Tag: Will Pauling

Wisconsin cracks top 30 of Pro Football Focus 2024 college football power rankings

Wisconsin in the top 30 of latest Pro Football Focus power rankings

Pro Football Focus released their latest power rankings for the upcoming 2024 college football season this week. Wisconsin fell at No. 30 in the service’s ranking.

PFF’s metrics specifically give the Badgers a projected win total of 7.5, an 81.74% chance to make a bowl game, a 5.72% chance to win the Big Ten and a 1.22% chance to win the national championship.

2024 will be Wisconsin’s second season under the guidance of head coach Luke Fickell and his staff in Madison after the program went 7-6 in his first season in 2023, capped off with a loss in the ReliaQuest Bowl to LSU.

Notable departures from the team following the season included running back Braelon Allen (New York Jets), interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini (Indianapolis Colts), as well as quarterback Tanner Mordecai (San Francisco 49ers), wide receiver Chimere Dike (Florida Gators) and linebacker Maema Njongmeta (Cincinnati Bengals).

[lawrence-related id=78567]

With transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami-FL) joining the Badgers ahead of his final season of eligibility and familiar faces like running back Chez Mellusi and wide receiver Will Pauling returning, Phil Longo’s offense is expected to take a step forward in 2024.

On the defensive side of the ball, Mike Tressel’s unit struggled to get to the quarterback in 2023. Its rate should improve in 2024 with the additions of Leon Lowery (Syracuse) and John Pius (William & Mary). Returning stars Hunter Wohler and Ricardo Hallman, then, are expected to hold down the secondary.

[lawrence-related id=78704]

Luke Fickell’s squad will have a particularly difficult schedule in 2024, including a non-conference matchup with Alabama (home) and contests with new Big Ten foes USC (road) and Oregon (home). If the Badgers can pull off some notable wins, they could easily outperform their position PFF’s current power rankings.

Five Wisconsin Badgers given preseason All-Big Ten honors by Phil Steele

Five Wisconsin Badgers given preseason All-Big Ten honors by Phil Steele

Five Wisconsin Badgers were included among Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big Ten teams in his recently-published 2024 college football preview magazine.

Zero of those players made Steele’s All-Big Ten first team. Star safety Hunter Wohler was the lone representative on the second team, star cornerback Ricardo Hallman was the one Badger to make the third team and the trio of WR Will Pauling, OG Joe Huber and OT Riley Mahlman all earned fourth-team honors.

Related: Wisconsin class of 2025 vaults up national rankings after addition of four-star WR Eugene Hilton Jr.

Wohler, Hallman and Pauling are Wisconsin’s most accomplished returning players on defense and offensive respectively. All three are coming off big 2023 seasons with the Badgers. Wohler led the team with 120 tackles, Hallman recorded a whopping seven interceptions and Pauling led Phil Longo’s offense with 74 catches and 837 receiving yards.

That trio should again set the stage for the team’s success this season.

Huber and Mahlman, meanwhile, anchor an offensive line that underwhelmed last season. Both are expected to lead a resurgent season for the offensive line, though cannot do so with strong play from left tackle Jack Nelson, left guard Joe Brunner and center Jake Renfro. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nelson joins that top duo in all-Big Ten contention.

Notable Wisconsin players omitted from Steele’s four teams include kicker Nathanial Vakos, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, running back Chez Mellusi and linebacker Jake Chaney. Those players figure to be a big reason why things will turn around for the 2024 Badgers — that obviously if they do.

Ohio State leads Steele’s All-Big Ten teams with seven inclusions. Next is Michigan with five, then Iowa, Minnesota and Oregon with three.

Wisconsin ranks No. 9 in Steele’s preseason Big Ten forecast. He sees progress from the 2024 Badgers, though the schedule will be difficult to manage.

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

[lawrence-related id=78567,78289,78951,79021,78563,78939,78833]

Wisconsin omitted from PFF’s ranking of college football’s top wide receiver corps for 2024

PFF is not high on the Badgers wide receiver corps in 2024:

The Wisconsin Badgers were left out of ProFootballFocus’ recent ranking of college football’s top wide receiver corps entering the 2024 season.

The list comprised of Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Miami, Colorado, LSU and Oklahoma.

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

The end-of-season rankings may reconsider the omission of the Badgers.

Luke Fickell’s program enters the season with one of the more exciting wide receiver corps in the country, led by rising star Will Pauling, established veteran Bryson Green and a host of promising underclassmen.

