Every former Wisconsin Badger who has played in the Super Bowl since 2000

Can you name all of them?

We have reached another year’s edition of the big game. This time, it’s Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs against Christian McCaffery and the San Francisco 49ers.

While former Wisconsin Badgers are not the headliners for this contest, and they rarely are, there is one who will play a prominent role in this edition: Chiefs starting inside linebacker Leo Chenal.

That’s actually been the case for many Super Bowls. The Wisconsin products aren’t on the front page of the preview or winning MVP, but players like James White (14 catches, 110 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns in Super Bowl 51), Corey Clement (four catches, 100 receiving yards in Super Bowl 52) and numerous lineman have all been key pieces in Super Bowl victories.

For those names and a few others who may have been forgotten, here is every former Wisconsin Badger to have played in the Super Bowl since 2000:

Former Patriots three-time Super Bowl champion sees Mac Jones staying in New England

Three-time Super Bowl champion RB believes Mac Jones will still be on the Patriots’ roster in 2024

A former New England Patriots great is throwing his support behind Mac Jones. Three-time Super Bowl champion James White believes that Jones will get one last chance to make an impact for the Patriots.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Jones to this point in his career. At first glance, his statistics look decent. He has thrown for 8,918 yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in his three seasons with New England.

However, Jones regressed last year. He was benched for quarterback Bailey Zappe, following the November 26 game against the New York Giants, and never regained his starting spot for the rest of the season

There has been doubt cast on his future with the organization. The Patriots hold the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which could give them the opportunity to select either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels at quarterback.

However, White believes there is a future for Jones in New England as he told Karen Guregian on the “Eye on Foxborough” podcast earlier this week, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Greg Dudek.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Everybody’s saying, ‘Trade and release,’ and all that stuff. Maybe a change of scenery is possibly what he wants, which could be good for him. But I’ve been saying all along I can very well see him being on the roster,” White said. “He can be a guy competing for a starting job, whether he actually wins out or not, whether they draft a rookie, whether they bring in a veteran guy. He’s had success in this league the last two years.

“It hasn’t gone his way, but if you bring in the right offensive coordinator, you allow him to compete with somebody else, who knows what may shake out next season?”

There’s a glaring need at quarterback on the Patriots’ roster, due to the inconsistencies at the position over the past couple of seasons. Jones competing for a starting job in 2024 could be in the cards as the Patriots turn the page with newly-hired head coach Jerod Mayo.

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James White approves of Patriots signing CB Marco Wilson

James White likes the Patriots’ newest addition

Former New England Patriots running back James White is liking the team’s newest addition to the secondary. White approved of the team’s signing of cornerback Marco Wilson, when commenting on social media.

The Patriots’ secondary has been oft-injured this season. The first major injury came when rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum on October 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Since then, the secondary position has been dealing with issues. The team lost Marcus Jones for the season, and J.C. Jackson was recently placed on the reserve/non-football illness list.

There’s hope Wilson can provide quality depth for the team in the final two games of the season, and White seems to think highly of the move.

Wilson will certainly be tested, as New England takes on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills rank ninth in the NFL with 243.7 passing yards per game. The Patriots took the last meeting between the two teams on October 22, and they’ll attempt to do so again on Sunday.

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James White suggests former Super Bowl champion QB sign with Patriots

James White suggested a former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler as a QB option for New England.

Former New England Patriots legendary running back James White suggested Russell Wilson as a possible quarterback option for the team in 2024.

It makes sense if the Patriots continue to slide down the 2024 NFL draft board. The team was initially believed to be in the running for one of the projected top-two rookie quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

However, their Week 16 victory over the Denver Broncos dropped them from the second overall pick to No. 4 on the draft board, if the season ended today. They could drop even further if they continue to win games the rest of the way.

There’s always the option of sticking with Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones for another year, but the thought of adding a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback like Russell Wilson to the mix, along with making upgrades at receiver and offensive line could be far more enticing.

The Patriots are projected to be one of the top-five teams in cap space next year. So they’d have the money to spend, if the Broncos outright release Wilson in the offseason.

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Former Wisconsin RB James White had a critique of the Badgers’ postgame Axe celebration

Former Wisconsin RB James White had a critique of the Badgers’ postgame Axe celebration

Wisconsin defeated rival Minnesota 28-14 Saturday to reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe, finish the regular season 7-5 and carry positive momentum into bowl season.

After what has been a disappointing year one under Luke Fickell, Saturday represented a step in the right direction with this season winding down.

That, and it was the team’s best all-around effort of the year by a long shot. The offense found success through the air and on the ground, Braelon Allen was terrific and the defense shut down Athan Kaliakmanis and the Minnesota offense. In many ways, Saturday’s performance was what we expected to see all year from Fickell’s team.

Nevertheless, escaping a year with a win over Minnesota makes the early-season struggles feel much better. Especially given this was the Badgers’ first road win over Minnesota since 2019, and the first win over the Golden Gophers since 2020.

The postgame celebration was expectedly quite rowdy:

Wisconsin legend James White, now an analyst on Big Ten Network, did have one critique of that celebration, however:

White went 4-0 against Minnesota during his time in Madison. He is more than qualified to take a sarcastic shot at the Badgers’ chopping mechanics.

If that’s the conversation postgame, it means the four quarters of football went pretty well.

A Wisconsin great is joining the Big Ten Network’s football coverage this season

Badger fans will get to see more of a former star:

At the current rate of conference realignment, the Big Ten may contain half of college football in the next few decades. Next year the conference will grow to 18 schools, so who knows how long it will take to get to 26 or 30.

Regardless, the conference’s television coverage remains unmatched. The Big Ten Network does a phenomenal job at getting me, and likely others, excited for a midday matchup between Northwestern and Rutgers.

Related: Final Wisconsin football 2023 game-by-game predictions

There have been several notable former Big Ten athletes on the network for years. Earlier this week the network announced another addition, one significant to Badger fans: Wisconsin great James White, a three-time Super Bowl champion.

White retired from the NFL ahead of the 2022 season after eight seasons in the league. He starred at Wisconsin from 2010-2013, totaling 643 carries, 4,015 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns, 73 receptions, 670 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. The backfields with him and John Clay and Montee Ball, or him and Ball and Melvin Gordon remain some of the best the program has ever seen.

Now Wisconsin fans will see White during the Big Ten Network’s studio shows throughout the week as the Big Ten football season reaches its stride.

James White thinks Jack Jones has potential to be an NFL top corner

James White sees great potential in former teammate Jack Jones

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Even with the swirling legal drama dominating Jack Jones-related headlines, there’s clearly no denying the second-year cornerback’s high-end potential. Former New England Patriots running back James White sees a future NFL top corner, if Jones keeps it together both on and off the field.

“He has all the potential in the world,” White said on Sirius XM NFL Radio, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Hopefully he keeps his head on his shoulders and makes smart decisions on and off the football field. He can be a top corner in this league [and] reminds me of a young J.C. Jackson.”

Jones appeared in 13 games as a rookie last season and notched two interceptions under his belt, including a pick-six against legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

There’s hope that his role will grow exponentially in the defensive backfield this season.

One of the defensive looks during the spring was Jones playing across from rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the first-team unit, while Jonathan Jones kicked inside to the slot.

However, that alignment could change with Jack Jones facing potential jail time for pending legal issues, stemming from an arrest in June for an alleged incident involving firearms at the Logan International Airport.

The sky is the limit for Jones, as long as he doesn’t impede himself from taking flight.

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WATCH: CFB Report shares highlight reel from legendary game

With Badger fans already on the edge of their seats ahead of the 2023 season, the College Football Report got them even more fired up Friday.

With Badger fans already on the edge of their seats ahead of the 2023 season, the College Football Report got them even more fired up Friday. They tweeted out a highlight reel from Wisconsin’s 70-31 Big Ten Championship victory over Nebraska.

In that contest, three legendary running backs (Montee Ball, James White, Melvin Gordon) produced some insane stat lines, as seen below. All three of the athletes went on to the NFL, two of which, White (3x) and Gordon (2023) have won Super Bowls.

Ball-carriers like these guys have made it hard to ignore Wisconsin as the potential “running back university” and stars like Jonathan Taylor and Braelon Allen have followed in their footsteps in recent years.

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Badger Countdown: Badger RB ends career with 45 rushing scores

The college football season is on the horizon and the Badgers are now 45 days away from their 2023 opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The college football season is on the horizon and the Badgers are now 45 days away from their 2023 opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2. Luke Fickell and his coaching staff are on the cusp of their first full season at the helm, but a Wisconsin legend gives the number 45 significant meaning.

Spending the 2010-2013 seasons with the Badgers, running back James White became one of the best at his position in program history. Over his four campaigns, White tallied a total of 4,015 rushing yards and 45 rushing touchdowns while also reeling in 73 catches for 670 yards and three scores.

He appeared in all three of the Badgers’ Rose Bowl losses from 2011-2013, operating alongside Wisconsin’s all-time leading touchdown scorer Montee Ball (84) for White’s first three years in Madison.

White’s 45 rushing TDs rank tied four fourth all-time (Melvin Gordon) and his 4,015 rushing yards are the sixth highest in Wisconsin football history.

The running back was selected in fourth round (130th overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and he spent nine seasons with the team before retiring after the 2021 campaign, winning three Super Bowls in his time there.

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Wisconsin RB legends chime in on the greatness of Braelon Allen

Some cool notes from a few Wisconsin legends:

The Wisconsin football program has been as good as any at producing star-caliber running backs over the last 15-20 years. You know the names: Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and James White.

What’s as impressive, even, is the depth at the position. Former Badgers including Corey Clement, Alec Ingold and Dare Ogunbowale have all made legitimate impacts at the next level.

I’m not going to litigate “Running Back U,” or anything along those lines. But it doesn’t take a genius to notice who is next in that line of greatness: rising junior Braelon Allen.

Despite being hampered by lingering injuries, Allen has amassed 2510 rushing yards in his first two seasons in Madison. The stats also include 23 touchdowns, a yards-per-carry clip of 6 and 143 receiving yards. Again, all of that done without being fully healthy or carrying the ball 30+ times per game for a full 12-game season.

The Big Ten Network on Twitter posted a few great notes earlier this afternoon. It got Ball, Gordon, White and Taylor to all chime in on the greatness of Wisconsin’s current running back.

Here’s what the Wisconsin legends had to say:

 

It is also worth noting Allen will not turn 20 years old until after the 2023 season concludes. Given health, he has a lot of terrific football left ahead.