Tag: Hunter Wohler

Wisconsin football makes the top five schools for a 2025 cornerback

Wisconsin football makes the top five schools for a 2025 cornerback

Class of 2025 defensive back Zay Gentry announced his top five schools via social media on Wednesday.

Wisconsin is among the Texas native’s final list, along with Missouri, Oklahoma State, SMU and Baylor.

Gentry received 30 total offers dating back to January of 2023. UW extended its offer on October 16, 2023, and he is slated to officially visit Madison on May 31 per 247Sports. 

Both Rivals and 247Sports rank the 6 ‘0’’ corner as a three-star. He lands as the No. 419 player in the class of 2025, No. 38 cornerback and No. 65 recruit from the state of Texas. The junior also recorded a 22-6 long jump and a 14.09 110-meter hurdles time during his early junior track and field season. 

This past season, he posted 41 tackles and a pair of interceptions on the gridiron, and he concluded his sophomore campaign with 35 tackles, 3 TFL, one pick and 10 pass breakups.

The lengthy defender could bolster Mike Tressel’s unit down the line and fill a void with the looming departure of star safety Hunter Wohler. 

Star safety is Wisconsin’s highest-graded returning player

Who is Wisconsin’s best player entering 2024?

Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler is the Badgers’ highest-graded returning player per PFF College’s latest post on X.

With the departures of running back Braelon Allen and quarterback Tanner Mordecai, Wohler is slated to lead the Badgers in his fourth season representing the Scarlet and Red. 

Wohler, a rising senior, spearheaded UW’s secondary a season ago. The Muskego native led all Big Ten defensive backs with 120 total tackles and was voted First-Team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press. 

His 74 solo tackles also ranked first among defensive backs across NCAA Division I college football, and he became the first Big Ten DB to post 110+ tackles, a sack and multiple INTs in the same season since 2010.

As one of the most intense athletes in Wisconsin’s defensive unit, Wohler will look to showcase his prowess against an expanded Big Ten conference next season. With games against Alabama, USC, Penn State and Oregon littered throughout UW’s schedule, the Badgers’ defensive anchor will look to do just that.

Badgers defender listed in top 100 by PFF

Badgers defender listed in top 100 by PFF

The Wisconsin football team finished the 2023 campaign with a 7-6 overall record including their 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl, but a bright spot emerged on their defense.

Safety Hunter Wohler was an animal for the Badgers, racking up 120 total tackles (74 solo), including a sack, while also adding two interceptions and six pass deflections over the team’s 13 contests.

Pro Football Focus ranked Wohler as the 79th overall player from the 2023 college football season, putting the nation on notice for the safety after his impressive junior campaign.

Wohler will be back for his fourth season in Madison this fall and he’ll look to improve upon his 2023 numbers.

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Wisconsin football 2024 depth chart projection 1.0: Defense

Wisconsin football 2024 depth chart projection 1.0: Defense

Wisconsin football enters the 2024 season with an identity that needs to be rebuilt.

I wondered aloud throughout last season what the team’s identity was. It wasn’t exceptional at throwing the ball. It was inconsistent on the ground, and the defense was good but not great. The same was the case in 2022 under Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard — even the great defensive identity was slipping away.

Related: Way-too-early record predictions for every Big Ten football team in 2024

The good news is Luke Fickell is a defensive head coach with a strong history on that side of the ball. If I bet on any part of the team reaching dominance, it would be the defense.

Fickell and his staff attacked the transfer portal this winter to help reshape a roster that didn’t quite fit his and Mike Tressel’s schemes.

We will see if those moves pay off when spring practice gets underway. But first, here is our first depth chart projection for the Badgers’ 2024 defense:

Wisconsin had one of PFF’s highest-graded safeties in 2023

Wisconsin had one of PFF’s highest-graded safeties in 2023

National recruiting news was made earlier today when star Alabama freshman safety Caleb Downs entered the transfer portal.

Downs is one of the best players in the country, even as a true freshman. His departure from the Alabama program is one of many since the retirement of college football legend Nick Saban a week ago. But that’s not exactly what the angle is here.

The news prompted ProFootballFocus to release its highest-graded safeties from the 2023 season — where the star safety Downs fell at No. 8.

Up at No. 3 on the list: Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler.

Wohler finished the 2023 season with a team-leading 120 tackles, plus 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and six passes defended.

The rising star was one of six Big Ten safeties in the top 10, joining Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman, Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. and Iowa’s Xavier Nwankpa and Quinn Schulte.

Wohler announced before Wisconsin’s bowl game that he would be returning for the 2024 season, which is critical news for a defense that needs a bounce-back campaign.

Seven Wisconsin Badgers earn academic All-District honors

Seven Wisconsin Badgers earn academic All-District honors

While there have been many changes for Wisconsin football over the past year and change, one thing that has stayed constant is a commitment for the Badgers in the classroom. Seven Wisconsin players earned CSC Academic All-District honors this season, headlined by some defensive standouts and team leaders on and off the field.

Marty Strey, Maema Njongmeta, Hunter Wohler, James Thompson, Quincy Burroughs, Gavin Meyers, and Haakon Anderson were all named the All-District squad for their performance in the classroom this season. Here is a look at each of the Badger winners as announced by Wisconsin football last week:

Badgers safety returning for another season

Leading tackler staying in Madison for 2024

The Badgers football team is gearing up for the ReliaQuest Bowl against LSU on January 1 in Tampa, Florida, and safety Hunter Wohler announced Thursday that the bowl game will not be his final contest with Wisconsin.

The safety will be back in Madison for his senior season in 2024 to address some “unfinished business” with the Badgers. Wohler became a superstar for Wisconsin this year, recording 113 tackles (73 solo), including a sack, while also intercepting two passses and deflecting four others over the team’s 12 regular season contests.

His return in 2024 provides the Badgers with one of the more formidable pairs in the secondary, as cornerback Ricardo Hallman (six interceptions in 2023) will also be back.

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Two Wisconsin Badgers make PFF’s 2023 All-Big Ten Defense

Two Wisconsin Badgers make PFF’s 2023 All-Big Ten Defense

For another trip around the sun, Wisconsin’s strength was on the defensive side of the football.

The Badgers finished the season ranked No. 28 overall in ESPN’s SP+ metric, more specifically with the No. 91 offense and No. 6 defense.

So, given the program had one player make PFF’s 2023 All-Big Ten Offense: right tackle Riley Mahlman, there had to be more to make the defensive group.

That was exactly the case. Both cornerback Ricardo Hallman and safety Hunter Wohler earned PFF 2023 All-Big Ten Defense honors.

The two players formed a secondary alongside Iowa cornerback Sebastian Castro, Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin and Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman.

Wohler led the Badgers in tackles in 2023 with 113. He also recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and four passes defended. Hallman, meanwhile, finished the year with six interceptions, 30 tackles, three tackles for loss and five passes defended.

A pair of Wisconsin Badgers earn All-Big Ten honors

A pair of Badger stars earn postseason honors

The Associated Press recently released their All-Big Ten squads, and a pair of Badgers, one on either side of the ball, made the list.

Wohler was arguably Wisconsin’s best defensive player this season, and it lead to a First-Team All-Big Ten nod from the AP. He finished the year with 113 total tackles, 73 of the solo variety, a pair of interceptions, and four pass breakups. He was also a clear leader in the locker room, made evident by some impassioned speeches to the media as Wisconsin looked to bounce back from struggles in the middle of the season.

It’s no surprise that Allen ended up on this list, as the star running back earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. The Fond Du Lac native, in his final season as a Badger, ended up with 948 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to lead the backfield.

A pair of Wisconsin Badgers earn All-Big Ten defense honors

A pair of Wisconsin Badgers earn All-Big Ten defense honors

The Big Ten announced this season’s All-Big Ten Defense teams on Tuesday, and a pair of Wisconsin Badgers made the cut.

Ricardo Hallman, who had a breakout season in the Wisconsin secondary, earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors. Hallman finished the year with six interceptions and five passes defended, and was a leader on the Badger defense throughout the 2023 campaign.

Hunter Wohler earned the highest honor of any Badger defender, as he was named to the Big Ten Second Team. Wohler had a pair of interceptions on the year and 73 solo tackles as he was arguably the hardest hitter on the 2023 Badgers.