Tag: wisconsin football badgers

Where Wisconsin football falls in the 247Sports preseason top 25

A look at where 247Sports ranked the Badgers

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[lawrence-newsletter]Preseason rankings always act as an important piece of the puzzle that is figuring out reasonable expectations for a program from the perspective of fans. National 247Sports recruiting writer Chris Hummer recently released the 247Sports preseason top 25, which was voted on by a number of 247Sports national writers. The Badgers came in as the third Big Ten team listed.

Wisconsin was ranked as the No. 10 team in the nation, coming in behind Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State in the rankings. Here is what Hummer had to say regarding the Badgers in 2020:

“The defense will be there for Wisconsin in 2020 with nine starters returning off one of the best units in the country. The departures of Zack Baun (19.5 TFL) and Chris Orr (14 TFL) hurt, but the Badgers have always been a linebacker factory – Jack Sanborn is your next All-American candidate at the position. Offense is where the questions arise. Jonathan Taylor is one of the best backs in college football history. He’s irreplaceable. His backup, Nakia Watson, averaged nearly two fewer yards per carry than Taylor last season. Expect Wisconsin to have a committee approach replacing Taylor this year. It doesn’t help the Badgers that the interior of their o-line departs. Still, quarterback Jack Coan is back and the Badgers have generally been at worst solid on offense. Coan needs to continue playing super-efficient football (69.6 CMP%) while upping his production a bit in Taylor’s absence. Wisconsin’s 2020 title hopes will largely be determined by a three-game stretch between Sept. 26-Oct. 10: at Michigan, vs. Notre Dame, Minnesota.”

Ohio State was ranked as the top team in the country, while Penn State came in at No. 5. Michigan and Minnesota entered in at No. 17 and No. 18 respectively. Wisconsin was listed as the Big Ten West favorite as they should be headed into the 2020 season.

A top 2021 TE has Wisconsin in his top 5

One of the top TE’s in the 2021 class has the Badgers on his short list

[lawrence-newsletter]Wisconsin’s class of 2021 has serious potential to go down as one of the best in the history of the school. Adding four-star TE Terrance Ferguson would go a long way in helping Wisconsin reach new heights in the recruiting process. The Littleton, Colo. (Heritage) native dropped a video yesterday on Twitter that revealed he was almost ready for his decision and that five schools were still in the mix.

The Badgers were joined by USC, Auburn, Oregon, and Tennessee. 247Sports sees Ferguson as the No. 3 player overall in the state of Colorado, and a top 15 TE in his class. No “crystal ball” predictions exist at this point, so which way the 6-foot-5 TE is leaning remains somewhat of a mystery. According to his Hudl film, Ferguson’s junior season saw the Colorado native catch 54 passes for 929 overall yards to go along with 11 touchdowns.

Check out Ferguson’s junior year Hudl tape:

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9197391/5d9189270427bd0fb08bcc3f

Top 2021 Badger football commits/targets react on Twitter as 2021 TE Jack Pugh makes his decision announcement

Badger commits and targets react as a top Wisconsin target announces his decision day

[lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-related id=18526]Badger twitter immediately was set ablaze today when 2021 TE Jack Pugh announced he would be making his college decision on Monday. Wisconsin has long been targeting Pugh at the TE spot in their 2021 class. Fellow Wisconsin commits and targets chimed in as they learned the news. 2021 four-star DE T.J. Bollers, who has been linked to the Badgers and who Wisconsin has heavily recruited, is excited for Monday.

As is Wisconsin 2021 QB commit Deacon Pe’a Hill. He also did some last minute recruiting.

2021 DE Darryl Peterson, who the Badgers have also been heavily going after, showed his support.

Pugh will announce his commitment via Twitter on Monday at 3 p.m. CST.

Wisconsin football ranked behind four Big Ten opponents in the new Sporting News preseason top 25

The Badgers came in behind four Big Ten opponents, including their arch rival

Wisconsin came in possibly lower than many Badger fans would think in the new Sporting News preseason college football top 25 that was released today. 

The Badgers entered in at No. 16 overall and fell behind four Big Ten opponents, three of which play in the Big Ten East and one that plays in Wisconsin’s Big Ten West division. Ohio State, to nobody’s surprise, led the Big Ten pack at No. 2 overall in the rankings, while Penn State followed them at No. 9, and Michigan came just ahead of Wisconsin at No. 15 overall. The ranking that will have most Badger fans scratching their heads is Minnesota coming in at No. 12 overall, four spots ahead of their Big Ten West rival in Madison.

Here is what Sporting News college football writer Bill Bender had to say about the Badgers in the rankings:

“The Badgers proved they were the best team in the Big Ten West in 2019, and there might be a heated quarterback battle between Jack Coan and Graham Mertz this spring. Jonathan Taylor is gone, and the defense must replace Zack Baun and Chris Orr. Paul Chryst has been able to replace these moving parts, but it will be a challenge this year in an improving division. A four-game stretch from Sept. 19-Oct. 10 against Appalachian State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Minnesota will tell us everything about Wisconsin’s playoff possibilities.”

It’s certainly true that it should not take us long to find out whether or not the Badgers are a legitimate playoff threat with upstart Appalachian State looming in week three and a road test against the Michigan Wolverines in week four. Starting the season ranked behind Minnesota, however, would be surprising.

 

Wisconsin football offers one of the top Colorado natives in the class of 2021

The Badgers extend an offer to an intriguing prospect out of Colorado

[lawrence-newsletter]The Badgers continue to add offers to the growing class of 2021. Earlier today, Wisconsin and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard extended an offer to three-star (according to 247sports) athlete Beau Freyler. 

Freyler is a native of Colorado Springs, Co. (Pine Creek) and has played on both sides of the football in high school while excelling as a safety. On tape, his coverage skills in the secondary jump out first. The 6-foot-2 athlete was also used as a wide receiver in his junior season at Pine Creek. On both sides of the ball, the three-star product shows off tremendous hands. Freyler currently holds offers from the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona, and Washington State.

Check out Freyler’s junior season highlights via Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/v/2CY4uX

 

Zack Baun has chosen his new jersey number with the New Orleans Saints

Former Wisconsin LB Zack Baun has chosen his new jersey number with the New Orleans Saints. No, the Badger ‘backer could not keep 56, his Wisconsin number, because Saints OLB Demario Davis is not even willing to negotiate. The veteran Saint wants to …

Former Wisconsin LB Zack Baun has chosen his new jersey number with the New Orleans Saints. No, the Badger ‘backer could not keep 56, his Wisconsin number, because Saints OLB Demario Davis is not even willing to negotiate. The veteran Saint wants to teach the rookie Baun about taking care of his NFL paycheck.

Baun is going with 40 as his NFL number. It’s not exactly a classic number for an edge rusher, although without 56 available the former Badger had to make a switch.

At least we know that Baun will have solid veterans around him to help him “save his chickens,” as a rookie.

Riley Mahlman selected to play in the 2021 All-American Bowl

The 2021 OT is currently the only Badger recruit to have been named to the All-American Bowl in 2021

2021 Wisconsin commit Riley Mahlman will officially participate in the 2021 All-American Bowl per his Twitter account.

The 6-7 offensive tackle is one of the highest-ranked players in Wisconsin’s class of 2021. According to 247sports, the Minnesota native is the number one ranked player in his home state and a top-20 OT nationally. Mahlman chose the Badgers over a plethora of Big Ten offers that included Iowa, Michigan State, and Minnesota.

Mahlman is currently the only Badger to be named to the game. The 2021 All-American Bowl will take place on January 9th in San Antonio.