Tag: Ranking

PHOTOS: Wisconsin football’s biggest wins at Camp Randall Stadium over the years

What is your most memorable game experience at Camp Randall Stadium?

The college football news cycle on June 25, 2024, surrounded EA Sports College Football 25’s ranking of the toughest home environments in the sport. Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium made the list at No. 7 overall, which was not universally agreed upon, to say the least.

EA Sports’ ranking had everybody opining on which stadiums were overrated, which were omitted from the ranking and how the list should be reordered.

Related: EA Sports College Football 25 unveils ranking of toughest places to play in college football

The measure of stadium environments is almost entirely subjective. There are some objectively great home field environments — including Penn State‘s Beaver Stadium. But there is no tangible way to compare how much a certain stadium atmosphere affects the game.

It’s usually true that the best teams in the country (Alabama, Georgia, Clemson) also boast great home environments. That’s because the teams are really good, plus some level fan excitement that is driven by winning.

So this piece is not to re-litigate EA Sports’ ranking and Wisconsin’s place within it. Instead, it’s a look back at some of the Badgers’ biggest games at Camp Randall over the years that helped to build the stadium’s strong national reputation:

A Wisconsin star one of PFF’s highest-graded returning Big Ten safeties

A Wisconsin star one of PFF’s highest-graded returning Big Ten safeties

Wisconsin star safety Hunter Wohler is among ProFootballFocus’ highest-graded returning Big Ten safeties entering 2024. He is tied for second (89.2 PFF grade) on the list, ranked behind only Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman (89.5 grade).

The rest of the top 10 includes Penn State‘s Kevin Winston Jr., Iowa‘s Xavier Nwankpa and Quinn Schulte, Ohio State‘s Caleb Downs, Indiana’s Shawn Asbury II, USC‘s Akili Arnold and Kamari Ramsey, and Washington‘s Kamren Fabiculanan.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten coaching staffs entering the 2024 football season

Wohler returns to the Wisconsin secondary in 2024 after a fantastic 2023 campaign that included 120 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 2 interceptions and 6 pass deflections. The junior was arguably the Badgers’ best defender throughout the season, leading a unit that finished No. 21 in scoring defense.

The rising senior again projects to lead the Badgers defense in 2024. A strong season wouldn’t only lead to more on-field production, but would also cement status as one of the top safeties in the 2025 NFL draft.

 

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Meet Wisconsin football’s incoming class of 2024 freshmen: defense

Meet Wisconsin football’s incoming class of 2024 freshmen: defense

Wisconsin football’s recruiting class of 2024 has now all arrived on campus with training camp for the upcoming season right around the corner.

The Badgers’ class finished the cycle ranked No. 23 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten. The group is a strong statement by head coach Luke Fickell in only his first full recruiting cycle since taking over as Wisconsin head coach in Nov. 2022 — it was impressively the program’s first-ever class to finish with a blue-chip ratio of 50%.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten coaching staffs entering the 2024 football season

Wisconsin recently posted videos on X introducing the group to the Badgers’ fanbase. We’ve already looked at the group’s players on the offensive side of the ball.

Now, here is the portion of the class that will line up on defense

  • Four-star DL Ernest Willor Jr. (No. 120 overall in class of 2025, No. 21 defensive tackle, No. 3 recruit from Maryland)
  • Four-star DL Dillon Johnosn (No. 162 overall in class of 2025, No. 26 defensive lineman, No. 6 recruit from Illinois)
  • Four-star S Xavier Lucas (No. 371 overall in class of 2025, No. 35 safety, No. 52 recruit from Florida)
  • Four-star CB Omillio Agard (No. 420 overall in class of 2025, No. 37 cornerback, No. 7 recruit from Pennsylvania)
  • Four-star LB Thomas Heiberger (No. 462 overall in class of 2025, No. 40 linebacker, No. 1 recruit from South Dakota)
  • Four-star edge Anelu Lafaele (No. 600 overall in class of 2025, No. 40 edge rusher, No. 3 recruit from Hawaii)
  • Three-star CB Jay Harper (No. 713 overall in class of 2025, No. 61 cornerback, No. 35 recruit from Alabama)
  • Three-star LB Landon Gauthier (No. 731 overall in class of 2025, No. 64 linebacker, No. 8 recruit from Wisconsin)
  • Three-star S Raphael Dunn (No. 769 overall in class of 2025, No. 78 safety, No. 15 recruit from New Jersey)
  • Three-star DL Hank Weber (No. 1,172 overall in class of 2025, No. 123 defensive lineman, No. 39 recruit from Tennessee)

