Wisconsin Football Observations From Spring Practice No. 10

The Wisconsin football program completed its 10th spring practice on Saturday.

It was a cold, windy morning in Madison, but the Badgers still brought plenty of energy for a high-tempo practice that was an exciting one to take in. 

Here are some of my observations from Saturday morning’s practice. 

Observations from Wisconsin Football Spring Practice No. 10

1. One of the biggest topics of conversation lately has been the quarterback competition, and Saturday’s practice was a pretty solid day for both of the Badgers’ top signal callers. Braedyn Locke got a larger share of the time with the first-team offense, but Tyler Van Dyke also had plenty of opportunities. 

Van Dyke seemed to have a lot of confidence behind his throws on Saturday, fitting some balls into tight windows and hitting receivers in stride on deep routes. Locke also had a good day, showing off his arm strength and touch on some passes to Quincy Burroughs and Trech Kekahuna. 

It wasn’t an overly impressive day for either quarterback, but I think Tyler Van Dyke won the day slightly. 

2. I thought the wide receivers had a good day collectively, but Trech Kekahuna really stood out. The Hawaii native was all over the field, finding easy openings over the middle and showcasing his speed by breaking free near the sidelines. It seemed like every pass thrown his way was hauled in. You should definitely keep your eye on No. 12 this season. 

Quincy Burroughs was another standout in the receiver room. He hauled in a couple of contested catches and had a nasty juke move to make a man miss for extra yardage. Will Pauling also hauled in a contested catch on a beautiful pass from Tyler Van Dyke. 

It was a great session all around for the receiver room and they finished as one of the best position groups of the day. 

3. The defensive line won the day, making Locke and Van Dyke uncomfortable and making plays all over the field. Darryl Peterson was one of the biggest standouts on the defensive line, but I thought true freshman Ernest Willor Jr. had some really solid reps with the second team. 

Defensive line coach EJ Whitlow had tons of energy today, and I think the players fed off of it. They certainly played like it. 

4. Tawee Walker is looking to be a really good transfer portal pickup for the Wisconsin football program. He had a few breakaway runs during Saturday’s practice and also showed some of his elusiveness with a bounce to the outside that snatched a defender’s ankles. Walker also had a couple of instances where he lowered his shoulders and ran through someone. What a sight that was. 

5. Speaking of running through people, Gideon Ituka. The true freshman had some tough carries, and my goodness, did those pads pop when he was met with contact. 

6. Hunter Wohler is continuing to do Hunter Wohler things. He had a big hit during inside drills today, and he was flying around the field, wreaking some havoc. 

7. Nyzier Fourqurean was one of the bigger standouts in the secondary for me. He was stuck to whichever receiver he was lined up against. Also had some good work in 1-on-1s. 

8. The offensive line had a tough day today, but true freshman Kevin Heywood had some good reps with the second-team offense. His physicality and strength doesn’t make it look as though he’s only getting started in college ball. 

9. It was a good day for the tight ends, and I’d say LSU transfer Jackson McGohan and Riley Nowakowski were the standouts. Nowakowski caught a deep ball on a wheel route that was placed perfectly by Tyler Van Dyke, and McGohan took a pass from Braedyn Locke over the middle to the end zone.

10. John Pius and Leon Lowery Jr were great pickups in the portal by Wisconsin. Both linebackers were making their presence known by getting in the backfield and just making plays all over the field. Pius and Lowery are seamless fits in Mike Tressel’s defensive scheme, and they should thrive this year. 

11. I’m not sure who will rise to the top as the primary returner, but Wisconsin should feel really good about having a group that includes Trech Kekahuna, Tyrell Henry, and Vinny Anthony. In the limited return work they did, you could really see how those guys can absolutely fly. 

12. Amare Snowden looks to be coming alive in the secondary. He was like a shadow on the receivers he was playing against and got involved in plays often. His potential is high, and if he can start to reach some of that in his second year, look out. 

13. Chez Mellusi was finding open running lanes and shooting through gaps often on Saturday. He was physical and he was running hard out there. It’s good to see the sixth-year senior getting back up to speed. The two-headed rushing attack of Mellusi and Walker should be a fun one to watch. 

14. Aaron Witt was walking around in a sling during practice. He did some solo work on the sidelines.

Overall, the defense won the day, but a few offensive position groups had their moments as well. The quarterback competition is still very much brewing, and it looks like Wisconsin football will have options on top of options at receiver heading into 2024. 

Stay tuned to Badgernotes for more Badgers spring football coverage.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, follow Jake Maier on Twitter @JakeJMaier for more Wisconsin football, basketball, and recruiting coverage.