The returning production from 2023 does not tell the entire story. Pauling led the team in receptions with 74 and receiving yards with 837, but he was followed by Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell — both players who entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season.

That means the 2024 outlook includes a top-of-the-line talent in Pauling, an under-the-radar NFL prospect in Green and numerous snaps to go around to C.J. Williams, Joseph Griffin (transfer), Tyrell Henry (transfer), Quincy Burroughs, Trech Kekahuna and others.

There is no debating the top-end talent on Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Texas’ rosters. But the Badgers could rival those teams’ passing game production if all clicks in year two under offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

This is an article worth bookmarking for a post-2024 season revisit. I’d pick the Badgers to surprise many and enter the next edition of these rankings.

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

[lawrence-related id=78222,78125,78169,78038,77604]

A Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling led the Big Ten in slot receiving yards in 2023, according to ProFootballFocus.

PFF notes that the rising star recorded 820 of his 837 team-leading total receiving yards last year while lined up position. That means only 17 of his yards came while lined up elsewhere.

Related: Where every member of Wisconsin’s record-breaking recruiting class of 2021 is now

Pauling enters 2024 poised to improve upon his breakout 2023 campaign. The former Cincinnati transfer led the Badgers with 74 catches (36 more than the second-highest), 837 yards and six touchdowns. He was the biggest bright spot on a mostly inconsistent offensive unit.

He now enters 2024 as one of PFF’s top 10 returning Big Ten wide receivers and poised for a massive season with transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke under center.

Wisconsin has big-time threats outside with Bryson Green, Joseph Griffin Jr. and C.J. Williams. But the Badgers best offensive weapon is Pauling, even though he operates in the slot.

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

[lawrence-related id=77546,77221,77325,77526,77518]

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling

The 2024 college football season is still a few months away, but the Wisconsin Badgers have already completed their spring camp. Entering the program’s second campaign under head coach Luke Fickell, plenty of familiar faces returned to Madison, including wide receiver Will Pauling.

Pauling was former Badgers quarterback Tanner Mordecai’s favorite target last season, reeling in 74 catches for 837 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the air across the team’s 13 games.

The wide receiver was in his first season with Wisconsin after transferring to Madison following two years at Cincinnati, making the most of his opportunities as a pass-catcher.

In 2024, Pauling will work with either Tyler Van Dyke or Braedyn Locke at starting quarterback, the latter of which he has experience with from the 2023 season.

When it comes to stepping up his game with a target on his back this season as the Badgers’ top returning receiver, Pauling isn’t overly concerned.

“I love to compete, playing against the best players in the country is only going to make me better, so I look forward to it. I’m not going to back down from anybody,” Pauling said.

In regards to the wide receiver room as a whole for Wisconsin, he said, “there’s a lot more familiarity with the offense and there’s a new sense of confidence.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=]

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers safety Hunter Wohler

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers safety Hunter Wohler

The Wisconsin Badgers football team wrapped up their spring practice schedule last week and safety Hunter Wohler impressed throughout. Entering his fourth season with Wisconsin, Wohler will look to build off of an impressive 2023 campaign.

The Muskego native recorded 120 total tackles (74 solo), including a sack, while also compiling two interceptions and six pass deflections over Wisconsin’s 13 contests last season.

The Badgers finished their first season under head coach Luke Fickell with a 7-6 overall record, which was certainly an underwhelming mark for a group that garnered a lot of attention before the year.

[lawrence-related id=76348]

Part of the team’s struggles in 2023 were due to a disconnect amongst the players in the locker room, something that Wohler isn’t worried about this year.

“Coach Fick and the rest of the staff did a great job bringing in guys that match the culture, bringing in guys that want to be the best, and know how to do that and know how to make everyone else better around them,” said Wohler.

When it comes to what player gets under his skin the most on the offensive side of the ball at practice, it was Will Pauling, saying, “For some reason, it seems that me and him are always going at it. Whether that’s him trying to block me or I’m trying to cover him… he’s one heck of a player.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=]

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Trech Kekahuna

Q&A with Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Trech Kekahuna

The Wisconsin Badgers football team wrapped up their spring camp last week and one of the standouts of the 15 practice sessions was wide receiver Trech Kekahuna.

Kekahuna is coming off of a 2023 true freshman campaign where he played in the final five contests, though he only recorded any stats in the team’s 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. In that game, he secured four receptions for 64 yards.

The wide receiver was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals and a three-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN coming out of high school in Hawaii (later Las Vegas) as a member of the class of 2022.

Many believe he’s in for a big season alongside Will Pauling as a slot receiver in Phil Longo’s offense this season and he answered a few “get to know you” questions last week.

