Tag: riley nowakowski

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

The Wisconsin Badgers football team completed another training camp practice on Wednesday as they near their 2024 season-opener: Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Sophomore tight end Tucker Ashcraft is looking to take a step up in his second season with the team. In 2023, he was able to reel in eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He feels his confidence is higher entering this year.

“Mentally, my confidence is there. My physicality is there. I’m working on getting faster every day,” Ashcraft said. “As a whole, I think we’re getting there. I think there’s things we can always clean up, but there’s a lot of good things that I’m seeing.”

Ashcraft will be working with a new starting quarterback in 2024 after it was announced Wednesday that transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke earned the job.

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“I think he’s a great quarterback. He can scramble and get out of the pocket and still make plays. Honestly, I’m pretty excited,” Ashcraft detailed.

Ashcraft will look to form a dynamic tight end duo this season with redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski — who profiles as a more productive blocking option — in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s air raid scheme.

Wisconsin Lands 2020 Walk On Riley Nowakowski

Wisconsin received a verbal from in-state linebacker Riley Nowakowski as he’ll join the Badgers as a walk-on.

Wisconsin is still putting the finishing touches on its 2020 recruiting class with 19 scholarship players already signed and Jalen Berger expected to do the same on February 5th.

The Badgers were able to add one more player to the class this past week when Riley Nowakowski announced his decision to commit to the Badgers as a preferred walk-on.

Nowakowski who projects to linebacker chose to walk-on at Wisconsin over scholarship offers from New Mexico State, Air Force, Army, Northern Illinois, among his other offers, which also includes schools from the Ivy League.

Nowakowski listed at 6’4″ and 230 pounds finished his senior season at Marquette University with 126 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions.

Nowakowski is high school teammates with fellow preferred walk-on offensive lineman Sean Timmis who signed with the Badgers back in December.

Overall Wisconsin’s walk-on class for 2020 is Nowakowski, Timmis, long snapper Duncan McKinley, specialist Jack Van Dyke, linebacker Ross Gengler, cornerback Amaun Williams, and offensive lineman Kerry Kodanko.