Tag: wisconsin footbal

Former Wisconsin star linebacker on PFF’s ‘Team of the Week’ for NFL Week 12

Former Wisconsin star linebacker on PFF’s ‘Team of the Week’ for NFL Week 12

Former Wisconsin star linebacker Nick Herbig earned a spot on ProFootballFocus’ Week 12 ‘NFL Team of the Week’ on Tuesday.

The Kauai, Hawaii native was accompanied by Miami Dolphins edge Chop Robinson, Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler and Chicago Bears defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams, Packers safety Javon Bullard, Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis were also selected on the defensive end.

In his second game back for Pittsburgh after recovering from a hamstring injury, Herbig dominated in the Steelers’ 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The outside linebacker tallied five tackles, two QB hits and a strip-sack.

That strip-sack arrived with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter during a blizzard at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field. The UW alumnus strip-sacked Browns quarterback Jameis Winston near Cleveland’s 20-yard line to flip possession in favor of Pittsburgh. The play shifted momentum and ultimately resulted in a Steelers touchdown.

Herbig was a 2022 consensus First-Team All-Big Ten member in his final season with the Badgers. He started 11 games that season and led Wisconsin with 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

He and the collection of former Badgers on the Steelers will be back in action next against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen finished college career with stellar statistics

What type of NFL career will Braelon Allen have?

Running back Braelon Allen’s Wisconsin career came to an end with the Badgers 28-14 win over Minnesota at the end of the 2023 regular season.

The three-year starter opted out of the Badgers’ ReliaQuest Bowl matchup with LSU to prepare for the NFL draft. While his combine performance was up and down, everyone on X had a strong reaction to his stature compared to the rest of his position group.

Allen’s NFL prospects are unknown, especially given his workload at Wisconsin and constant battles with injury. But what is known: he was one of the more productive running backs in the nation during his college career.

The now-former Badger was the motor of the program’s offense for three years — especially in the latter years of the Paul Chryst era as the offense struggled to develop any sort of passing game.

As his career shifts to the NFL, here are the final tallies from Allen’s college career:

BREAKING: Wisconsin lands commitment from in-state class of 2025 defensive lineman

Luke Fickell adds another recruit to Wisconsin’s class of 2025:

Wisconsin landed a commitment from class of 2025 defensive lineman Torin Pettaway Thursday afternoon.

Pettaway is a three-star recruit on 247Sports, ranked as the No. 65 defensive lineman in the class and No. 6 recruit from the state of Wisconsin.

The Middleton, Wisconsin native chooses the Badgers over offers from schools including Minnesota, Rutgers, Illinois, Nebraska, USC and Washington.

Luke Fickell’s class of 2025 now includes nine commitments. The group ranks No. 8 in the nation at this early stage in the process.

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Updated ESPN game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin football’s remaining schedule

A look at ESPN’s projection’s for Wisconsin football’s remaining schedule

In a year that began with ESPN’s Football Power Index favoring Wisconsin in every game on their schedule, the Badgers now sit at 2-3. Of their seven remaining games, ESPN FPI now sees two going in their opponents direction.

Each week, ESPN updates their Football Power Index and projects how the rest of Wisconsin’s season will play out. The Badgers are now underdogs in a game that they were favored in all year up until this point, and have only a 36.8% chance of winning their toughest remaining home game according to FPI.

Can the Badgers win out? ESPN FPI sees just above a 1% chance that Wisconsin turns this thing around and finishes at 9-3 on the regular season. Here is a look at each remaining game and the ESPN FPI projection for that contest:

Wisconsin football launches a recruiting Twitter account

Wisconsin launches a new recruiting account:

While Wisconsin has made a prior attempt at launching a new recruiting Twitter account, it appears to be back for good.

The Badgers official recruiting account went live yesterday, and is already filled with posts showing why Wisconsin should be the destination for any recruit. The new account comes as Wisconsin made a hire in their recruiting department, adding someone with both NFL and Power 5 experience in Steven Schrum.

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Expect a ton of Wisconsin football content, advertising why the Badgers are an elite destination, and more on the brand new account. Here is a taste of what has already been up in the last 24 hours:

Packers adding pair of offensive linemen from University of Wisconsin

The Packers drafted Wisconsin OL Cole Van Lanen and signed Jon Dietzen during the 2021 NFL draft.

