2024 Badger Football Thread

Wisconsin football's fourth spring practice​


Luke Fickell wasn't about to let one of the nicer days in Madison over the past two weeks go by without taking advantage of it.
The University of Wisconsin football team practiced on the grass field north of Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday in front of its biggest audience this spring. The Badgers welcomed a large contingent of state high school coaches — in the area for the WFCA coaches clinic — as well as more than a dozen recruits and their guests to the team's spring practice Saturday. The program's fourth of 15 practices this spring was the first with full pads, but it lacked some of the fireworks and fisticuffs of the first three sessions over the past two weeks.
Click to expand...
Wisconsin’s defense has shown to be the deeper side of the ball this spring, but a pair of presumed defensive starters left practice and didn’t return.Safety Kamo’i Latu was hurt on a collision with running back Tawee Walker during the first 11-on-11 period. A Wisconsin spokesman confirmed he suffered a right shoulder injury, and he was seen in a sling leaving the practice field. Braedyn Moore, who’s listed as a redshirt freshman, took a majority of the first-team reps in Latu’s place and held his own. James Thompson Jr., the most experienced and accomplished defensive lineman on the team, left one of the last periods with the first-team defense with a left leg injury, a Wisconsin spokesman confirmed. Thompson walked on his own, albeit slowly, down the sideline to leave the field. Wisconsin can’t afford a long-term injury to Thompson, who entering his fifth college season is looking to build off a solid 2023 season. One consistent sight through four practices has been defenders bouncing off Tawee Walker. The Oklahoma transfer has been among the most physical rushers on the team and he does well churning his feet through contact. Wisconsin hasn’t held any full-tackling portions of practice, but it’s safe to say he’ll be a tough ball-carrier to bring down once that occurs.
Walker’s best trait might be his decisiveness. He wastes no time once he sees a hole, speeding up quickly to pay off that effort from his blockers. He’s the shortest (5-foot-9) of the running backs getting regular reps with the first- and second-team offense, but his lower body is powerful and allows him to accelerate quickly.
Chez Mellusi is safely ahead of the pack for the No. 1 running back spot, but Walker is making a claim for the No. 2 role as he battles with incumbents Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli.
Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel added a different spin to the dollar defense he brought to Wisconsin last season, and reporters got their first look at it Saturday.
The defense used a grouping of one lineman, five linebackers and five defensive backs for a few portions of 11-on-11 work, with the twist being inside linebackers were playing on the edge and an outside linebacker was lined up on a guard. Inside linebacker Jaheim Thomas mentioned Wednesday that rushing off the edge would be part of his role and the early results show why he’s the right fit for the job. He created pressure with an inside move against second-team left tackle Kevin Heywood, and pushed the pocket and forced the quarterback to roll out against first-teamer Jack Nelson. Inside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks notched a sack against the second team coming off the edge in this formation. This scheme will likely be saved for clear passing situations as the Badgers would be giving up a good deal of size up front to deal with a run. Tressel showed last season he can be creative and aggressive in how he blitzes, and this package adds a dose of speed to the front he can utilize.
Click to expand...
One of the adjustments that Badgers made late last season when the run game struggled at times was to use more formations with four wide receivers. Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo may have to do that again this fall because two of the best receivers play in the slot.
Will Pauling continues to be a reliable playmaker and the top slot receiver, but second-year player Trech Kekahuna is building upon his strong outing in the ReliaQuest Bowl and making a case for more snaps. Kekahuna’s suddenness and explosiveness when he makes cuts during a route is like Pauling’s, and it helps both create separation from defenders. Kekahuna is showing savviness in his route running as well, understanding his body positioning and how to lean into a defender just a bit to maximize separation after a cut.
Vinny Anthony made the move from slot to outside receiver last year due to an injury to Chimere Dike, so there’s precedent for Longo to make such a shift when needed. If Kekahuna keeps going the way he is, it’ll be hard to keep him off the field.
Click to expand...
 
Look whos back recruiting in my neck of the woods!

Last season
⁃1,635 Rush Yds⁃274 Carries ⁃6.4 YPC⁃140.3 Rush YPG⁃23 Touchdowns⁃2,189 AP Yds⁃8/12 games 120+ Yds

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TW
Mark87 said:
Look whos back recruiting in my neck of the woods!

Last season
⁃1,635 Rush Yds⁃274 Carries ⁃6.4 YPC⁃140.3 Rush YPG⁃23 Touchdowns⁃2,189 AP Yds⁃8/12 games 120+ Yds

Click to expand...

UW could have good chance to get him. Seems the SEC is really not intrested in him and the big dogs in the Big Ten are not either so this could be a under the radar get for UW.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TW
Mark87 said:
Look whos back recruiting in my neck of the woods!

Last season
⁃1,635 Rush Yds⁃274 Carries ⁃6.4 YPC⁃140.3 Rush YPG⁃23 Touchdowns⁃2,189 AP Yds⁃8/12 games 120+ Yds

Click to expand...

Baldwin is a good recruiting candidate. He played both WR and RB in college, and did well at both. When he talks to young RBs in high school, he would know how to stress the importance of working on your receiving technique as well as running skills. An RB in the Big 10, or anywhere else, with good hands and technique receiving passes, can be the real deal. He started working on that last year with Braelon Allen, but it was too late for it to be an effective weapon in his arsenal. It should have been developed from the first day he hit the field in Madison.

We may not get a lot of solid players out of that region, but if you keep digging, and get to know the high school coaches, and some of the kids, you just might find that diamond in the rough that can change the whole landscape of how well you do. That said, if and when it does happen, you'd better make sure you have a second recruiter in your back pocket who can do the same thing, because some enterprising school in the SEC is going to see what you're doing, and snatch that assistant away from you for more money, and a higher position. You can't blame these guys for using these skills in moving ahead.

It's almost like Chryst didn't want them recruiting, so they wouldn't be too employable.
 
Mark87 said:
Look whos back recruiting in my neck of the woods!

Last season
⁃1,635 Rush Yds⁃274 Carries ⁃6.4 YPC⁃140.3 Rush YPG⁃23 Touchdowns⁃2,189 AP Yds⁃8/12 games 120+ Yds
Click to expand...
you left out the most important stat - 4.0 gpa.
 
Figured Evers would leave as seems he has zero shot at the starting QB spot. He never got about #4 it seems last year and this year might have not even been higher then #3 again.
 
GBP4EVER said:
Figured Evers would leave as seems he has zero shot at the starting QB spot. He never got about #4 it seems last year and this year might have not even been higher then #3 again.
Click to expand...

Yup, no surprise. He was for sure behind Van Dyke and Locke. He was probably going to get passed by the freshman Mettauer who's an early enrollee. That would have put him back at the #4 spot again in the fall. Real shame, because if he could put it all together, his athletic ability could make him a game-changer.
 
Too much talent in the QB room for Nick to have a shot. He made a wise move for him, and it freed up a needed scholarship. This is going to be a normal attrition every year when spring practice sorts out a lot of player potential. Those who see their future blocked are going to use the portal.

It works two ways. You can also find some talent you need to fill gaps at the same time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top