How are things going in fall camp? Here are some updates and thoughts on the Badgers as the season approaches.
This will be a shorter Wisco Wednesday piece. Some things have changed since our depth chart analysis pieces, and we need to talk about it.
Panic! At The TE Room
As far as the Tight End room at Wisconsin is concerned: The sky is falling. Okay, that’s a little dramatic. You may have heard, but in case you haven’t, last year’s TE1, Clay Cundiff, has medically retired from football. I had Cundiff as my projected TE1 going into the season in the Badger Offense Preview.
But that’s not all. TE2 from last year, Jack Eschenbach, has also not reported for camp. Not much is known, but it’s widely reported that he has left the team.
Projected TE3ish, Jack Pugh, has missed time from fall camp for a personal matter.
All and all, the Badger TE room has 8 total catches returning from 2022. A lot of unproven guys will need to step it up in 2023.
CB Reinforcements Have Arrived
In the defense preview I bemoaned the lack of depth in the CB room. Since that piece was written, 2 more transfer CBs have been added to the Wisconsin roster. Both have plenty of starting experience.
- Nyzier Fourqurean from Grand Valley State
- Michael Mack from Air Force
Grand Valley State is a DII school, but Fourqurean has already earned a spot on the 2 deep. Mack still needs a waiver to be approved by the NCAA to be able to play in 2023.
Even with the new depth at CB, Arnold and Duclona could keep their spots on the 2nd string. The two freshmen are really impressive at practice. They have gotten tons of praise from their coaches and teammates.
Linebacker Depth Already Paying Off
In 2022 the #1 tackler was Maema Njongmeta. Now he’s dealing with a hand injury that required surgery. He’s already back on the field, albeit with a cast/club on his injured hand. Because of this setback, he’s been flipping between the 1st and 2nd team defenses.
This injury hasn’t slowed down the defense in the slightest. Jake Chaney has stepped up and is receiving the 1st team reps Njongmeta vacated. Chaney has plenty of on-field experience. As unfortunate as the injury to Maema is, it’s giving Jake an opportunity to shine.
According to Fickell, Njongmeta should be healed up pretty quickly. As of now, the cast will either come off right before the season or some time in the first couple weeks.
QB Room Update
The position most fans are interested in at Wisconsin is quarterback.
- Graham Mertz has been announced as the starter at Florida. I will be watching his debut at Utah on Thursday, August 31st.
- Tanner Mordecai is 100% the starter. He has good days and bad days at practice.
- Nick Evers was the first of the 3 transfers brought in by Fickell and Longo (Mordecai and Locke are the other 2). He is definitely the most athletically gifted of the 3, but even in fall camp, he is still struggling to operate in Longo’s system. He is QB4 right now and…
- Myles Burkett is closer to QB2 than QB4. At the end of a bad practice by QB2, Braedyn Locke, Burkett earned reps with the 2nd team offense to finish out the practice. He is a holdover from the Chryst era and is giving the new guys some surprising competition.
#BuckyByaMillion
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This article was written by Cole Tollison and edited by Hayden Breene