Tag: Hayden Rucci

Badger Countdown: Number 85 looking to put together healthy campaign

The start of the Badger football season is now 85 days away as Wisconsin gears up to face Buffalo on Sept. 2 at Camp Randall.

The start of the Badger football season is now 85 days away as Wisconsin gears up to face Buffalo on Sept. 2 at Camp Randall. Heading into the first season with Phil Longo and his “Air Raid” offensive scheme, fourth-year tight end Clay Cundiff will look to make a splash.

Cundiff has struggled to stay on the field the last couple seasons, twice suffering season-ending lower-body injuries, but he has been productive in limited action. Over seven games, the tight end has reeled in 12 catches for 228 yards and 12 scores, while he turned nine receptions into 142 yards and two touchdowns over four games in 2022.

He will split touches at tight end with Jack Eschenbach and Hayden Rucci in 2023, though Cundiff may possess the best set of skills as a receiver of the three. With new head coach Luke Fickell in town and transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) under center this season, the Badgers are expected to open the field through the air, so the 6-foot-3 athlete could be in for a big year if healthy.

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Badger Countdown: Current No. 87 scored a highlight TD in last year’s bowl game

Wisconsin football is now only 87 days away from kicking its season off against the Buffalo Bulls.

Wisconsin football is now only 87 days away from kicking its season off against the Buffalo Bulls.

The Buffalo–Washington State–Georgia Southern out-of-conference stretch to start the season reminds me of the 2019 slate when the Jack Coan-led Badgers defeated South Florida and Central Michigan on its way to a Big Ten West title and Rose Bowl appearance. That team opened conference play with ranked Michigan, while this one gets Purdue and Rutgers before a big contest against Iowa.

Related: Wisconsin has a scary trap game on its 2023 schedule

Both early-season stretches give the team a perfect chance to work out issues and gain momentum before conference play–unlike 2021 with Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame all in the first four weeks of the season. For a program with a new head coach, a new offense and several new starters, out-of-conference play should serve as a real benefit. We’re now 87 days away from that quest beginning.

Today’s season countdown turns focus to senior TE Hayden Rucci, who caught a highlight touchdown against Oklahoma State in last year’s bowl game.

Rucci returns as a 5th-year senior in a tight-end room that has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons. The former three-star recruit has a chance to be a big contributor this season as Phil Longo’s air raid offense is implemented.

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive players from week 3 win over New Mexico State

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over New Mexico State, according to Pro Football Focus:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) took care of business at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon, beating the visiting New Mexico State Aggies 66-7 in a game that was never even close.

Bobby Engram’s offense ruled the day, producing 595 total yards of offense (335 passing, 260 rushing) and scoring the most points in a single game during the Chryst era.

I thought third-year starting quarterback Graham Mertz looked excellent on Saturday, completing 12-of-15 passes for 251 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The Kansas native has taken a clear step forward and given the Badgers a respectable passing attack.

The Badgers, currently unranked, finished conference play on a high note and will now prepare for a grueling Big Ten slate that begins with a road test against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies, according to Pro Football Focus.

LOOK: Wisconsin rebounds against New Mexico State 66-7

Photos from Wisconsin football’s dominant victory over the New Mexico State Aggies:

After a tough loss to the Washington State Cougars, the Wisconsin Badgers dominated the New Mexico State Aggies 66-7 in the final game of the Badgers’ three-game homestretch at Camp Randall Stadium.

The phenomenal performance was led by a great effort from Jim Leonhard’s defense which had three interceptions. The Badgers also limited the Aggies to only 242 total yards, which mostly came in the second half against their backups.

On offense, quarterback Graham Mertz had a great game finishing with 251 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen continued his good form with 86 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

It is great to see the Badgers rebound after a difficult loss, especially ahead of their matchup next week on the road against the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Below are photos from Wisconsin football’s dominant victory over the New Mexico State Aggies:

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive players from week 1 victory over Illinois State

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s 38-0 victory over Illinois State, according to Pro Football Focus:

The No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) kicked off its season opener at Camp Randall on Saturday night with a 38-0 victory over the visiting Illinois State Redbirds.

