Tag: Wisconsin football news

Two Wisconsin Badgers named to AP Preseason All-America team

Wisconsin was one of only three Big Ten schools with multiple AP preseason All-American selections:

On Monday, Wisconsin football standouts Braelon Allen and Nick Herbig received national recognition; each player was named to the Associated Press Preseason second-team All-American team ahead of the 2022 season.

After reclassifying and enrolling in the program early, Allen, a Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin native, earned Freshman All-American and second-team All-Big Ten honors after amassing 1,268 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground last season on 6.8 YPC.

The 6-foot-2, 238-pound wrecking ball didn’t stop there; he also became just the fourth UW true freshman running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing plateau, joining Ron Dayne, Jonathan Taylor, and James White.

Now, legally an adult, Allen enters 2022 as the no-doubt focal point of UW’s offense and is poised to become one of the best RBs in all of college football.

Herbig, who broke out last season, led all Big Ten edge rushers in pass rush win rate, registering 64 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four pass deflections, and two forced fumbles en route to being named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 228-pounds, Herbig is sure to wreak havoc on the entire Big Ten in 2022; his blend of power and speed as an edge rusher makes him one of the best in the country at his position.

With another standout season from the Hawaii native, the NFL will likely be calling his name, so enjoy him while you can, Badger fans.

UW was one of only three Big Ten schools with multiple All-American selections – the others are Iowa (2) and Ohio State (5).

The No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers open their season on Sept. 3 against Illinois State at Camp Randall Stadium.

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Mike McCarthy had high praise for former Badgers TE Jake Ferguson

Former Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jake Ferguson has impressed the Cowboys head coach:

When the Dallas Cowboys selected tight end Jake Ferguson with the No. 129 overall selection in the fourth round, the coaching staff knew they were getting a battle-tested player with a ton of experience.

A four-year contributor at Wisconsin, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound TE registered 145 catches for 1,618 yards and 13 touchdowns during his impressive career at UW.

Now, the reigning First-team All-Big Ten TE has captured the attention of his new teams coaching staff in Dallas.

Current Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy had this to say about the former Badger:

“He’s such an instinctive, tough football player, McCarthy explained. That’s what we really liked about him coming from Wisconsin, and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s scrappy. He’s on the edge. He’s chippy. The young man can play.”

Anyone who followed Ferguson’s career in Madison isn’t surprised by these remarks; nevertheless, his NFL career will be fun to watch as he works to earn meaningful snaps on Sundays.

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Former Wisconsin OL Logan Bruss suffers season ending injury

A former Wisconsin Badgers standout offensive lineman suffered a season-ending injury:

After a promising start to his NFL career, Los Angeles Rams’ top draft pick and former Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Logan Bruss will miss his entire rookie season due to suffering a torn ACL and MCL in Friday’s preseason loss to the Houston Texans, according to a report from Greg Beacham.

Bruss, a Wisconsin native, was selected with the 104th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft and was competing for the starting right guard spot during camp.

Here’s what Rams’ head coach Sean McVay has to say about Bruss’ injury:

“Number one, it’s a real shame for a kid that’s worked really hard and puts a lot into this game,” McVay said. “I think that’s the one thing that – the first thing, sometimes we have an inclination (that) is, okay, well how does this affect the football team? But how does it affect the person? You want to keep being more empathetic and more understanding, and this is a guy that loves football. We obviously draft him with the confidence that he could be a guy that could potentially contribute for us this year. Unfortunately, now, as a result of what’s occurred, that won’t be the case, but put your arm around him, you help him attack the rehab the right way, and I trust that he’s going to do everything in his power to come back better next year than he was this year.”

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See where Badgers OLB Nick Herbig ranks on BTN’s top player list for 2022

Wisconsin Badgers star OLB Nick Herbig cracks BTN’s top 30 players for the 2022 season:

Joshua Perry, a football analyst for the Big Ten Network, has been counting down his top 30 players in the conference for the upcoming college football season.

