Tag: tucker ashcraft

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’s 2023 offense has a Deion Sanders connection

An interesting development from Saturday:

The Wisconsin Badgers entered the 2023 season with offensive talent we haven’t seen at the school in some time.

New head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo went after the transfer portal this offseason, adding top wide receivers C.J. Williams, Bryson Green, Will Pauling and others.

But it’s one under-the-radar offseason acquisition that had a significant impact on the team’s 38-17 Week 1 win over Buffalo. And it has a Deion Sanders connection.

The player is true freshman tight end Tucker Ashcraft, who was committed to Colorado’s class of 2023 before the Buffaloes fired head coach Karl Dorrell and hired superstar Deion Sanders. If you’ve followed college football in the last year, or even in the last week, you’re aware of the impact Sanders is having on the sport.

Related: Big Ten starting quarterback rankings after Week 1: Where’s Mordecai?

Well, Ashcraft committed to Wisconsin in mid-December after receiving cold feet from the Colorado recruiting department once Sanders was hired. The three-star recruit didn’t project to do much in Madison as a true freshman, that until Wisconsin’s tight end room became the shallowest on the roster.

Fast forward to Week 1 vs Buffalo and Ashcraft caught two passes for 36 yards. I’m sure many were like myself and looked up who No. 38 was on the roster.

Fickell spoke glowingly about the freshman tight end in his media availability this week:

Ashcraft figures to be the No. 2 tight end behind Hayden Rucci this Saturday when Wisconsin battles Washington State. In the current college football media landscape where Sanders is the No. 1 story, it’s great to see someone with Ashcraft’s story find a home and make an immediate impact.