll give himself a chance of carving out a role for himself.

Wisconsin Signing Class Preview – Aaron Witt

Wisconsin received Aaron Witt’s national letter of intent as part of the early signing period on Wednesday.

With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on December 18, Badgers Insider takes a closer look at the recruits that signed with the Wisconsin football program.

In this edition, we examine Winona (MN) High School linebacker, Aaron Witt.

Note: All notes and stats provided by uwbadgers.com

Witt chose Wisconsin over other offers from: Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Oregon State, Toledo, and Wyoming

Witt’s High School Accolades: Three–star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals…Finalist for Minnesota Mr. Football as a senior in 2019…Earned invitation to Minnesota Football Showcase all–star game

Witt’s Impact as a Badger: Before committing to Wisconsin this past September Witt gave both Minnesota and Iowa verbal pledges. Witt initially committed to Minnesota in November of 2018 before flipping his pledge to Iowa in June of 2019.

However, Witt’s commitment to Iowa lasted only two months as during his commitment to the Hawkeyes he earned his offer from the Badgers this past July.

Ultimately the offer Witt was looking for was from the Badgers as the Badgers were evaluating him on whether they thought he could make a successful transition from his high school position at defensive end to outside linebacker in Wisconsin’s defense.

Wisconsin’s outside linebackers coach Bobby April got a first hand look to see how Witt fared at outside linebacker as Witt attended one of Wisconsin’s summer football camps this past June. Getting that first hand account of how he practiced, his footwork, and his ability to take coaching were strong components to his evaluation for Wisconsin.

Witt did line up at the outside linebacker position at times for his high school so it won’t completely be a new experience for him. But there will still be a transition period for him from having his hand primarily in the ground to standing up and creating pressure from the outside linebacker position.

But due to his size he moves well, which must have given Wisconsin’s coaching staff the confidence that he could make a successful transition to his new position.

One area where Witt will need to be able to adjust is being able to drop back in coverage on passing plays. Utilizing his strong footwork and being able to keep up with tight ends to make sure they can’t get open easily.

Witt is listed at 6’5″ but he’ll need to continue to gain weight as he’s listed at 220 pounds. Once he gains the weight he needs, in addition, to gaining strength he’ll have a chance of holding up during Big Ten play and allow him to play physical at the line of scrimmage.

Wisconsin fans may not hear a lot from Witt over the next two seasons for the Badgers but if Wisconsin’s coaching staff is right with their projection on Witt and his ability to make the transition to linebacker they’ll look awfully good.