Asher talks about the new NBA G-League Select team, gives his 3 favorite Wisconsin basketball moments, and talks 2021 football recruits.
The Locked On Badgers Podcast is a daily Wisconsin basketball and football podcast bringing you short-form, daily coverage of Badgers sports Monday through Friday. On today’s episode, Asher details his three favorite Badger basketball moments of the season, talks about the new NBA G-League Select Team, and gives you an update on Wisconsin football’s 2021 class.
You can listen to Locked On Badgers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you find your podcasts, Monday through Friday.
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.
Earlier this morning via Twitter, 2021 CB Robert Regan announced that Wisconsin had made the cut in his top-7. Top 7‼️ (not in any particular order) #blessed pic.twitter.com/orpwAShJjk – Robert Regan Jr (RJ) (@RobRegJR1) April 15, 2020 The Badgers …
Earlier this morning via Twitter, 2021 CB Robert Regan announced that Wisconsin had made the cut in his top-7.
Badger linebacker Zack Baun recently told all 32 NFL teams that he has tested positive for a diluted sample at the combine per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter via Twitter. The Wisconsin native blamed the test on drinking too much water before his combine weigh-in:
Wisconsin’s Zach Baun, the third-rated linebacker on Mel Kiper Jr.’s board, notified all 32 teams that he testified positive for a diluted sample at the combine that he blamed on drinking too much water for weight-related weigh-in purposes, per league sources.
The impact of the positive test will be relatively unknown until draft day, although a recent rule change in the NFL CBA may help the former Badger star according to Schefter.
Here’s an interesting twist regarding Zach Baun testing positive for a diluted sample at combine: Under the NFL’s new CBA, it will not count as a strike against him whereas it would have under the NFL’s old CBA. Therefore, teams don’t believe it will impact his draft status much. https://t.co/Xw8Q7dTqqb
Baun is currently projected to be as high as a late-first round pick, with a floor of being taken in the late-second round. Time will tell if the positive test has a major impact on his draft position, but the new CBA will certainly help lessen the effects of this.
According to 247sports, the Badgers currently have the number five ranked 2021 football class in the nation. In terms of Big Ten conference rankings, UW enters in at second, behind only Ohio State. Wisconsin’s class of 2021 currently features ten commitments, including two high-four star offensive lineman in JP Benzschawel and Riley Malman. Roberts became the third running back in the class, joining Wisconsin natives Jackson Acker and Loyal Crawford.
The Badgers have landed commitments from the top five players in the state of Wisconsin per 247sports rankings.
Wisconsin coaches still have their eyes on a plethora of top targets in the 2021 class. Offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is the five-star brother of current Wisconsin tight end Hayden Rucci, and the Pennsylvania native’s recruiting battle is all but down to the Badgers, Clemson, and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Wisconsin is also in a recruiting battle for four-star WDE TJ Bollers, who recently listed the Badgers in his top-6.
Three-star Santa Barbara (Calif.) quarterback Deacon Pe’a Hill is currently the only committed QB in the class of 2021. The pro-style QB has a massive arm, and recently earned an invite to the 2021 Polynesian Bowl
The Badgers are still in the battle for one of their top 2021 targets
Just a matter of minutes ago via Twitter, 2021 four-star defensive end TJ Bollers announced that Wisconsin was in his top-6 schools. Bollers is certainly one of Wisconsin’s top targets, and had been rumored to have the Badgers as one of his top choices. According to 247sports lead recruiting expert Allen Trieu, Wisconsin is the most likely destination for the Iowa native.
This recruiting battle is far from over. Among the top six for Bollers are fellow Big Ten foes Nebraska and Northwestern. Also included is the juggernaut that is Alabama football. The Iowa native is a 6-3, 237 weak-side defensive end who is currently ranked as the second-best prospect in the state of Iowa by 247sports’ composite rankings. Check out the four-star prospect’s highlights via Hudl from his junior season at Clear Creek Amana High School: TJ Bollers junior season highlights
The Badgers are in the top ten for a 2021 target from the state of Maryland
Earlier today, class of 2021 3-star athlete Jordan Moore listed Wisconsin in his top-10 schools via Twitter. The Loyola Blakefield stud has played on both sides of the football, usually lining up at wide receiver or safety.
Wisconsin was joined by Maryland, and being that Moore is a Towson, Maryland native the Terrapins will certainly be in the mix. Also listed in the class of 2021 product’s top ten were three Ivy League schools in Princeton, Harvard, and Yale.
Check out Moore’s highlights on both sides of the football via Hudl: Moore’s highlights
The Badgers enter a Big Ten recruiting battle for 2021 DL Jeremiah Pittman
The Badgers have jumped into the recruiting sweepstakes for 2021 defensive tackle Jeremiah Pittman. According to the defensive tackle’s twitter account, Wisconsin officially offered yesterday.
According to 247sports, Pittman is a three-star product who has been heavily recruited by Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Northwestern. The Arlington Heights, Illinois native currently holds offers from the Gophers, Northwestern, Boston College, and Iowa among others. With the Badgers jumping in later than rivals such as the Gophers and Hawkeyes, it will be interesting to see if UW can pull him away from Big ten foes.
The Locked On Badgers Podcast is a daily Wisconsin basketball and football podcast bringing you short-form, daily coverage of Badgers sports Monday through Friday. On today’s episode, Asher is joined by Jake Kocorowski from Sports Illustrated’s …
The Locked On Badgers Podcast is a daily Wisconsin basketball and football podcast bringing you short-form, daily coverage of Badgers sports Monday through Friday. On today’s episode, Asher is joined by Jake Kocorowski from Sports Illustrated’s AllBadgers.com. Asher and Jake talk recruiting, WWE, and much more.
You can listen to Locked On Badgers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you find your podcasts, Monday through Friday.
Yesterday, our friends over at USA TODAY’s DraftWire put together the latest edition of their Mock Draft series, and the top two Badgers selected both saw themselves move up. A week ago, in the previous edition of the mock draft, Jonathan Taylor …
Yesterday, our friends over at USA TODAY’s DraftWire put together the latest edition of their Mock Draft series, and the top two Badgers selected both saw themselves move up. A week ago, in the previous edition of the mock draft, Jonathan Taylor wound up going 28th overall to the Baltimore Ravens. Linebacker Zack Baun found himself going 64th overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Here is where the two Wisconsin stars ended up in yesterdays mock:
Jonathan Taylor — 24th overall to the New Orleans Saints
Nov 23, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor (23) rushes with the football during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The fit here makes sense. It’s the earliest spot that the two-time Doak Walker Award winner has been drafted in USA TODAY’s Mock Draft series. The Saints are losing Mark Ingram, and the former Badger would be the type of back to fill that role. Taylor playing with Alvin Kamara would make one of the scariest “thunder and lightning” combinations in the NFL. This would also be a major win in terms of draft spot for Taylor, who came into this process with questions about whether he was a late first rounder or an early day two guy.
Zack Baun — 56th overall to the Miami Dolphins
Oct 20, 2018; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Zack Baun (56) celebrates following a sack during the third quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
This move would certainly give Baun the chance to make an impact right away. The Dolphins are not only short at the linebacker position, but were a bottom three defensive team in terms of yards allowed per game. There were not many categories where the Dolphins were not near the bottom of the league last season. That certainly would provide opportunity for Baun to get game reps early in his rookie year.