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WATCH: Kyler Murray doesn’t seem to like the Wisconsin football program

WATCH: Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the Wisconsin Badgers

Current Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback and former Oklahoma Sooners star Kyler Murray doesn’t seem fond of the Wisconsin football program.

Not in a rivalry sense or because of anything the Badgers have specifically done. But more so when putting himself in the shoes of a top quarterback recruit looking for a college destination.

Related: Big Ten football offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator rankings for 2024 season

Why do I say this? Murray recently followed the TikTok trend of blind ranking, which is when a subject ranks a collection of items one by one, but without knowing which items are remaining.

In this case, Murray was ranking the schools he would select if he was a five-star quarterback coming out of high school. In order, he chose Iowa at No. 6, Penn State No. 5, Arizona State No. 4, UCLA No. 7, Maryland No. 9, Nebraska No. 8, Oklahoma State No. 3, Kansas No. 10 and LSU No. 2.

That left a vacancy at No. 1 overall, where Murray likely wanted his alma mater to show up. Instead, he got Wisconsin. And the reaction was far from positive:

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Wisconsin finished the 2024 recruiting cycle with one of On3’s 10-best offensive linemen

Look out for Kevin Heywood in the years to come:

Wisconsin will enter the 2024 football season with one of On3’s 10-best freshmen offensive linemen.

That is a reflection of the service’s final rankings for the class of 2024 recruiting cycle. Wisconsin offensive tackle Kevin Heywood finished as the No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 6 overall offensive lineman.

Related: Big Ten football offensive coordinator rankings for 2024 season

The only players ranked ahead of the Wisconsin freshman tackle are Colorado‘s Jordan Seaton (five-star, No. 18 overall in the class of 2024), Texas‘ Brandon Baker (four-star, No. 34 overall), South Carolina’s Josiah Thompson (four-star, No. 36 overall), Notre Dame‘s Guerby Lambert (four-star, No. 42 overall) and Penn State‘s Cooper Cousins (four-star, No. 50 overall).

Heywood finished the cycle at No. 6 overall among all offensive linemen, No. 60 overall in the class of 2024 and as the No. 2-ranked recruit from the state of Pennsylvania. His 0.9558 composite ranking finished No. 14 among Wisconsin football’s all-time highest-rated commits.

The talented lineman now joins a Wisconsin offensive tackle room that is talented at the top with veterans Riley Mahlman (RT) and Jack Nelson (LT). But the room lacks depth, which could make Heywood the Badgers’ second-team left tackle entering the season.

Heywood was Wisconsin’s biggest recruiting win in the class of 2024, beating out top programs including Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State to land a commitment.

The program’s class of 2025, meanwhile, currently ranks No. 12 in the nation with 20 players committed. The group is a strong follow-up to its No. 23-ranked class of 2024.

Offensive tackles committed to the 2025 class include four-star Logan Powell, three-star Nolan Davenport, three-star Michael Roeske and three-star Cam Clark.

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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Report: Wisconsin unable to lure away top Notre Dame recruiting staffer

Report: Wisconsin unable to lure away top Notre Dame recruiting staffer

Wisconsin football was unable to hire away top Notre Dame recruiting assistant Carter Auman, according to a report from FootballScoop’s John Brice.

