Wisconsin Badgers Football: 2022 Regular Season Awards
Here are BadgerNotes regular season award winners for the 2022 Wisconsin Badgers football team.
Madison, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Badgers football program is known for stability; however, in 2022, almost nothing went according to plan.
After beginning the year with aspirations of reclaiming the Big Ten West, Wisconsin stumbled out the gate and never really found its stride. The only thing consistent about this team was its inconsistencies.
Long-time head coach Paul Chryst got canned after a 2-3 start, and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard took over in the interim, leading UW to a 4-3 record over the final seven games to maintain bowl eligibility for the 21st straight season.
The Badgers offense, led by first-year OC Bobby Engram, finished No. 7 in the Big Ten in scoring (26.5 PPG) and No. 8 in total offense (362.8 YPG). UW's defense, which played its best ball at the end of the season, was also middle of the pack in the Big Ten -- finishing No. 6 in total defense (305.3 YPG) and No. 7 in scoring defense (20.5).
Ultimately, Wisconsin football finished the regular season with a 6-6 record -- earning an appearance in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, where they'll match up with Oklahoma State.
But, without further ado, these are the regular season award winners for your 2022 Wisconsin Badgers.
MVP: Braelon Allen
Although Braelon Allen didn't have the All-American type of season some were expecting, he put together a rock-solid sophomore season and was one of very few bright spots on the Badgers' offense.
He finished the season with 1,126 yards rushing (5.4 YPC), 610 of which came after contact, and 10 touchdowns. He also chipped in a career-best 11 catches for 104 yards receiving en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors.
The Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin native, also finished with the highest PFF grade among Badgers offensive players (79.4) -- earning him the MVP.
Best Offensive Player: Graham Mertz
Say what you want about Graham Mertz, but he put together the best season of his UW career in 2022 and, in my opinion, was the team's best offensive player, not named Braleon Allen.
According to PFF, Mertz finished with the Badgers' third-highest offensive grade among starters (75.0), trailing only Joe Tippmann and star running back Braelon Allen.
The Kansas native finished the regular season throwing for 2,136 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions on a career-best 135.0 passer rating. Early in the year, Mertz carried the Badgers' offense and gave them a semblance of a passing attack.
Mertz did, however, limp his way to the finish line, playing through injuries and terrible weather conditions -- ultimately leading to inconsistent performances on the field.
The best offensive player award goes to Mertz for his entire body of work.
Best Defensive Player: Nick Herbig
When Nick Herbig stepped onto campus, everyone knew this kid had a chance to be special -- and he showed us why in his final season at UW.
According to PFF, Herbig had the second-highest grade on the Badgers' defense (87.4) -- which is considered elite.
The junior outside linebacker registered 47 tackles, a team-high 34 pressures, 11 sacks (most in B1G), two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles en route to first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American by the AP.
Herbig was the best player on Wisconsin's defense in 2022, and after announcing his intentions to enter the NFL draft, he'll go down as one of the most dynamic edge rushers in school history.
Biggest Surprise: Maema Njongmeta
No team gets better after losing an inside linebacker duo like Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn, but another stud may have surfaced over the course of the season.
Junior ILB Maema Njongmeta claimed one of the vacant starting jobs and never looked back. The Illinois native registered a team-high 88 tackles, 25 pressures, 3.5 sacks, one pass deflection, and an interception en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors.
According to PFF, Njongmeta was the Badgers' highest-graded defender (88.5) -- which is considered elite.
Njongmeta improved mightily as the season went on, showed flashes of dominant play at inside backer, and was one of the team's biggest surprises.
Rising Star: Sklyer Bell
Redshirt freshman Skyler Bell was the talk of spring ball and fall camp -- and it's easy to see why.
The former three-star recruit had a breakout campaign and was named an honorable mention freshman All-American after catching 29 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns as UW's WR2. Bell was also fourth on the team in rushing, adding 116 yards on 12 carries.
His speed and route-running ability helped give Wisconsin another pass-catching weapon to utilize on offense. Under the new regime, I anticipate Bell having an even more significant role in the Badgers' passing attack in 2023 and beyond.
Best Newcomer: Kamo'i Latu
Wisconsin made several key additions in the transfer portal this past offseason, perhaps none bigger than Utah safety Kamo'i Latu.
The hard-hitting safety wound up playing significant snaps due to injuries and finished the season with 55 tackles, six pressures, three pass deflections, two sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
He also finished with the second-lowest REC% among Badgers, who played more than 100 snaps, allowing 13 catches on 26 targets (50%).
Latu made a strong first impression -- and figures to take another big step forward when he's able to man John Torchio's spot as the starting rover safety.
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