For a guy with lightning quick feet, Kekahuna is a guy you’d think played soccer at some point, saying this about his background in that sport, “people think that I can play soccer, I can juggle the ball for like an hour. I’ve never played soccer.”

In regards to his mentality ahead of the season, he said it’s a “hunt or be hunted mindset” out their on the field.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=]

Takeaways from Wisconsin football’s de-facto spring game

Takeaways from Wisconsin’s de-facto spring game:

The Wisconsin Badgers football team hosted their 13th spring practice of the year Saturday, playing primarily 11-on-11 for the duration. Luke Fickell and the Badgers no longer host a spring game between their offensive and defensive units, but Saturday came close.

Graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami, Florida) handled the majority of the first-team reps at practice, though redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke continued to get plenty of work as well.

Van Dyke connected for a pair of notable touchdowns to tight end Riley Nowakowski and wide receiver Tyrell Henry, while once again showing an improved understanding of Phil Longo’s offense.

With just a pair of practices remaining before spring workouts conclude, Van Dyke has proven capable of being the team’s primary option at quarterback in 2024.

[lawrence-related id=71782]

Wide receiver Trech Kekahuna has impressed throughout camp, and he made sure to show off his shiftiness on a handful of occasions while operating out of the slot wideout position on Saturday. With Will Pauling returning for another season, Wisconsin has a formidable duo in the slot.

At running back, both transfer Tawee Walker (Oklahoma) and true freshman Gideon Ituka produces scores on the ground. Familiar faces Chez Mellusi and Nate White churned out big gains.

On the defensive side, linebacker Darryl Peterson had a big day, getting to the quarterback and into the backfield on a semi-regular basis, showing his elite understanding of Mike Tressel’s defensive approach.

Transfer linebackers John Pius (William & Mary) and Leon Lowery (Syracuse) have been among the most notable additions to Wisconsin’s roster this season and they figure to make a significant impact in the pass rush in 2024.

Last but not least, safety Hunter Wohler is back for 2024, and he looks to build upon a 2023 campaign in which he led the team with 120 total tackles while also snatching a pair of interceptions. He has been just as effective this spring and was good for some show-stopping hits on the practice field Saturday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=]

Ranking the 10 best players on the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers

Agree with the list?

Wisconsin football is now less than 200 days away from opening its 2024 season against Western Michigan.

The 2024 campaign is an important one for Luke Fickell and his program. The team went 7-6 in 2023, an understandable record given the challenges coaches face in their first year at new jobs.

Related: Ranking the Big Ten head football coaches entering the 2024 season

But first-year excuses, or explanations, go away once year two begins. That’s why Wisconsin’s transfer portal haul and returning production must return the Badgers to their top-of-the-conference standing — even against one of the Big Ten’s toughest schedules.

Look ahead to 2024, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, our ranking of Wisconsin’s 10 best players entering the 2024 season:

Wisconsin nearly leads the Big Ten in returning production entering 2024

Wisconsin is well-positioned entering 2024 … if everything works out

The Wisconsin football program enters 2024 needing a bounce-back campaign in a bad way.

The Badgers’ 7-6 2023 season fell far short of expectations, but especially so when one considers the losses were to teams including Northwestern, Indiana, Washington State and Iowa. Now, the team looks a bit different entering 2024 and a daunting schedule awaits.

Related: Way-too-early record predictions for every Big Ten football team in 2024 — Power ranking all 18 Big Ten football programs after the 2023 season

An 8-4 season at minimum is necessary for the Luke Fickell era to gain positive momentum entering 2025. The schedule should be considered in the evaluation, but it shouldn’t be the end-all when this is what the new era of the Big Ten will look like. It’s on Fickell and Wisconsin’s leadership to adapt to the changes and carve out a successful place in the pecking order.

One important variable entering any football season — but especially this one for the Badgers — is returning production. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranks every FBS team in the metric throughout the offseason, including this week after the initial transfer portal cycle concluded. The new era of college football makes it challenging to draw direct a correlation between returning production percentage and wins on the field, but it’s easy to conclude that returning starters are a good thing for teams looking to contend.

Yes, there are necessary disclaimers that a program would rather return ‘good’ production (in other words, not Iowa’s offense). So each example is a case-by-case basis, depending on whether the eventual replacement is better than the production that was lost. But that’s extremely complicated and misses the entire point, which is: that higher returning production is generally a good thing for top programs.

Wisconsin, despite all of the transfer talent, is almost at the top of the Big Ten: