Tag: Phil Longo

Wisconsin was a Big Ten leader in a key rushing statistic in 2023

Wisconsin was a Big Ten leader in a key rushing statistic in 2023

Wisconsin was among the Big Ten’s leaders in rushing yards before contact during the 2023 season, according to numbers from Sports Info Solutions.

Specifically, 29.7% of the Badgers’ carries had the running back gain three or more yards before contact with a defender, a mark good for No. 5 in the now-expanded conference.

Related: Where every Big Ten team ranks in ESPN’s 2024 College Football Power Index

The team ranked behind Penn State (30.3%), Ohio State (32.3%), Oregon (34.8%), and USC (35.9%) atop the Big Ten Conference, obviously counting the 2023 numbers from the conference’s new members.

The easy translation of this statistic is that the Wisconsin offensive scheme and line did well to open space for the running backs to attack. That does not automatically mean the Badgers had a top rushing offense, but rather the space was there for Braelon Allen and others to exploit.

There is obviously a strong correlation between yards before contact and overall rushing success. Penn State finished the 2023 season No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game with 185.2 (4.7 yards per carry). Wisconsin, meanwhile, finished No. 6 with 161.2 (4.6 yards per carry).

The Nittany Lions boasted the top running back duo of Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen, while the Badgers were mostly led by Allen.

The numbers are an interesting look at where Wisconsin had success in year one under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Longo emphasized keeping the program’s long-standing identity on the ground, and did so solidly for most of the season.

The big question entering 2024 is how can that rushing attack evolve, what can transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke bring to the offense and can 2023’s poor points-per-game number (23.5) skyrocket.

If the baseline of rushing success exists, I’d bet that answer is yes. But the Badgers will face one of college football’s toughest schedules and some of its top defenses. A significant all-around improvement is needed from Longo’s unit this season.

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

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Wisconsin omitted from PFF’s ranking of college football’s top wide receiver corps for 2024

PFF is not high on the Badgers wide receiver corps in 2024:

The Wisconsin Badgers were left out of ProFootballFocus’ recent ranking of college football’s top wide receiver corps entering the 2024 season.

The list comprised of Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Miami, Colorado, LSU and Oklahoma.

Related: Where every Big Ten team ranks in ESPN’s 2024 College Football Power Index

The end-of-season rankings may reconsider the omission of the Badgers.

Luke Fickell’s program enters the season with one of the more exciting wide receiver corps in the country, led by rising star Will Pauling, established veteran Bryson Green and a host of promising underclassmen.

The returning production from 2023 does not tell the entire story. Pauling led the team in receptions with 74 and receiving yards with 837, but he was followed by Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell — both players who entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season.

That means the 2024 outlook includes a top-of-the-line talent in Pauling, an under-the-radar NFL prospect in Green and numerous snaps to go around to C.J. Williams, Joseph Griffin (transfer), Tyrell Henry (transfer), Quincy Burroughs, Trech Kekahuna and others.

There is no debating the top-end talent on Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Texas’ rosters. But the Badgers could rival those teams’ passing game production if all clicks in year two under offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

This is an article worth bookmarking for a post-2024 season revisit. I’d pick the Badgers to surprise many and enter the next edition of these rankings.

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

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ESPN: Wisconsin’s quarterback room ‘looking for a reboot’ entering 2024 season

ESPN analyzes Wisconsin’s quarterback room entering 2024 season

Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was put in the ‘looking for a reboot’ tier of ESPN’s recent analysis of every quarterback room in the country entering the 2024 college football season.

Staff writer David Hale divided all 134 QB rooms into 20 different tiers, from No. 1 with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas‘ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck and others to No. 20 with a collection of the sports’ least-productive players.

Related: Where every Big Ten team ranks in ESPN’s 2024 College Football Power Index

Van Dyke fell into Hale’s 10th tier along with a Louisville QB room led by starter Tyler Shough, Mississippi State led by Blake Shapen, UCF led by K.J. Jefferson and Washington led by Will Rogers.

The ranking makes sense, as both Van Dyke and Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo enter the season looking to re-establish themselves at the top of the sport. Or, in other words, each have previously been among the sport’s best at their respective jobs, but have since fallen from those positions.

For the quarterback, his peak performance came in 2021 as a redshirt freshman at Miami when he threw for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. That feels like the distant past after consecutive down seasons as a sophomore and junior.

For Longo, that was the last the case during his stop at North Carolina when he led the Tar Heels to some of the nation’s best statistical offenses. Like Van Dyke, he does not hold that sentiment entering 2024 after the Badgers’ offensive struggles last season.

Wisconsin’s long-term outlook does not include Van Dyke under center. But his 2024 season could be the catalyst for a program renaissance, and for Longo’s return to the top of the offensive coordinator ranks.