This news comes as a follow-up to Thursday’s report that the Badgers were in talks to lure Auman away from Notre Dame and hire him as their new director of player personnel.

Related: Big Ten football offensive coordinator rankings for 2024 season

The top young recruiting assistant will reportedly get promoted to assistant to the general manager on Notre Dame’s recruiting staff.

Auman is rising fast in the recruiting business after helping the Fighting Irish finish with 2023’s No. 12-ranked recruiting class and 2024’s No. 9-ranked group. He and the recruiting staff currently have the Fighting Irish ranked No. 2 in the class of 2025 cycle behind only Ohio State.

Wisconsin and head coach Luke Fickell reportedly tried to bring Auman in as the new director of player personnel while promoting current director of player personnel Max Stienecker and giving him a new title. That now appears to be off the table with Auman reportedly staying at Notre Dame.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 12 in the nation with 20 players committed. The group is a strong follow-up to the Badgers’ No. 23-ranked class of 2024 — a group that finished with the program’s first-ever blue-chip ratio of 50%.

The Badgers’ recruiting department is in fantastic shape under Fickell, even with reportedly missing out on a potential top hire.

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247Sports has high expectations for Wisconsin’s offensive line in 2024

What do you expect from Wisconsin’s offensive line in 2024?

247Sports national writer Cody Nagel thinks highly of Wisconsin’s offensive line entering 2024.

The Badgers’ unit came in at No. 4 in his recent ranking of Big Ten’s offensive line groups entering the upcoming season. It fell behind only No. 3 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 1 Oregon.

Related: Predicting the best-case scenario for Wisconsin football’s 2024 season

Wisconsin enters the season with a starting group from left to right of Jack Nelson (left tackle), Joe Brunner (left guard), Jake Renfro (center), Joe Huber (right guard) and Riley Mahlman (right tackle).

Its ranking is interesting to note entering the season. On one hand, the Badgers’ unit has severely underperformed relative to expectations since the 2019 season. Some of those struggles were due to constant coaching changes and a stagnant offensive system. But Wisconsin’s time-old reputation of having the best offensive line in the sport just hasn’t been reality for the last four years.

But on the other hand, this group of five starters should take a significant step forward in 2024 in year two under offensive coordinator Phil Longo. 2023 was a significant adjustment period as Longo drastically altered the program’s offensive philosophy, going from a pro-style, under-center system to a spread-out air raid.

Wisconsin did lose an NFL-level center in Tanor Bortolini after the 2023 season. But Renfro is well-equipped to fill his vacancy. The group as a whole is a sure bet to at least improve upon its 2023 performance.

So a No. 4 ranking in the Big Ten entering the season is understandable given the context. Wisconsin has five above-average starters, with one or two who have the chance to be elite (Mahlman, Nelson). There is danger in blindly assuming Wisconsin’s offensive line will be top-notch. In this case, I’d bet on it paying off.

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ESPN not confident in Wisconsin’s future through 2026 under Luke Fickell

What do you think about Wisconsin’s outlook over the next three years?

The Wisconsin Badgers were omitted from ESPN’s latest Future Power Rankings through the 2026 season.

The ranking takes into account each program’s current roster, incoming talent, recruiting success, transfer portal and coaching to compile a list of the programs that will have the most on-field success in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Wisconsin was not among those top 25 programs.

Related: Which Wisconsin Badgers will be selected in the 2025 NFL draft?

Notable programs listed ahead of the Badgers include Missouri at No. 20, Louisville at No. 21, SMU at No. 22, Oklahoma State at No. 23, Miami at No. 24 and Arizona at No. 25.

Of note, the Badgers enter 2024 after consecutive 7-6 seasons including one in 2023 in Luke Fickell’s first year as head coach. The program has tempered expectations entering 2024 due to one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

But Fickell has made significant strides since taking over the program at the end of the 2022 season. First, he finished the 2024 recruiting cycle with a top-25 class and with the program’s first-ever 50% blue-chip rate. Now, he has the Badgers’ class of 2025 ranked among the nation’s top 15. He has led the program to a clear improvement in recruiting in only his first two cycles, and has complemented that with several successful transfer portal classes.

