Tag: Riley Mahlman

Wisconsin top offensive tackle announces return for 2025 season

Wisconsin top offensive tackle announces return for 2025 season

As transfer movement halted for a moment, Wisconsin got a piece of good news on Friday night.

That came from three-year starting right tackle Riley Mahlman, who announced he would be returning to the Badgers for the 2025 season.

Related: Ranking Wisconsin football’s updated transfer portal needs after a busy first week of movement

Mahlman originally joined the program as a four-star recruit in the class of 2021, ranked as the No. 142 player in the class and the No. 1 recruit from Minnesota.

He won the starting right tackle job as only a redshirt freshman in 2022, though he made only six starts that season due to an injury. He then stuck around as Luke Fickell took the job entering 2023. The redshirt junior started all 25 games over the past two seasons and has established himself as one of the top players on the entire roster.

“Not done yet,” Mahlman wrote on X. “See everybody back in Camp Randall for the 2025 season.”

His return is big news as the Badgers usher in a new offensive system under reported new coordinator Jeff Grimes. Grimes comes from an offensive line background and is reliant on a power-running game. Mahlman’s skill set fits that approach perfectly. In a year that will see turnover across the offensive unit, continuity at a critical position along the offensive line is paramount.

The other possible returnee to monitor is center Jake Renfro. He spoke during the season about petitioning for the year of eligibility he lost while out with an injury during the 2023 season. If he were to also return, the Badgers would retain three of their five offensive line starters — Mahlman, Renfro and left guard Joe Brunner.

The team’s plan at left tackle is a significant storyline entering the offseason transfer windows. Mahlman’s return at right tackle, at least, eliminates one potential glaring need.

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PFF: Wisconsin RT Riley Mahlman among most ‘underrated offensive tackles in the country’

PFF: Wisconsin RT Riley Mahlman among most ‘underrated offensive tackles in the country’

Wisconsin starting right tackle Riley Mahlman was recently called ‘one of the more underrated offensive tackles in the country’ by ProFootballFocus’ Max Chadwick on the PFF College Football Show.

The service currently ranks Mahlman as the No. 8 overall offensive tackle in the sport entering the 2024 season. Not much national recognition follows that ranking, which likely leads to Chadwick’s conclusion.

Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season

The redshirt junior enters 2024 after starting all 13 games for the Badgers at the position in 2023. He finished the season with a 74.4 overall PFF grade, the fifth-best among all Big Ten offensive linemen.

That effort came after winning a starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2022, though he played in only seven games that season due to injury.

Mahlman enters 2024 as one of the Badgers’ better offensive players. Both he and left tackle Jack Nelson should benefit from another offseason to adapt to, and grow within, Phil Longo’s air raid system. His presence at tackle is one of the reasons many point to a resurgent season for the Badgers on that side of the football.

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PFF ranks Wisconsin starting RT one of the best tackles in college football

PFF ranks Wisconsin starting RT one of the best tackles in college football

Wisconsin starting right tackle Riley Mahlman is ProFootballFocus’ No. 8 overall offensive tackle in college football entering the 2024 season.

The multi-year starter and future NFL draft pick ranks behind only LSU‘s Will Campbell, Texas‘ Kelvin Banks Jr., USC‘s Jonah Monheim, Oregon‘s Ajani Cornelius, West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum, Clemson‘s Blake Miller and Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery.

Related: 10 developing opinions entering year two of the Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin

Mahlman returns to start at right tackle for the Badgers after starting all 13 games for the team in 2023. His 74.4 PFF overall grade was fifth-best among all Big Ten offensive linemen, while his 76.6 pass-blocking grade was good for 13th-best.

The bookend tackle has only improved each season after starting as only a redshirt sophomore in 2022. 2024 projects to be another step forward as he and the Wisconsin offensive line continue to adapt to the pace of Phil Longo’s air raid attack.

Mahlman and left tackle Jack Nelson will be points of focus throughout the upcoming season. Expectations are rising in year two under head coach Luke Fickell — expectations that can’t be met without improved play along the offensive line.

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

Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America Teams only include two Wisconsin Badgers

Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America Team only includes two Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers only boast two players on Athlon Sports’ College Football Preview Magazine’s 2024 preseason All-America teams: right tackle Riley Mahlman (fourth-team offense) and safety Hunter Wohler (fourth-team defense).

Those inclusions, or lack thereof, come after the program saw five players included in Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big Ten teams. While there is certainly a large step from All-Big Ten to All-America, the team has more players who warrant consideration.

Related: Big Ten football offensive coordinator rankings for 2024 season

That aside, both Mahlman and Wohler are certainly deserving of the preseason All-America honor.

Mahlman returns to start at right tackle after starting all 13 of Wisconsin’s games at the position in 2023. Last year he boasted a 74.4 offensive grade (PFF), the fifth-highest among all Big Ten offensive linemen. He was a strong force on a Wisconsin offensive line that mostly struggled in year one under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

The veteran tackle projects to be Wisconsin’s best entering 2024 and should play his way into NFL draft consideration.

Wohler, meanwhile, enters 2024 again as the engine of Mike Tressel’s defense. The star safety finished the 2023 season with 120 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 2 interceptions and 6 pass deflections. The versatile safety should again line up all over the field for Tressel and Luke Fickell in 2024. He’s a near-lock to be selected in the 2025 NFL draft.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten defensive coordinators entering 2024 football season

Notable omissions from Athlon’s All-America Teams include cornerback Ricardo Hallman (7 interceptions in 2023) and wide receiver Will Pauling (team-high 74 catches, 837 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023).

After that, it’s understandable why theBadgers aren’t getting buckets of national praise after their 7-6 2023 campaign.

There are breakout candidates who could play their way onto these teams, including left tackle Jack Nelson, center Jake Renfro, running back Chez Mellusi, wide receiver Bryson Green, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and linebacker Jake Chaney. It isn’t a huge shock to see most of those players flying under the radar entering the season, but both Hallman and Pauling should have been included.

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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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Wisconsin omitted from PFF’s ranking of college football’s top offensive lines for 2024

Wisconsin omitted from PFF’s ranking of college football’s top offensive lines for 2024

The Wisconsin Badgers were omitted from ProFootballFocus’ ranking of the top offensive lines in college football entering the 2024 season.

The top 10 list instead comprised of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas, Oregon, Ohio State, Missouri, Miami, Florida State and Florida.

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

This ranking comes after the Badgers also missed the service’s list of college football’s top wide receiver corps, quarterback rooms and running back duos.

Understandably, PFF isn’t high on the Badgers after consecutive 7-6 seasons.

But Wisconsin does enter the 2024 season with a combination of talent, experience and potential across its line. Its starting five from left-to-right projects to be Jack Nelson, Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro, Joe Huber and Riley Mahlman.

Nelson and Mahlman are multi-year starters and NFL hopefuls, Renfro and Huber each have high-level starting experience and Brunner enters as a highly-touted prospect.

ProFootballFocus did recently rank Riley Mahlman among the top 10 returning Big Ten offensive tackles. So the service is more doubtful of the rest of the Badgers’ line after several seasons below the program’s sky-high standard.

There isn’t much to argue. Wisconsin has not excelled along the line since 2019. Struggles and coaching changes at the position partially contributed to the end of the Paul Chryst era and eventual hire of Luke Fickell.

Now the program runs an air raid offense, which gives the line an almost entirely-new job description. There is a valid point to waiting to see top-end results from the team before assuming its offensive line play is back to the program standard.

I’d bet on a better adjustment in the second year of Phil Longo’s offense and on the overall talent in the room — especially among the starting unit. But many still have a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the position.

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ProFootballFocus ranks Wisconsin starting RT one of the best tackles in Big Ten

PFF College ranks Wisconsin offensive lineman in top 10 in the Big Ten

The Wisconsin Badgers football team has plenty of veteran players, one of which is starting right tackle Riley Mahlman — who ProFootballFocus recently ranked in their top 10 returning tackles to the Big Ten in 2024.

Mahlman is the service’s seventh-highest-rated returning offensive tackle. Entering his fourth year with the Badgers, third as a starter, the 6-foot-8 athlete will look to continue his stellar play on Wisconsin’s offensive line.

