Tag: target

Former Wisconsin basketball top class of 2020 target enters transfer portal

Former Wisconsin basketball top recruiting target enters transfer portal

Stanford forward Brandon Angel entered the transfer portal Friday afternoon.

The four-year veteran enters after the most productive season of his career. He closed the 2023-24 season averaging 13 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks on 56% shooting and 44% from 3.

Related: An early look at the Wisconsin basketball roster entering 2024-25

Wisconsin needs a productive forward from the portal this offseason, and he has a connection to the Badgers.

Angel was one of Greg Gard’s top recruiting targets during the 2020 cycle. He was close to becoming a Badger before Ben Carlson signed late, taking the program’s final scholarship.

Carlson played two seasons for the Badgers and transferred to Utah after the 2021-22 season. Angel, on the other hand, has turned into a productive collegiate player and could be one of the more heavily pursued forwards in the portal.

BadgerExtra’s Jim Polzin added color to the situation with Wisconsin’s recruitment of Angel during the 2020 recruiting cycle:

Gard and his staff are active in the transfer portal as both A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl’s production must be accounted for entering a pivotal 2024-25. Angel could be a name that pops up on Wisconsin’s radar as the days go by.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

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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6 positions the Packers should target in the 2022 NFL draft

Based on the current makeup of the team and future roster needs, here are six position groups the Packers are highly likely to target in the 2022 draft: 

The Green Bay Packers are going into the 2022 NFL draft armed with 11 picks, giving general manager Brian Gutekunst all the ammo he needs to add talent and patch up the holes he perceives in his roster.

As always, the draft is more about future roster planning than finding immediate answers. Most rookies struggle early and need time to develop and improve at the NFL level. In most scenarios, draft picks are spent to create long-term stability at positions.

Fortunately for Gutekunst and the Packers, the roster only has one glaring weakness at this point in the offseason process. It’s at wide receiver.

Based on the current makeup of the team and future roster needs, here are six position groups the Packers are highly likely to target in the 2022 draft:

Walmart and Target join retailers pulling Washington gear from inventory

Both Walmart and Target joined Nike in move to pull Washington gear from their online inventory.

The major news was made last week when it became apparent that Nike had removed all Washington-related merchandise from their website, and now both Target and Walmart have followed suit.

The move has been made in protest of Washington’s team name, which is almost assuredly going to be changed in the near future. While decades of outcry for the ‘Redskins’ name to change have finally come to a boil, team owner Dan Snyder faces supreme pressure to change the controversial ways and appease fanbases and critics at the same time.

While it may have taken a while for Snyder to finally make the decision to change the name, it may have been the financial pressure in the end. While major sponsors like Fed Ex and Nike publicly requested a change, having merchandise sellers like Walmart and Target remove their inventory takes a hit as well. If the public perception is going to change anytime soon, the name will have to as well.

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Report: Saints to target Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins in free agency

The New Orleans Saints will have interest in signing New England Patriots free agent Jamie Collins, reports Larry Holder of The Athletic.

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NFL free agency is right around the corner, with the league’s legal tampering period set to kick off on March 16. While pens can’t be put to paper until a few days later (on March 18, the start of the NFL’s new fiscal year), the bulk of negotiations take place in that brief window. And that process is culmination of weeks of planning and scouting by teams around the league; the New Orleans Saints figure to be as busy as anyone in looking to address their roster needs.

One of the Saints’ top priorities should be identifying a linebacker who can start (and play at a high level) next to Demario Davis. There are two strong candidates on the roster already, in Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso — but they each ended the year with injuries, and Alonso’s release would free up valuable spending room against the salary cap. With incumbent starter A.J. Klein on track to test free agency, history suggests the Saints will again look towards the open market for help at the position (having previously signed Davis, Klein, and backup Craig Robertson away from other teams).

The Athletic’s Larry Holder reports that one name who will be on the Saints’ radar is New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins, writing that, “Interest will be there from the Saints for the veteran linebacker following one of his best seasons in New England after veering off two years in Cleveland.”

Collins would be a fascinating addition for the Saints. He’s one of the most athletically-gifted linebackers in the NFL, just as capable rushing the passer (notching 7 sacks and 10 quarterback hits last year, both career-bests) as dropping into coverage (where he bagged 3 interceptions and 7 total passes defensed) while also standing out in run defense (10 of his 81 combined tackles cost the offense a loss of yards; for context, 11 of Davis’ 111 combined tackles resulted in a loss of yardage).

The only question surrounding Collins’ fit would be his asking price. Davis is a first-team All-Pro who is entering the final year of his contract with the Saints. And Collins flopped with the Browns after inking a $50 million contract extension, which could give new suitors (like the Saints) pause. Of course, New Orleans is not Cleveland, and Collins is a much more mature player than he was at that time. We’ll be curious to see if this interest manifests into action once the Saints are allowed to talk shop in free agency, but Collins sure does look like the kind of shot in the arm the Saints defense might need to elevate a little further.

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Colts’ 2020 free agency target: WR Rashard Higgins

Rashard Higgins would be a cheap option for the Colts.

Even though the Indianapolis Colts have a massive need at the wide receiver position, it doesn’t mean they will be looking for the top-dollar options in free agency. Could that make Rashard Higgins a potential target?

The Road So Far

After being selected as a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, Higgins spent the last four seasons as a depth player in the Browns wide receiver room.

His best season came in 2018 when Baker Mayfield took the reins under center. In that campaign, Higgins recorded career-highs in receptions (39), yards (572), receiving touchdowns (four) and yards per reception (14.7).

After the Browns acquired Odell Beckham Jr. and the offense went into decline in 2019, Higgins was an afterthought. He saw just 11 targets in 2019.

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Fit With The Colts

The Colts are sorely lacking explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball. This could lead them to look at the wide receiver market in free agency. Higgins would be a nice fit to work as a complement to T.Y. Hilton on the outside and in the slot.

Higgins has great hands and could provide the Colts with a solid complementary weapon. At 25 years old, Higgins has showcased above-average tracking abilities and there is vast potential getting him to work out of the slot at times in Frank Reich’s offense.

Higgins wouldn’t need to be relied upon as the WR1 or potentially even the WR2 at times depending on how the draft goes, but he would be a solid addition to the wide receiver corps.

Price

One of the reasons Higgins is an option for the Colts is his price. The Colts would be able to sign Higgins to a one-year deal at nearly nothing annually—probably around $4 million. We know Chris Ballard doesn’t like to splurge in free agency but he doesn’t mind targeting cheap options with high upside. That’s what Higgins would bring to the Colts if they pursued him in free agency.

Conclusion

Higgins isn’t the most exciting option and he certainly wouldn’t be the one to carry the wide receiver room. But depth is need, and Higgins is young enough and cheap enough to where Ballard might be intrigued. Higgins also possesses some upside, which is always a factor for Ballard.

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