Wisconsin’s new-look offense under Bobby Engram produced 440 total yards and scored 38 points with a balanced offensive attack.

Third-year starting quarterback Graham Mertz looked sharp against Illinois State, completing 14 of 16 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers.

Doak Walker hopeful Braelon Allen also carried the ball 14 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the first half that went for 96 yards and gave the Badgers a 14-0 advantage that set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded players from Wisconsin’s 38-0 victory over Illinois State, according to Pro Football Focus.

Rucci sets commitment date, is Notre Dame an option?

Nolan Rucci, the 5-Star Pennsylvania offensive tackle, has set his announcement date for early next week. Are the Irish a viable option?

Late last January the Irish offered Pennsylvania offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, and the through was Notre Dame would be a player in his recruitment until the end. That is the case, as Rucci, the 14th overall player and nationally the 5th ranked tackle by the 247Sports composite has announced he will commit on Tuesday, televised by CBS Sports HQ.

Rucci will go live with his announcement at 6pm EST, but don’t expect to see Irish head coach Brian Kelly on Twitter with his #WeAreND reaction. Notre Dame has been included in his final 5, but they are on the outside looking in. At 247Sports there are 5 crystal balls, none of them favoring the Irish. The same at Rivals with their FutureCasts favoring Wisconsin, the overwhelming favorite to land the offensive tackle.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, Rucci’s older brother Hayden plays for the Badgers, while his father Todd is Penn State alumnus. Those are really the two schools that have the best chance at the younger Rucci’s commitment.

Kelly would have loved to add Rucci to the ‘21 class, as they currently have two tackles committed in Blake Fisher and Joe Alt. Fisher is a 5-Star like Rucci and Alt is considered more of a project due to his lack of experience playing tackle. When you add in the commits of guard Rocco Spindler and center Pat Coogan, it is a fantastic group even after missing out on Rucci.

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.

Wisconsin Spring Position Preview: Tight Ends

Examining Wisconsin’s tight end position group as the Badgers begin spring football practice.

Spring football allows for head coach Paul Chryst to not have to worry about preparing for a game. Instead, it allows him to teach the game of football and continue to develop the players on Wisconsin’s roster as they prepare for the 2020 season. Chryst will have 15 practices beginning March 22 to help his team improve and build on what they accomplished during the 2019 season.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will break down the tight end position for Wisconsin as it heads into spring practice.

Spring Tight End Roster

Clay Cundiff (redshirt freshman), Jack Eschenbach (redshirt sophomore), Jake Ferguson (redshirt junior), Gabe Lloyd (redshirt senior), Hayden Rucci (redshirt freshman), Coy Wanner (redshirt junior)

What we know going into spring practice

Wisconsin was hit hard by injuries a season ago but the Badgers entering spring practice are healthy, which will give tight ends coach Mickey Turner and Chryst a much better idea of what they have at the tight end position.

Ferguson was able to build off of his successful redshirt freshman season as his 33 receptions and 407 receiving yards ranked second on the team a season ago. Considering how much Wisconsin relied on Ferguson a season ago as a receiver and a blocker and what he still was able to accomplish within Wisconsin’s offense is impressive.

Ferguson was able to improve as a blocker as he was more consistent in this area and spring football will once again serve as an opportunity for him to better his all-around game as he tries to prove why he’s one of the better tight ends in the Big Ten.

After Ferguson, it is a bit of an unknown. The Badgers have some talented options as it is a matter of the rest of the tight ends starting to put it together and spring will be important for the entire tight ends room development.

One of the bigger obstacles for each tight end in Wisconsin’s program they face is learning the blocking responsibilities. If the younger tight ends on Wisconsin’s roster can demonstrate consistency in this area they’ll set themselves up for the right to earn reps when the Badgers do begin fall camp.

What we hope to find out following spring practice

Growth from the position and whether or not Turner and Chryst feel like the tight ends were able to improve over the course of spring football.

The tight ends are a big part of Wisconsin’s offense and the need for them to be consistent in the passing game, in addition to blocking is critical for the success of Wisconsin’s offense.

