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Wisconsin Badgers Football Spring Game Story-lines to Watch

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2 months ago

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Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell watches defensive end Tommy Brunner go though a drill during the team's first spring practice on Saturday March 25, 2023 at the McClain Center in Madison, Wis. Uw Football Spring Practice 5 March 25 2023

Madison, Wis. – April 22nd, 2023 will be a historic day for the Wisconsin Badgers football program as Luke Fickell officially introduces himself and his team on the field.

The Wisconsin Badgers spring football game, titled “The Launch”, will be the opening of the next era for the team. The new coaching staff is eager to display their changes for the first time in a game environment. For many of the new and returning players as well, this game will be an excellent opportunity to put on a show.

Wisconsin will utilize this game as an opportunity to showcase the type of football they plan on playing moving forward. The Badgers are out to prove themselves as a team, however the players will also get a chance to do the same. Going into the exciting spring game, here are three story-lines to watch out for over the course of the game.

Wisconsin Badgers Football Story-lines: The Quarterbacks

The elephant in every college program’s room each year is the quarterback situation. Quarterbacks are pivotal to the success of a team and when a quarterback struggles, it will directly impact the team. Sometimes missed tackles or fumbles will not have much of an impact on the game down the line. However, when a quarterback makes a mistake, it can be much more costly.

Wisconsin struggled overall with production from former quarterback Graham Mertz. Mertz finished last season with a 52.9 overall quarterback rating, which ranked him 80th across college football. For a program as storied as the Badgers, the play coming from the position was hard to watch as it often directly impacted the result of the game. New offensive coordinator Phil Longo is a quarterback guru after transforming the careers of Drake Maye and Sam Howell. If anyone is prepared to change the position for Wisconsin, it is certainly Longo.

Between Tanner Mordecai, Nick Evers, and Braedyn Locke, the Wisconsin Badgers football team has three starting caliber players. Mordecai, the former SMU starter, recorded 7152 yards and 72 touchdowns in two years of play. Evers transferred to the Badgers from Oklahoma first and was considered to be the starter. Wisconsin was willing to give the position to him, which should say plenty about the coaching staff and their belief in Evers. Locke transferred in last and has consistently received praise from Phil Longo in practice.

There is plenty of talent for the Badgers at quarterback and it should be fun to watch during the spring game.

The Offense

Following along a similar path as the quarterbacks, the offense in general should be interesting to watch. Phil Longo believes in spreading out the offense to provide each player an opportunity to touch the ball. During his time at UNC, the ball was spread out among multiple players each game, which in turn expanded the offense.

Longo understands the college football offense on a different level than the average coach. The offensive coordinator had plenty of success during his time at UNC, but now all eyes will be on him in Madison. The offense for the Wisconsin Badgers football team a year ago was certainly not playing up to the fullest potential. The Badgers scored 42 touchdowns on offense last year and averaged 26.6 points per game. Longo and UNC last year averaged 34.4 points per game and scored 63 total touchdowns. UNC also managed to record 345 first downs while Wisconsin recorded 233.

If even an ounce of the magic that Longo created with the Tar Heels can be replicated in Madison, it will be an incredible sight.

The Secondary

The Wisconsin Badgers secondary has gone through the most this past off-season. Between Jay Shaw, John Torchio, and Cedrick Dort Jr graduating and the transfer changes, these will be positions to watch. Ricardo Hallman and Jason Maitre have been fantastic in practice thus far for the Badgers as they continue to challenge the offense. Given the changes and the success from the positions in practice, they can certainly provide a boost for the team this coming season.

The Badgers secondary allowed 2656 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air against their opponents last year. Defense will be the specialty for Wisconsin as they continue to develop one of the most fearsome units in college football.

Do not forget to tune in to the Wisconsin Badgers football spring game, “The Launch”, this Saturday, April 22nd.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Jarrett Guerrera on Twitter @JarrettGuerrera.

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FB Recruiting

Breaking Down the Wisconsin Badgers Newest 2024 Defensive Line Commit

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44 mins ago

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June 6, 2023

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Wisconsin Football defensive line commit Hank Weber

Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment From 2024 DL Hank Weber

Madison, Wis. — In need of a serious revamping of the defensive line, the Wisconsin football coaching staff knew these next couple of weekends would be huge for the future of the defense. 

The first domino of that DL revamp fell on Monday when the Badgers received a verbal commitment from 2024 three-star defensive lineman Hank Weber out of Brentwood, Tennesee, following an official visit to Madison this past weekend. 

According to 247Sports, Weber is the No. 99 DL in the country and the No. 37 player in Tennessee. The three-star recruit chose Wisconsin over offers from North Carolina, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Purdue, Virginia Tech, and several others. 

“Wisconsin had everything that I was looking for in a college and program,” Weber said. “The defense that coach Mike Tressel runs was appealing because of how aggressive it is. And I’ve been told that coach Fickell sometimes likes to lead the defensive line meetings. That was a huge deal for me.”

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive prospect is Greg Scruggs’ first commit in the 2024 recruiting cycle. 

Scouting Report

Hank Weber is, by my evaluation, a solid but unspectacular prospect. That’s not to say I’m writing him off, though. 

Although his pad level and ability to get off the ball were underwhelming, his pursuit and technique after the snap stood out. There is an undeniable blend of length and power as a pass-rusher that you love to see, and he strikes me as the type of assignment-sound player that could develop into a reliable starter with some time to fill out his frame. 

One thing I love about Weber is that he also plays offensive line, so he’s got a tenacity and motor about him that is a must-have in a defensive line prospect. 