Here’s some context that ESPN added to the Badger veteran’s final collegiate season:

In his first six games of the season last year, Van Dyke posted a 71.8 Total QBR, completed 70.5% of his passes, 9.4 yards per attempt, threw 16 TDs and 6 interceptions. Then he missed the Clemson game with an injury, which nagged at him the remainder of the season. His stat line the rest of the way: 58.1 Total QBR, 60% completions, 6.6 yards per pass, 3 touchdown passes and 6 picks.

Keeping Van Dyke healthy will be Wisconsin’s main priority this season, especially after 2023 was partially derailed due to an injury to starter Tanner Mordecai. When healthy, Van Dyke has proven to have some serious ability.

The ESPN piece also added a note about Longo and his recent track record:

In his first six years as a Power 5 offensive coordinator, Phil Longo’s teams averaged 3,847 passing yards and 31 touchdown throws per season. Last year — his first at Wisconsin — the Badgers had 2,862 passing yards and just 14 passing touchdowns.

In all, the ‘looking for a reboot’ tier can be applied to the entire Wisconsin football program entering 2024. The on-field product has slipped from where it was from 2016-2019. Fickell, Longo, Van Dyke and others will be charged with re-establishing the standard when the 2024 season kicks off.

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

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A Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling led the Big Ten in slot receiving yards in 2023, according to ProFootballFocus.

PFF notes that the rising star recorded 820 of his 837 team-leading total receiving yards last year while lined up position. That means only 17 of his yards came while lined up elsewhere.

Related: Where every member of Wisconsin’s record-breaking recruiting class of 2021 is now

Pauling enters 2024 poised to improve upon his breakout 2023 campaign. The former Cincinnati transfer led the Badgers with 74 catches (36 more than the second-highest), 837 yards and six touchdowns. He was the biggest bright spot on a mostly inconsistent offensive unit.

He now enters 2024 as one of PFF’s top 10 returning Big Ten wide receivers and poised for a massive season with transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke under center.

Wisconsin has big-time threats outside with Bryson Green, Joseph Griffin Jr. and C.J. Williams. But the Badgers best offensive weapon is Pauling, even though he operates in the slot.

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

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Wisconsin offers class of 2026 wide receiver from Tennessee

Wisconsin offers class of 2026 wide receiver from Tennessee

The Wisconsin Badgers football team extended a scholarship offer to Keeyshawn Schneider, a 6-foot-0, 175-pound wide receiver from Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Tuesday.

Schneider has now received offers from six different Division 1 programs. Those include Auburn, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. To this point, the Badgers are the only Big Ten team to offer him, but that will likely change sooner rather than later.

Wisconsin has revamped its offense over the last two years. It hired head coach Luke Fickell, who was able to reel in the team’s highly respected offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Longo brought his “Air Raid” offense with him from North Carolina, but it didn’t necessarily lead to great passing success in 2023.

Moving forward, there’s a belief that the Badgers will leave their ground and pound, “three yards and a cloud of dust” offense behind and embrace a more dynamic approach. Athletes like Schneider will keep an eye on Wisconsin’s offensive progression this season.

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Wisconsin boasts one of PFF’s highest-graded returning Big Ten QBs

What are your expectations for Tyler Van Dyke in 2024?

Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke is the Big Ten’s third highest-graded returning player, according to PFF’s recent post on X.

His 85.9 career rating trails only Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (91.9) and Penn State’s Drew Allar (86.3) as the highest-graded signal callers in the conference.

With the departure of 2023 starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai to the San Francisco 49ers, Van Dyke appears poised to win the Badgers’ starting job at quarterback this fall.

The veteran QB played four seasons for Miami and was named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year in 2021, his redshirt freshman season for the Hurricanes. He notched 7,478 career passing yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions at Miami.

Van Dyke appeared in 11 games in 2023 and passed for 2,703 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 8.1 yards per attempt. At 6’4,” the Glastonbury, Connecticut native was a four-star recruit and the No. 7 quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class.

Injuries and on-field struggles hampered Van Dyke in 2022. He missed parts of six games due to injury and posted under 2,000 passing yards.

Still, Van Dyke’s outlook with a Phil Longo’s pass-friendly offense should provide Badgers’ fans with early optimism. He is surrounded by a host of talent and could have a career-best season.

Wisconsin omitted from ESPN’s ‘top 25 offenses for 2024 and beyond’

Do you think Wisconsin’s offense is in for a resurgent 2024 season?

Wisconsin football was not included in ESPN’s recently released ‘power ranking of college football’s top 25 offenses in 2024 and beyond.’