Two long-time starting offensive linemen for the University of Wisconsin will be continuing their football careers with the Green Bay Packers.

Cole Van Lanen, a sixth-round pick, and Jon Dietzen, an undrafted free agent signing, will both compete for roster spots with the in-state Packers this summer.

“Obviously, Wisconsin does such a good job with their football program overall, but specifically with their o-linemen over the years,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Saturday.

A Green Bay native and Bay Port High School graduate, Van Lanen was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Badgers. The Packers made him the 220th overall pick in the draft.

Van Lanen will get a chance to play offensive tackle and guard in Green Bay.

“Very athletic big man,” Gutekunst said. “Just a ton of versatility. He’s a smart kid.”

A Black Creek native and Seymour High School graduate, Dietzen was a 39-game starter at Wisconsin, with starts at left tackle, left guard and right guard. He didn’t hear his name called during the draft, but the Packers added him in college free agency.

Both Van Lanen and Dietzen started for a Wisconsin offensive line that helped Jonathan Taylor become one of the most productive running backs in college football history.

In Green Bay, the Packers have openings along the offensive line. Center Corey Linsley and guard Lane Taylor both departed in free agency, and the Packers released former Badger Rick Wagner in February.

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3 positives and 3 negatives from Wisconsin football’s 2020 season

The Wisconsin Badgers’ 2020 football season was full of positives and negatives to take away, with Graham Mertz starting at quarterback

The Wisconsin Badgers’ 4-3 2020 season did not go the way any predicted.

With the cancelation of the season, the pause due to COVID-19 cases and the three straight losses, the story of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers was not one anybody saw coming.

Related: Way-too-early power rankings for the 2021 Big Ten football season

But that’s what college football is, and now it’s about moving forward with positives to take away from the year.

Here are 3 positives and 3 negatives from the Badgers’ 2020 football season:

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Four-star 2022 Wisconsin commit Braelon Allen decides to reclassify

The class of 2021 just got even better

An already stacked class of 2021 just got even better. The lone Badger commit in the class of 2022 is deciding to reclassify to 2021.

S Braelon Allen will now be entering the Wisconsin class of 2021, and will be on campus this June as he noted on Twitter.

The four-star commit will now partner up with fellow Wisconsin native and four-star S Hunter Wohler in what will likely be the starting safety duo of the future.

Allen joins Wohler as the only two safeties in the class of 2021. The class is currently listed (before Allen is officially in it) as No. 16 overall and No. 3 in the Big Ten according to 247Sports rankings.

Wisconsin lands their first 2022 commitment as Braelon Allen chooses the Badgers

The Badgers land a major piece in 2022

[lawrence-newsletter]The Badgers got major news on the recruiting front tonight when one of the most talented players in the state of Wisconsin committed to playing in Madison. Class of 2022 S/ILB Braelon Allen committed to the Badgers just moments ago on Twitter.

Allen is Wisconsin’s first commit in the class of 2022, and the Fond Du Lac native has been noted as a consensus top five player in the Badger state. After two standout years at Fond Du Lac High School, Allen chose the Badgers over Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. The future Badger is a four-star prospect according to 247Sports.

Wisconsin has landed one of the best players in the state, and the Badger class of 2022 is off to an impressive start.

A Wisconsin Badger earns the highest PFF pass coverage grade amongst returning Big Ten defenders

A Wisconsin Badger is the highest-rated coverage defender that is returning next season in the Big Ten

[lawrence-newsletter]Pro Football Focus, a football data company that specializes in analytics, recently named a Wisconsin Badger as the best returning Big Ten defender at covering the pass. That Badger is safety Eric Burrell, who is coming off his best season in Madison as a junior. Burrell is sure to be a leader in 2020 on the defensive side of the ball in his senior season.

This past season, the Severn, Maryland native set career-highs in nearly every statistical category, including total tackles, solo tackles, interceptions, and passes defended (PD). Burrell finished the year with 55 total tackles, a pair of sacks, three interceptions, and six passes defended. He finished with a PFF coverage grade of 88.9.

Burrell came into the year behind Scott Nelson on the depth chart, but after Nelson went out of the season-opener against USF with a leg injury that would ultimately hold him out the entire year, Burrell shined as the weekly starter. Wisconsin will have an embarrassment of riches next season at the safety position with Burrell, Nelson, and redshirt-sophomore Reggie Pearson all returning.