Tag: Riley Mahlman

Wisconsin’s starting right tackle job remains an open competition

The competition for the starting RT job remains wide open during fall camp:

Entering fall camp, Wisconsin needed to replace two starters on the offensive line and had more than enough talent to vie for those spots.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that three of Wisconsin’s five starting offensive line spots, namely left tackle, left guard, and center were already locked down by returning starters.

Now, it’s becoming more apparent that a fourth spot, right guard, might also have a spot solidified by redshirt senior Michael Furtney, who has taken the first-team reps at RG dating back to spring practice.

This development leaves right tackle as the Badgers’ last remaining spot up for grabs, with plenty of high-pedigree recruits pushing for time.

According to Zach Heilprin of Madcity Sportszone, Riley Mahlman was the first-team RT on Monday, with Logan Brown getting work with the second unit.

Per the 247sports Composite, Mahlman, a four-star recruit, was the No. 141 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, the No. 15 OT in the country, and the No. 1 player in Minnesota.

“I think he’s improved at a pretty good click. He’s making some good strides in a short amount of time, which we need him to do,” coach Bob Bostad explained. “He’s still a young guy, and he needs reps, but I like the way he approaches the game. I like the way he plays the game. He’s physical and wants to be tough.”

Joining Mahlman was Jack Nelson at left tackle, Tyler Beach at left guard, Joe Tippmann at center, and Furtney at right guard. It’s certainly possible that this will be the starting five come September 3 if the Minnesota native can hold off Brown, a former five-star OT, for the starting spot.

That said, the competition at RT is far from over. When Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal asked coach Bostad about the job, he simply replied, “it’s open.”

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A check-in on the Badgers’ class of 2021 after landing five-star tackle Nolan Rucci

Entering Tuesday the Wisconsin Badgers’ class of 2021 was lining up to be–or maybe already was–the greatest recruiting class in…

Entering Tuesday the Wisconsin Badgers’ class of 2021 was lining up to be–or maybe already was–the greatest recruiting class in program history.

With big names including four-star offensive tackles J.P. Benzschawel and Riley Mahlman, four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers, four-star safety Hunter Wohler, four-star tight end Jack Pugh and four-star quarterback Deacon Hill already part of the class, Paul Chryst and his staff were seeking a commitment from one final big name player, a guy many NFL analysts have called a future top-5 pick in the NFL Draft.

He is five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, the No. 14 player in the class of 2021.

Well, on Tuesday the Badgers received a commitment from Rucci and cemented the 2021 class as the best the program has ever seen.

So we can project that the group will be looked upon fondly when it’s all said done, but where do they lie now in the national and conference recruiting rankings?

The answer: the No. 16 class in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Michigan.

Listen to some of the schools with classes currently ranked higher than Wisconsin’s: Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

Those are some of the blue blood programs in college football, teams who are often left at the end of the season battling for a national championship.

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers are now entering the conversation with those schools thanks to this class and the recruiting momentum they’ve gained in recent years.

Is a national championship on the horizon? Who knows. But this class and the ones to follow will at least give the program a better shot at winning their first Big Ten championship since 2012.

They obviously need to come in and show it on the field. But if we’ve seen anything during the Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard era it’s that the player development is tremendous, the coaching is tremendous and the success will come no matter who is on the field.

Going forward, now, those guys on the field will be one of the best groups in the country. The sky is the limit for this program going forward and landing Rucci on Tuesday was only the beginning.

Two future Badgers named to the 2020 preseason All-USA high school football second team

Along with one future Badger and one key Badger target made the 2020 preseason All-USA high school football first team, two future…

Along with one future Badger and one key Badger target made the 2020 preseason All-USA high school football first team, two future members of the program were named to the second team.

They are three-star outside linebacker Darryl Peterson and four-star offensive tackle Riley Mahlman.

The two players are key pieces of the program’s loaded class of 2021 and figure to be centerpieces of Paul Chryst’s gameplan for years to come.

Peterson, first, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 512 player in the class of 2021, the No. 33 outside linebacker and the No. 19 player from the state of Ohio.

Mahlman lands at No. 136 nationally, No. 18 at his position and No. 1 from the state of Minnesota.

Both players are set to join the program next season as the Badgers look to finally get over the hump and win their first Big Ten title since 2012.

Where Wisconsin football’s class of 2021 currently stands according to ESPN

Taking a look at current rankings for football classes in 2021

[lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-related id=18482]Wisconsin’s class of 2021 is just beginning to take shape as UW currently has ten commits ready to come to Madison. Those ten commits are highlighted by a pair of top offensive tackle prospects in their respective states with JP Benzschawel out of Wisconsin and Riley Mahlman out of Minnesota.

The Badgers have commitments from the top three players in the state of Wisconsin according to 247Sports led by Benzschawel who is followed by safety Hunter Wohler and running back Jackson Acker. 

The lone QB in the class so far is Deacon Pe’a Hill, a pro-style prospect out of Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara).

So, where does Wisconsin’s class stand so far? According to ESPN’s recruiting nation rankings,Wisconsin has the seventh-best class in the Big Ten conference, but the No. 18 class overall in the country. The rankings within the conference speaks less to any struggles that UW has had early in the process, and more so to how solid the Big Ten has recruited across the board. With only ten hard commits so far, there is still a long way to go for Wisconsin’s class of 2021.