Wisconsin’s current roster may not be among the best in the Big Ten or in the nation as Fickell and his staff continue their work on the recruiting trail. But 2025 and 2026 figure to be breakout years for the fast-rising head coach and should see the program return to its typical position within the nation’s top 20.

Wisconsin’s absence from the ranking isn’t entirely a surprise after consecutive 7-6 seasons. But continued recruiting success and clear on-field improvement should see it enter next year’s edition.

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247Sports names Wisconsin’s most impactful true freshmen entering 2024 season

Wisconsin’s most impactful true freshmen entering 2024 season:

Wisconsin boasts two players on 247Sports’ recent list of the 100 first-year players who will influence the 2024 college football season.

Those two Badgers are linebacker Thomas Heiberger and offensive tackle Kevin Heywood.

Related: Every remaining class of 2025 recruit Wisconsin football is in great shape for

Heywood is the headliner of a Wisconsin class of 2024 that finished No. 23 in the national ranking and No. 7 in the new Big Ten landscape. The four-star tackle finished the recruiting cycle as 247Sports’ No. 50 player in the class and No. 4 offensive tackle.

Heiberger also finished with four-star status and was ranked as the No. 462 overall player in the class and the No. 40 linebacker.

Both project to play sizable roles for the Badgers in 2024 relative to their nonexistent collegiate experience. Heywood could be one of Wisconsin’s primary depth options at tackle along with Barrett Nelson, while Heiberger could immediately start on special teams.

Wisconsin enters 2024 with veteran starters at both tackle positions: Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman. Rumor is Heywood has already made a significant early impression and could open the season as the Badgers’ second-team left tackle.

The Badgers also enter with a significant talent base at both linebacker positions. But Heiberger’s athleticism has reportedly stuck out throughout the offseason and should give him Day 1 snaps on special teams.

Importantly, both players project to be impact starters in the years to come. But it’s rare that true freshmen see the field and contribute immediately. If things hold, Wisconsin could have multiple do so in 2024.

It already appears that Luke Fickell found a few gems in the 2024 cycle, with more players sure to emerge as the 2024 season gets underway.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025, meanwhile, ranks No. 13 in the nation and No. 5 in the Big Ten after landing Wilnerson Telemaque on Tuesday. The class is a terrific follow-up to Fickell’s record-breaking 2024 cycle. Both mark a bright future for the Badgers.

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 a finalist for top 2025 offensive lineman Hardy Watts

Wisconsin a finalist for top 2025 offensive lineman Hardy Watts

Wisconsin made the final schools for four-star class of 2025 offensive lineman Hardy Watts on Saturday.

The Badgers were included in his list of final three along with Clemson and Michigan.

Related: Wisconsin class of 2025 vaults up national rankings after addition of four-star WR Eugene Hilton Jr.

Watts is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 217 player in the class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 recruit from his home state of Massachusetts. He is coming off visits to Clemson and Wisconsin on June 2 and June 7 respectively, and still has a trip planned to Michigan for June 21.

While the Badgers appear to still be in the running to land the top-ranked lineman, 247Sports does have one crystal ball prediction logged for him to choose Clemson. That prediction came on June 12 from Clemson insider Austin Hannon.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 recently took a big step forward after the additions of four-star LB Mason Posa and four-star WR Eugene Hilton Jr. It now has 19 total commitments, five of which from blue-chip players. The class is an impressive follow-up performance by Luke Fickell and his staff after finishing the 2024 cycle with a top-25 class.

The group could rise even further in the Big Ten and national rankings with a possible commitment from Watts. He is one of the program’s highest-ranked remaining targets in the class.

It’s worth monitoring the top lineman’s recruitment as he nears a decision between the three finalists. Wisconsin should still have a late chance at landing a commitment.

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