Overall, I think Weber was a solid get, and for a re-tooling defensive line, he’s a solid start to what should be a large class of recruits at the position. I’ll like this commit even better if he’s paired with someone that has more pass-rushing upside.

The Impact of Hank Weber Joining the Wisconsin Football Program 

Vernon Woodward is commitment No. 10 for the Wisconsin football program in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Mabrey Mettauer, Grant Stec, Robert Booker, Derek Jensen, Thomas Heiberger, Landon Gauthier, Kyan Berry-Johnson, Kahmir Prescott, and Vernon Woodward.

With his addition, UW now has the No. 21 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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FB Recruiting

Wisconsin Football Adds Australian Punter, New 2024 Commit, More

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4 hours ago

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June 6, 2023

By

Wisconsin Badgers Football Stadium
Sep 3, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Camp Randall Stadium prior to the game between the Illinois State Redbirds and Wisconsin Badgers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a busy couple of days for the Wisconsin football program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important Badgers news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Address Their Special Teams Need

Exiting spring practice, Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell voiced his concern about the Badgers’ punting situation.

“I’m a little bit concerned we’ve got to figure some things out probably in the punting situation,” Fickell said after the final spring practice. “I know it’s a tougher time, but we don’t get outside nearly as much to see those guys have an opportunity to punt the ball and for us to return it as well.”

Thankfully, that issue was addressed with Wisconsin landing a commitment from Atticus Bertrams, a native of Melbourne, Australia, who will be on scholarship in 2023.

Bertrams had previously committed to USC in 2021 but didn’t enroll. Instead, he spent his time training at Prokick, an academy in Australia that has produced six Ray Guy Award-winning punters.

He immediately slots in as Wisconsin’s top punter ahead of Jack Van Dyke and Gavin Meyers, who left something to be desired during spring practice. Bertrams has some big shoes to fill following the departure of Andy Vujnovich.

Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment From 3-Star Florida CB 

Following an official visit to Madison, the Wisconsin football coaching staff added their first cornerback prospect of the 2024 cycle in three-star cornerback Vernon Woodward, out of Winter Park, Florida.

According to the industry-generated composite rankings, he is the No. 74 cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 128 player in Florida.

Woodward chose UW over scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Illinois, Cincinnati, Missouri, Purdue, UCF, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and several others.

As a junior, the 6-foot-2 cornerback registered 57 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. But perhaps the most telling stat from Woodward’s junior season is that he was targeted only twice all year, which speaks volumes about his ability to blanket WRs at that level. 

You can watch his HUDL film here.

Vernon Woodward is commitment No. 9 for the Wisconsin football program in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Mabrey Mettauer, Grant Stec, Robert Booker, Derek Jensen, Thomas Heiberger, Landon Gauthier, Kyan Berry-Johnson, and Kahmir Prescott. 

Other Wisconsin Football News

According to a report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the Wisconsin football team is adding a senior defensive analyst to the coaching staff. 

UW is adding Rhode Island defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jack Cooper as a senior defensive analyst next season after serving in his previous role since 2020. He also served as a quality control coach for Nebraska for two seasons. 

Coach Cooper helped lead Rhode Island to a top-50 defensive unit in 2021 and a 7-4 record overall, their highest win total in two decades. 

This addition is precisely the kind of coaching hire top-tier programs are making nowadays because they don’t count against the allowed amount of paid assistants. The beauty in adding an experienced coach like Jack Cooper is that you have an internal candidate you’re comfortable with should someone on your staff move on. 

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

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FB Recruiting

Wisconsin Football Kicks off Official Visit Weekend With a Bang

Published

1 day ago

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June 5, 2023

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Wisconsin Badgers football
Oct 25, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; The Wisconsin logo at midfield of Camp Randall Stadium following the game between the Maryland Terrapins and Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin won 52-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. — The Wisconsin football program kicked off its massive June 2 recruiting weekend with a bang. Following an official visit, the Badgers coaching staff added their first cornerback prospect of the 2024 cycle in three-star cornerback Vernon Woodward, out of Winter Park, Florida.

According to the industry-generated composite rankings, he is the No. 74 cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 128 player in Florida.

For Woodward, this was his first trip to Madison, and he chose UW over scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Illinois, Cincinnati, Missouri, Purdue, UCF, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and several others.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound cornerback is Paul Haynes first commit at the position and got the recruiting assist on Woodward from fellow Florida natives Ricardo Hallman and Jonas Duclona, who hosted him on his visit.

The Skinny 

In Vernon Woodward, the Wisconsin football program is getting a big corner with measurables this coaching staff covets above all else. His frame and skillset align well with the type of athlete that Luke Fickell and his staff have successfully developed. 

As a junior, he registered 57 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. But perhaps the most telling stat from Woodward’s junior season is that he was targeted only twice all year, which speaks volumes about his ability to blanket WRs at that level. 

Woodward’s length is impressive; he has quick feet, dissects plays well, and isn’t afraid to come downhill and tackle. That’s an area that excites me about his game. Getting off blocks and being an asset in the run game should allow him to be a playmaker on UW’s defense. 

The Impact of Vernon Woodward Joining the Wisconsin Football Program 

Vernon Woodward is commitment No. 9 for the Wisconsin football program in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Mabrey Mettauer, Grant Stec, Robert Booker, Derek Jensen, Thomas Heiberger, Landon Gauthier, Kyan Berry-Johnson, and Kahmir Prescott. 

With his addition, UW now has the No. 22 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to Locked on Badgers on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the only daily Wisconsin Badgers podcast on the internet.

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