Ohio State unsurprisingly led the list, as it is primed for another huge 2024 with top-end talent across the unit. Other Big Ten teams included are Oregon at No. 4, USC at No. 6, Michigan at No. 10, Penn State at No. 14 and Washington at No. 25.

Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings

Wisconsin missing the ranking is a surprise with the program’s offense set for a resurgent 2024 season. It may not reach the top-end levels of Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon, but Luke Fickell has reshaped the personnel as the unit enters year two under OC Phil Longo.

The negative public sentiment surrounding Wisconsin is likely due to the last four years of offensive stagnation, especially toward the end of the Paul Chryst era. Fickell and Longo’s debut season also fell short of unreachably-high expectations. It isn’t an entire surprise that the national audience doesn’t believe in the unit.

But ESPN’s ranking has programs including Kansas, Western Kentucky, Memphis and Louisville ranked in the 20-25 range. Wisconsin’s offense should surpass each of those programs by the end of 2024, and be well-positioned entering 2025 and beyond.

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

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Wisconsin football lands visit with former Boston College WR, top 2022 recruit

Wisconsin is still looking for upgrades in the transfer portal:

Wisconsin football recently hosted former Boston College transfer wide receiver Joseph Griffin Jr., per his social media. 

Griffin Jr. entered the transfer portal in April after two seasons with the Eagles. 247Sports had the Springfield, Massachusetts native as the No. 57 WR in the nation and No. 3 player in his state coming out of high school in the class of 2022. 

Griffin Jr. totaled 43 receptions, 579 receiving yards and six touchdowns during his tenure at Boston College. He started five games during his freshman season and saw his production increase slightly during his sophomore campaign.

Griffin Jr. received an offer from Wisconsin prior to committing to Boston College in the 2022 cycle, though that was while Paul Chryst was still the Badgers’ head coach.

He ultimately elected to stay local over offers from Notre Dame, Virginia, Wake Forest, Duke, Massachusetts and UW. 

247Sports has the former Eagle as the No. 102 WR in the portal and No. 678 transfer in the nation. The outlet has not yet logged crystal ball prediction for the receiver.

With previous ties to Wisconsin via recruiting, Griffin Jr. would be a significant addition for Phil Longo’s offense. Outside his visit to Wisconsin, he has yet to share other news about future opportunities on the gridiron. 

UPDATE: Griffin committed to the Badgers on Friday, May 10

Wisconsin one of several top programs in pursuit of top transfer WR Elijhah Badger

Wisconsin one of several top programs in pursuit of top transfer WR Elijhah Badger

Wisconsin is one of several top programs to have reached out to top transfer portal wide receiver Elijhah Badger, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The Badgers are included along with Florida, Michigan, Florida State, Washington, Texas A&M, Auburn, Michigan State, Louisville, Colorado, Utah, West Virginia, South Carolina, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, USC, Cal and USF.

Related: Wisconsin’s class of 2025 rises in national ranking after addition of S Luke Emmerich

The veteran wide receiver entered the portal in mid-April after four years at Arizona State. He was one of the Sun Devils’ top receiving options the last two seasons, totaling 135 catches for 1,599 yards and 10 touchdowns combined in that time.

Luke Fickell and Phil Longo have already re-shaped Wisconsin’s wide receiver room since taking over after the 2022 season. That work is continuing, even with a stellar top rotation set entering the 2024 season. The program reportedly will host former Baylor WR Armani Winfield on a visit, and hopes the same becomes the case with the former Arizona State WR.

Badger would be a terrific fit with the Badgers — just based on his last name. But Wisconsin has heavy competition to land a commitment.

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.

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Wisconsin football in exclusive company since start of College Football Playoff era

Wisconsin football in exclusive company since 2014

The Wisconsin Badgers football team will conclude their spring practice schedule Thursday ahead of their 2024 campaign.

Luke Fickell and his staff will look to extend Wisconsin’s incredible streak of having a winning record in every season since 2001. The program is one of only 10 in the sport to boast that since the College Football Playoff began in 2014. The Badgers’ streak just happens to also go back another 13 years to the start of the century.

Fickell’s squad is coming off of a 7-6 season in 2023, which concluded with a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl in January. It was an up-and-down season for the Badgers, struggling to find consistency on both sides of the ball.

With offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s air raid offense, Wisconsin never really found its groove, something they’ll look to do with a new quarterback at the helm in 2024. With Tanner Mordecai moving on to the NFL, it will either be graduate transfer Tyler Van Dyke (Miami-FL) or redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke operating as the team’s starting signal-caller.

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Other programs to have a winning record every year since 2014 include Ohio State and Iowa from within the Big Ten as well as juggernauts like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson.

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