Although there are unknowns behind Ferguson, Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff will get plenty of opportunities over spring football. Rucci brings a toughness to the tight end position as he’s demonstrated his ability to block and catch and Cundiff needs to continue to improve as a blocker.

It is a matter of Rucci and Cundiff shoring up their weakness while continuing to improve on where they have had success. They will have plenty of opportunities to continue to get better as there is time to be earned on the field and the play by those two will be important in the success of Wisconsin’s tight ends.

Another tight end to keep an eye on is redshirt sophomore Jack Eschenbach who will be going through his second spring practice.

Eschenbach received some time a season ago during the nonconference portion of the schedule because of the injuries at the tight end position. As Wisconsin coaches like the potential of Eschenbach. He still may be a year away from being a contributor but because of his size as he’s listed at 6’6″ and 224 pounds could become a threat down the road but he needs to continue to add strength to his frame in order to hold up over conference play.

Projecting Wisconsin’s Spring Offensive Depth Chart

Who is projected to start on offense when the Badgers open spring camp.

Wisconsin’s offense in 2020 will certainly have a different feel to it considering the Badgers lost three key players on the offensive side of the football in running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, and center Tyler Biadasz as all three declared early for the NFL Draft. Despite the departures from those three players, the Badgers do return six offensive starters from 2019.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we project what the spring depth chart on offense will look like when the Badgers open up spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Quarterback: 1. Jack Coan, 2. Graham Mertz, 3. Chase Wolf, 4. Danny Vanden Boom

Jack Coan will open spring football as the projected starter for Wisconsin and until he gives Paul Chryst a reason why he shouldn’t be starting for Wisconsin he’ll remain atop the depth chart throughout spring and when fall camp opens. Graham Mertz is certainly talented enough to challenge Coan for the starting position but the key for Mertz is building off of his first year at Wisconsin and consistently stringing together successful practices. This will be Mertz’s second spring football. Chase Wolf will be competing to be the top backup. Mertz and Wolf were listed as co-backups to Coan last season but if Coan would have had to leave the game due to an injury it would have been Mertz to fill in the place of Coan. Making it an important spring for Wolf to continue to improve upon his quarterback mechanics. Danny Vanden Boom played in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2018 but didn’t appear in a game last season.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Running Back: 1. Garrett Groshek, 2. Nakia Watson, 3. Isaac Guerendo, 4. Brady Schipper, 5. Julius Davis

Highly touted and consensus four-star running back Jalen Berger won’t arrive until this summer. In the meantime, it will be up to Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson to show they’re capable of filling the giant shoes that are being left behind in two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor. Watson (74-331-2) finished the season with more carries and more rushing yards than Groshek (42-194-2). But Watson over Wisconsin’s last two games didn’t register a carry as he’ll need to show he can take on a larger role in the offense during spring practice. Groshek is trusted by the coaches as he’s the most experienced running back returning as he has shown his capability as a receiver but also holding up in pass blocking too. How Guerendo, Schipper, and Davis figure into the running back picture in 2020 will still be determined but how they play over spring football will go a long way in terms of how many reps they receive once fall camp begins.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Fullback: 1. Mason Stokke, 2. John Chenal, 3. Quan Easterling

Mason Stokke and John Chenal split reps at fullback in 2019 and that should continue unless Stokke or Chenal take complete command over the role as starting fullback. Both had their moments in 2019 where they succeeded but Stokke’s best statistical game came against Minnesota when he registered 14 yards rushing on two carries and had three catches for 30 yards. Quan Easterling redshirted in 2019 but did appear in one game against Illinois due to Stokke missing the game because of an injury.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Wide Receiver: 1. Kendric Pryor, 2. Danny Davis, 3. Jack Dunn, 4. Adam Krumholz, 5. A.J. Abbott, 6. Stephan Bracey

Wisconsin’s depth chart at the wide receiver position figured it would have Cephus and Aron Cruickshank but with Cephus entering the draft and Cruickshank transferring to Rutgers the depth at wide receiver took a hit. But the Badgers still have enough depth to absorb those losses. It helps that Wisconsin returns Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. Between the two Davis finished with more receptions than Pryor (30-to-23) but Pryor finished with 278 receiving yards to Davis’ 250. Both of their roles should expand entering the 2020 season and with more opportunities, the duo should be able to respond. Behind Davis and Pryor will be Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz. Two of Wisconsin’s better run blockers at the wide receiver position. Abbott appeared in seven games a year ago mostly on special teams or in mop-up duty while Bracey redshirted but he did travel with the team for road games at times.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Tight End: 1. Jake Ferguson, 2. Cormac Sampson, 3. Jack Eschenbach 

Ferguson will return as the Badgers top tight end as he has improved over the past two years and that should continue for Ferguson as his 33 receptions for 407 yards ranked second in both categories. Sampson took on a larger role than previously expected for Wisconsin in 2019 as he served as Wisconsin’s blocking tight end and had success as he’ll be projected to fill that role again in 2020. Eschenbach a walk-on is a player the coaches are high on but he’ll need to continue to put it all together. A pair of redshirt freshman Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff will compete for a spot on the depth chart as the duo have important springs ahead of them as they continue to grow into the tight end position.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Offensive Line: LT Cole Van Lanen, LG Josh Seltzner, C Kayden Lyles, RG Logan Bruss, RT Tyler Beach

Wisconsin lost three starters from its 2019 offensive line all coming on the interior in guards David Moorman and Jason Erdman and center Tyler Biadasz. Who ultimately starts along the offensive line when the Badgers open up the season against Indiana won’t be determined until fall camp. As spring will serve as an opportunity for offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to use a variety of different combinations along the offensive line. But what is listed above seems to make the most sense with what Rudolph will roll out to start with and go from there when he tries out different line combinations. Lyles and Seltzner both started four games a season ago at left and right guard respectively. Lyles is capable of sliding over to center and with Bruss being capable of sliding over to guard will allow for Tyler Beach to start at right tackle.

Wisconsin Football Season Review: Tight Ends

How did Wisconsin’s tight ends do over the course of the 2019 season?

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s tight ends from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

Wisconsin’s tight ends were hit hard by injuries in 2019.

Considering the Badgers only had two healthy tight ends at their disposal during the 2019 season. Luckily, Jake Ferguson or Cormac Sampson didn’t add their names to the injury list at the tight end position.

Tight ends coach Mickey Turner lost Luke Benzschawel and Gabe Lloyd both for the season during fall camp. Benzschawel was expected to be the number two tight end behind Ferguson. Lloyd who has appeared in 21 career games was expected to be a contributor as well.

In an attempt to absorb those two losses Zander Neuville was granted a sixth year of eligibility. However, Neuville like Benzschawel and Lloyd was lost for the season in early September before he could officially make his return to the team.

With Ferguson and Sampson being relied on so heavily over the 2019 season the two held up well. Ferguson finished the season second on the team in both receptions (33) and receiving yards (407) and had two touchdowns.

Ferguson for the second consecutive season caught at least one pass in every single game this season as he now has 69 career catches in 27 career games.

Sampson didn’t register a catch nor was he targeted in the passing game as his primary responsibility came in the run game. Sampson did well of helping open up running lanes for Jonathan Taylor and the rest of the backs. Sampson was able to help fill in the void of Benzschawel, Lloyd, and Neuville as the three were all going to be counted on as run blockers before they were lost for the season.

Redshirt freshman Jack Eschenbach appeared in four games at tight end. Eschenbach a walk-on from Downers Grove, Ill still needs to develop but gaining that playing experience this past year will help with his growth and confidence when the Badgers begin spring football.

2020 Wisconsin Tight Ends

Ferguson will continue to develop at tight end and with Wisconsin set to get back both Benzschawel and Lloyd at tight end in 2020 the Badgers depth should be a lot better at the position. In addition, spring football will be important for both Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff as both redshirted this past season. Cundiff only appeared in one game last year against Central Michigan but both will need to be consistent in all areas of what Turner asks from his tight ends in order for them to possibly see the field consistently. In addition the Badgers will add a pair of true freshman in Cam Large and Cole Dakovich to the tight end room.