Coming in at No. 8 was no other than Wisconsin’s star outside linebacker Nick Herbig out of Kauai, Hawaii.

“At Wisconsin, defense is key, and Herbig is the next linebacker to take the throne,” said Perry.

In 2021, the Hawaii native registered the second-highest pass-rushing grade (91.4) for a Wisconsin defender since 2016, trailing only inside linebacker Leo Chenal, who posted a 91.8 pass-rushing grade of his own last season.

As a sophomore, Herbig, who led all Big Ten edge rushers in pass rush win rate, registered 64 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four pass deflections, and two forced fumbles en route to being named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.

Media pundits and Badgers fans alike are expecting a monster junior season from the 6-foot-2, 228-pound OLB, who is now the face of Jim Leonhard’s defense for the upcoming season.

If he continues on his upward developmental trajectory, this could very well be Herbig’s last season in Madison before the NFL comes calling.

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Head coach Paul Chryst comments on UW’s passing game during fall camp

Coach Chryst comments on the state of the Badgers passing game in fall camp:

Wisconsin, who enters the season ranked No. 18, is just weeks away from its season opener on September 3 against the Illinois State Redbirds.

After a disappointing 9-4 finish last season, head coach Paul Chryst decided it was time to shake things up on the coaching staff, specifically as it pertained to the offense.

Back-to-back underwhelming seasons by Wisconsin’s offense, a stale, predictable playbook, and inconsistent quarterback play from Graham Mertz left the Badgers needing an influx of new ideas and fast.

Now, there is a collective excitement amongst Badgers fans, who want to get their first look at UW’s new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Engram.

If the Badgers are going to win the Big Ten West and return to Indianapolis, they’ll need to move the chains through the air on occasion to keep defenses honest, in addition to more consistent play from their QB1 in 2022.

On Monday, coach Chryst met with the media and was asked how the passing game was coming along; he had this to say:

“There’s times where you feel like we’re making progress, and then there’s times where we gotta take advantage of this camp because it’s not where we want to be,” Chryst explained during his media availability. “There are moments, but it’s not where we want to be yet.”

With an overhauled wide receiver room, UW is hoping that pass-catchers Chimere Dike, Skyler Bell, Markus Allen, Keontez Lewis, and Dean Engram can give the Badgers’ passing game a much-needed spark this fall.

You can watch coach Chryst’s full media availability here.

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Report: Wisconsin LT Jack Nelson had surgery to repair a torn ligament

Wisconsin’s starting LT had surgery on Wednesday:

According to a report from Evan Flood of 247sports, Wisconsin’s starting left tackle Jack Nelson missed practice on Thursday due to undergoing a procedure Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.

The good news for Badgers fans, the report also goes on to say that UW expects Nelson will return to practice sometime next week – so everyone can collectively exhale.

The Wisconsin native started all 13 games for Wisconsin in 2021, allowing 13 pressures and two sacks in 769 total snaps en route to being named honorable mention All-Big Ten.

A former four-star recruit, Nelson was kicked out to LT in the spring and figures to be an upgrade for UW, considering his impressive athleticism and tenacity playing in space.

Wisconsin also has talented depth options such as Nolan Rucci, Riley Mahlman, Joe Brunner, and Logan Brown at tackle should he remain on the shelf longer than expected.

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Wisconsin’s starting right tackle job remains an open competition

The competition for the starting RT job remains wide open during fall camp:

Entering fall camp, Wisconsin needed to replace two starters on the offensive line and had more than enough talent to vie for those spots.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that three of Wisconsin’s five starting offensive line spots, namely left tackle, left guard, and center were already locked down by returning starters.

Now, it’s becoming more apparent that a fourth spot, right guard, might also have a spot solidified by redshirt senior Michael Furtney, who has taken the first-team reps at RG dating back to spring practice.

This development leaves right tackle as the Badgers’ last remaining spot up for grabs, with plenty of high-pedigree recruits pushing for time.