In general, it’s a very experienced group up front for Luke Fickell’s squad in Madison. Four of the team’s five starters from last year are back with offensive tackle Jack Nelson and guards Joe Huber and Joe Brunner back for another season.

Additionally, veteran Jake Renfro is taking over at center for Tanor Bortolini (drafted by the Colts). He started 13 games for Cincinnati back in 2021 before missing 2022 with an injury. Even the replacements along Fickell’s offensive line has some on-field experience.

That line will be blocking for a new quarterback in 2024, either Tyler Van Dyke or Braedyn Locke, while running back Chez Mellusi is back for one last ride.

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Wisconsin starting RT one of PFF’s ’10 offensive tackles to know ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft’

Wisconsin has a highly-touted starting tackle entering 2024:

Wisconsin right tackle Riley Mahlman was named an ‘offensive tackle to know ahead of the 2025 NFL draft’ by ProFootballFocus on Monday.

Mahlman was one of 10 players included, along with LSU’s Will Campbell, Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr., Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea, LSU’s Emery Jones, Oregon’s Ajani Cornelius, Clemson’s Blake Miller, West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum, Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. and Georgia’s Ernest Greene III.

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

The veteran is set to again be Wisconsin’s starting right tackle in 2024. He started all 13 games at the position in 2023 and six in 2022 — though that number would have also been 13 had it not been for an early-season injury.

Mahlman’s 78.1 PFF last season was the highest for any Wisconsin lineman and the 5th-highest in the Big Ten. He enters 2024 primed for his best collegiate season and as one of the conference’s best tackles.

While the play of Wisconsin’s offensive line has been up and down since 2019, Mahlman has been arguably its best performer over that time. His play, at the least, has not been a part of what is now a multi-year struggle for the position.

Another offseason to prepare for Phil Longo’s offense should pay dividends for Mahlman and the rest of the line. Early struggles adjusting to the new pace and approach are understandable, though year two should be when we see those issues ironed out.

As we inch closer to the season and to 2025 NFL draft discussion, here is what PFF thinks of the Wisconsin starter:

After missing nearly half of his redshirt freshman season with an injury, Mahlman took a major leap as a redshirt sophomore. In 2023, the right tackle was the sixth-most valuable offensive tackle in the country according to our wins above average metric. Mahlman’s 78.1 PFF grade was a top-15 mark among Power Five tackles as was his 73.1 run-blocking grade. He was also among the 20 best Power Five offensive tackles in pressure rate allowed (3%).

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One Wisconsin Badger makes PFF’s 2023 All-Big Ten Offense

One Wisconsin Badger makes PFF’s 2023 All-Big Ten Offense

Wisconsin right tackle Riley Mahlman was the one Badger included in ProFootballFocus’ 2023 All-Big Ten Offense earlier today.

Mahlman forms the offensive line alongside Michigan’s Zak Zinter at right guard, Michigan’s Drake Nugent at center, Purdue’s Preston Nichols at left guard and Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu at left tackle.

Unsurprisingly, no other Badgers made the unit. Neither of the Badgers’ two quarterbacks were all-Big Ten-caliber this season, nor were any of their wide receivers or tight ends. The one argument could be running back Braelon Allen, but it’s a tough argument after his worst statistical season of his three in college.

Luke Fickell and his staff will need to find a few more top-end players before the Phil Longo offense works to its full effect. This transfer portal cycle presents a necessary opportunity for that to happen.

Badgers offensive tackle ranked in top 10 by PFF

PFF released their top 10 highest-graded offensive tackles in CFB on Saturday and Wisconsin tackle Joe Huber was ranked fifth overall.

Pro Football Focus released their top 10 highest-graded offensive tackles that are returning to college football in 2023 on Saturday and Wisconsin tackle Joe Huber was ranked fifth overall.

Huber transferred to Wisconsin this offseason after three seasons, two active, with the Cincinnati Bearcats. The offensive tackle followed his his head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel to Madison. Huber operated as the starting right tackle for Cincinnati, though it’s possible he slides into a guard role in 2023 with the Badgers as Riley Mahlman may be the starting right tackle.

Regardless of where he starts, Huber’s 80.6 rating as a tackle in 2022 bodes well for new quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) and returning running backs Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi.