Wisconsin Football Wide Receiver Room Season Outlook & Player Expectations

With fall camp just around the corner for new head coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program — BadgerNotes continues our rollout of position previews. We’ve already done QB and RB thus far. 

But I want our position previews and season outlook write-ups to be different than a regurgitated version of what every outlet is putting out. 

I want to approach this breakdown by establishing individual player expectations heading into the season so we can more effectively evaluate each player at the end of the season—that way, we can avoid being a prisoner of the moment. 

So, let’s review the breakdown of how we define player expectations:

• No expectations (walk-ons, true freshmen, practice bodies).
• Low expectations (roster fillers, third team players, next man up situation).
• Moderate expectations (key backups & role players *how well are you playing the role asked of you).
• High expectations (core players of the team you expect to make a big impact in their role or statistically). 

Let’s continue our series with the Wisconsin football wide receiver room. 

High Expectations 

• Chimere Dike (SR)
• Bryson Green (RS JR)
• Will Pauling (RS SO)

I’m placing Chimere Dike, Bryson Green, and Will Pauling in our high-expectations group because that’s the trio I anticipate will leave fall camp as the starters and log the most snaps in 2023.

Dike finished last season with 47 catches for 689 yards and six touchdowns en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition. He’s a steady possession receiver that runs good routes and is my pick to be the team’s leader in receiving yards. Dike might not be the highest upside of the bunch — but his game is well-rounded.

Although Green missed spring practice, I still see him as a first-team player on offense. He’s coming off a great season with Oklahoma State, where he caught 36 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns in nine games. Green and Dike should complement each other nicely on the boundary.

Finally, Pauling, the standout WR during spring ball, enters as the favorite to start in the slot and get peppered with targets in Phil Longo’s offense. As a redshirt freshman, he caught 12 passes for 122 yards with Cincinnati but is someone I anticipate will be at or near the top of the leaderboard in catches. Pauling’s shiftiness in the slot will make him a dynamic weapon for Wisconsin football this fall.

To meet expectations, Dike, Green, and Pauling need to lead the Badgers in WR snaps and be the most frequently targeted pass-catchers.

Wisconsin Football WRs With Moderate Expectations

• CJ Williams (SO)
• Skyler Bell (RS SO)
• Keontez Lewis (JR)

In the moderate expectations group, I’ve got the trio of USC transfer CJ Williams, Skyler Bell, and Keontez Lewis, who should all see plenty of snaps for Wisconsin football this fall.

Williams is the one name from this group that could force his way into the first-team offense on the boundary off the pure talent and playmaking ability alone. The former Under Armour All-American appeared in 11 games for USC as a true freshman and caught four passes for 34 yards.

Bell burst onto the scene last fall, giving the Badgers a speedy WR to move around the offense. He finished the season with 30 catches for 444 yards and five touchdowns, adding another 160 yards rushing. He figures to play plenty of snaps in the slot behind Will Pauling, but he’s talented enough to push for more.

Finally, Lewis is a unique blend of size (6-foot-2) and speed on the boundary and might be the best downfield target Wisconsin football has to offer. After transferring in from UCLA, Lewis caught 20 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He’s a shoo-in to see plenty of snaps on the boundary behind the starting group because they’ll be rotating a lot more in the up-tempo offense.

This trio will be in the top six for Wisconsin football regardless of how the depth chart shakes out — but someone from this group could easily jump into the top tier.

To meet expectations, Williams, Bell, and Lewis need to be key backups that see the field weekly on a rotational basis while offering some playmaking ability that allows the top group to get a break without sacrificing quality.

Wisconsin Football WRs With Low Expectations

• Vinny Anthony (SO)
• Chris Brooks Jr. (RS FR)
• Quincy Burroughs (RS FR)
• Tommy McIntosh (RS FR)

In this low-expectations group, I’m going to lump Vinny Anthony, Chris Brooks Jr., Quincy Burroughs, and Tommy McIntosh.

This grouping has some uniquely talented up-and-coming players that have all flashed at one point or another and could factor into the equation next season.

Anthony has track speed and will likely be the third-team slot WR, and Brooks Jr., Burroughs, and McIntosh are all big-bodied pass-catchers that can be matchup problems with another year of development. If this was still the Paul Chryst administration, odds are two of these guys would be seeing the field this season.

However, the new coaching staff threw a lot more resources at the position this offseason — so there are bound to be a few players that don’t crack the Wisconsin football WR rotation.

I’m sure these players will see the field in some capacity if/when injuries occur or special packages, but it’s unlikely they will break out of this group–and if they do–they’ll have exceeded expectations for 2023.

To meet expectations, Anthony, McIntosh, Burroughs, and Brooks Jr. all need to continue flashing in practice and make the most of any in-game opportunities that come their way — they’re each one injury away from entering the air raid two-deep.

No Expectations 

• Haakon Anderson (RS JR)
• Trech Kekahuna (FR)
• Alex Moeller (RS SO)
• Cole Toenies (RS FR)
• Grady O’Neill (RS FR)
• Cam Fane (RS FR)

I’ll keep this column short and sweet — the players mentioned above are all walk-ons, other than incoming freshman Trech Kekahuna, and given the influx of talent and bodies at wide receiver, I don’t see anyone from this list seeing the field beyond special teams (not a knock).

To meet expectations, the walk-ons must continue putting in the work, be assigned sound, and improve the players around them in practice. For Kekahuna, it would be great to hear some encouraging reports from fall camp that suggest he could push for a spot in the two-deep next season.

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