According to Zach Heilprin of Madcity Sportszone, Riley Mahlman was the first-team RT on Monday, with Logan Brown getting work with the second unit.

Per the 247sports Composite, Mahlman, a four-star recruit, was the No. 141 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, the No. 15 OT in the country, and the No. 1 player in Minnesota.

“I think he’s improved at a pretty good click. He’s making some good strides in a short amount of time, which we need him to do,” coach Bob Bostad explained. “He’s still a young guy, and he needs reps, but I like the way he approaches the game. I like the way he plays the game. He’s physical and wants to be tough.”

Joining Mahlman was Jack Nelson at left tackle, Tyler Beach at left guard, Joe Tippmann at center, and Furtney at right guard. It’s certainly possible that this will be the starting five come September 3 if the Minnesota native can hold off Brown, a former five-star OT, for the starting spot.

That said, the competition at RT is far from over. When Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal asked coach Bostad about the job, he simply replied, “it’s open.”

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WATCH: Senior RB Chez Mellusi breaks off a big run at practice

WATCH: Chez Mellusi breaks off a long run at practice on Monday:

On a day when Badgers star running back Braelon Allen didn’t participate in practice, senior tailback Chez Mellusi, who is just nine months and some change removed from a torn ACL, reportedly received first-team reps.

Last season, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound RB, who started the Badgers’ first nine games, carried the ball 173 times for 815 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught an additional seven passes for 66 yards, totaling 881 yards from scrimmage.

Expected to play a significant role in new offensive coordinator Bobby Engram’s offense, Mellusi showed the defense just how healthy he is, ripping off a 50-yard touchdown run against the No. 2 defense.

In the video below, courtesy of the UW Twitter account, you’ll see Mellusi make one cut, then hit the hole hard, exploding for a long TD run.

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Four Wisconsin Badgers Make Bruce Feldman’s 2022 CFB Freaks List

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen is one of four #Badgers that appeared on The Athletics CFB freaks list for the 2022 season:

The University of Wisconsin football team is known for finding strong, corn-fed, gritty, under-the-radar players and bringing them into their program to develop them physically, get them on the field and give them a shot at playing on Sundays.

Over the years, Wisconsin has produced several athletic physical freaks of nature, such as J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt, Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Leo Chenal, and many others.

So, it should be no surprise that four Badgers off this year’s team appeared in Bruce Feldman of The Athletics’ annual college football freaks list for 2022, which celebrates the 100 most impressive athletes in all of college football from a physical/measurable standpoint.

See which Badgers made Bruce Felman’s top 100 freak’s list for 2022:

See Where Wisconsin Football Ranks in On3’s Top O-Lines in the Country for 2022

On3 recently ranked the top O-lines in the country heading into the 2022 season. See where Wisconsin ranks:

The University of Wisconsin, better known as O-line U, returns a myriad of young, talented players pushing to see the field in 2022 and uphold the program’s standard of excellence at the position.

Since 2011, Wisconsin has had 13 offensive linemen selected in the NFL draft, the second most among all college football programs during that stretch.

According to PFF, Wisconsin’s O-line ranked No. 3 in the country as a run-blocking unit (88.6) last season. However, their pass-blocking ranked No. 98 (55.5) out of 130 division one programs in 2021 – so there is certainly room for improvement.

Returning starters for the Badgers include left tackle Jack Nelson, left guard Tyler Beach, and center Joe Tippmann.

It appears that redshirt senior Michael Furtney, who has two career starts under his belt, may have a firm hold on the right guard job, while the right tackle spot remains an open competition between former five-star OT Logan Brown and four-star OT Riley Mahlman.

Thankfully for coach Bostad, UW has eight scholarship offensive linemen rated as four or five-star prospects coming out of high school, so he has plenty of talent to work with, and the cream will inevitably rise to the top.

So how does Wisconsin football stack up on a national level? On3 recently ranked the top O-lines in the country heading into the 2022 season. See where UW ranks: