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 Draft Scout College Football Player News: Wisconsin
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  Wisconsin's only punt of the nght resulted in arguably the biggest play of the game. The Badgers were trailing early in the fourth quarter when a punt from Atticus Bertrams bounced sideways and hit Western Michigan's DaShon Bussell, who was trying to get away from it. Wisconsin's Austin Brown pounced on the loose ball at Western Michigan's 20-yard line. That turnover resulted in a Tawee Walker 6-yard touchdown run that put Wisconsin ahead for good with 10:35 remaining in the Badgers' 28-14 season-opening victory Friday night. "That completely flipped the field, took all the momentum out of their sails and put it into ours," Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler said. "We were able to capitalize and finish the game out." Walker, an Oklahoma transfer, rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Chez Mellusi led Wisconsin's rushing attack with 74 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts.

Western Michigan's Jalen Buckley rushed for 64 yards and had two 1-yard touchdown runs. Wisconsin, which entered as a 24 1/2-point favorite, had a tougher time than expected before winning for the 28th time in its last 29 home openers. The exception was a 16-10 loss to Penn State in 2021. "It was a challenge," Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. "I think more than anything you've got to find ways to win. That's what we did tonight." On his go-ahead touchdown, Walker bounced off cornerback Aaron Wofford inside the 5 and bulled his way into the end zone. Tyler Van Dyke's two-point conversion pass to Trech Kekahuna made it 21-14 with 10:35 left. Wisconsin's Aaron Witt and Nyzier Fourqurean stopped Buckley on fourth-and-1 from midfield to end Western Michigan's next possession. Van Dyke then scored from 6 yards out to make it 28-14 with 3:17 left. Xavier Lucas picked off a Hayden Wolff pas with less than two minutes remaining to seal the victory. - AP College Football


rSr/2025 RB Chez MellusiWisconsin
News Source: AP College Football
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  2023 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION: Tanor Bortolini,...Bortolini transitioned to center in 2023, sliding over from the guard spot that he occupied next to Joe Tippmann (N.Y. Jets) in 2022. Bortolini started every game for the Badgers, leading the offensive line unit and offense with quarterbacks Tanner Mordecai and Braedyn Locke. According to PFF, Bortolini logged an 80.8 pass blocking grade this season, the third-best clip in the Big Ten. He allowed only one sack over 477 pressure opportunities as the Badgers' centerpiece of the offensive front. Bortolini earned the first Outland Trophy National Player of the Week award after helping the Badger backs to a dominating performance vs. Buffalo in week one. Bortolini and the Badger O-line helped the offense rush for 314 yards while allowing only one sack. - Wisconsin Football

rJr/2024 C Tanor BortoliniWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin Football
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  2023 ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM: Braelon Allen, Wisconsin,...Despite missing time due to an injury suffered against Ohio State, Allen still racked up 984 rushing yards in a new-look offense in 2023. Allen finished strong, tallying a season-high 165 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in a rivalry win over Minnesota on Nov. 25. With a Big Ten-leading 5.4 yards per carry clip (min. 150 att.), Allen recorded his third-straight season with 150+ carries, 10+ touchdowns and a 5.25+ yards per carry average.

</p>He joined former Badger Jonathan Taylor as the only other Big Ten running back to reach those benchmarks in three separate seasons over the last 10 years. The junior from Fond du Lac also added 28 receptions in 2023, a career high and most for a Badger running back since 2019. Allen finishes his career ranked ninth in program history with 3,494 rushing yards. He sits at fourth place all-time in yards per carry (5.9), tied for sixth with 20 100-yard rushing performances and 11th with 35 rushing touchdowns. - Wisconsin Football

Jr/2024 RB Braelon AllenWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin Football
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  2023 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION: Ricardo Hallman,...Hallman has tallied six interceptions this season, good for a share of the Big Ten lead. Hallman is the first Badger cornerback to grab six interceptions in a season since Jamar Fletcher did so in 2000. Hallman snatched interceptions against Georgia Southern (1), Purdue (2), and Rutgers (1) earlier this season, giving him picks in three straight games.

Hallman provided a game-changing moment against Rutgers, halting a scoring chance with a 95-yard pick-six to give Wisconsin a 17-0 lead. Wisconsin would go on to win 24-13 to improve to 2-0 in its Big Ten slate. Hallman added interceptions against Ohio State and Minnesota to push his total to six, the most for a Badger since 2015. Hallman finished the regular season as one of four players in the nation to tally six or more interceptions this fall. - Wisconsin Football


rSr/2026 CB Ricardo HallmanWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin Football
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  2023 ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM: Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin,...Wohler ranks second in the Big Ten with 113 tackles this season, the most for a Badger since LB Leo Chenal tallied 115 in 2021. Wohler's 113 tackles are the most for any Power 5 defensive backs in the country this season. Wohler is the first Big Ten defensive back to post 110+ tackles, multiple interceptions and a sack in the same season since 2010. He's one of two Badgers to do so since 1966 (Reggie Holt - 1991).

A Muskego, Wis., native, Wohler earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after making 10 tackles and picking off two passes in Wisconsin's win over Georgia Southern on Sept. 16. Wohler also added a sack in the Badger victory. In Big Ten play, Wohler matched a career high with 13 tackles in Wisconsin's road win over Illinois on Oct. 21. Wohler also tallied double-digit tackles in games against Northwestern and Minnesota. - Wisconsin Football


Sr/2025 SS Hunter WohlerWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin Football
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  Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen says he is bypassing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Allen announced his plans Tuesday in a video he posted on social media. "It's always been my dream to play in the NFL," Allen said. "And I believe I'm ready to chase that next step." In the video, Allen didn't indicate whether he plans to play in Wisconsin's bowl game. Wisconsin (7-5) will be making its 22nd consecutive bowl appearance this season. Allen has rushed for 3,494 yards over the last three seasons and ranks ninth on Wisconsin's career rushing list. He has run for 35 touchdowns and has averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

He ran for 165 yards on 26 carries in a 28-14 victory at Minnesota on Saturday that marked the fifth time in his career that he has rushed for at least 150 yards. After rushing for 1,268 yards as a freshman and 1,242 yards as a sophomore, Allen has run for 984 yards on 181 carries this season despite dealing with an ankle injury that sidelined him for one entire game and limited him to three carries in another. Allen also had a career-high 28 catches this season. - AP College Football


Jr/2024 RB Braelon AllenWisconsin
News Source: AP College Football
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  Quarterback Chase Wolf is no longer with the University of Wisconsin football program and will not return for a sixth season, according to a UW official. Wolf told reporters after helping the Badgers win the Guaranteed Rate Bowl that he was going to return this fall and pursue his master's degree. But after the program secured commitments from three transfer quarterbacks this offseason, Wolf's chances of playing under new coach Luke Fickell and in new offensive coordinator Phil Longo's system greatly diminished. Wolf played in 13 games for UW and made his first career start against Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in December. He finishes his UW career with 292 passing yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions on 33-of-57 passing (57.9%). - Wisconsin State Journal

rSr/2024 QB Chase WolfWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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  Luke Fickell has seen up close his new quarterback on some of his worst days as a college passer. Tanner Mordecai, arguably the headliner of a 13-player transfer class for the University of Wisconsin football team, faced off against Fickell and his Cincinnati Bearcats teams each of the last two years in American Athletic Conference play. Mordecai and SMU couldn't quite crack Fickell and coordinator Mike Tressel's defense, falling 48-14 in 2021, then Mordecai suffered a concussion that forced him out of a 29-27 defeat last season.

Still, Fickell saw talent and moxie in Mordecai, who put up big numbers against pretty much every other opponent he faced with SMU. "I think we were very fortunate when we played him," Fickell said Thursday at an alumni event in Milwaukee, "so we'll harass him a little bit about that." Mordecai was one of three transfer quarterbacks to join the Badgers during the first portal window, along with Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Braedyn Locke (Mississippi State). SMU was 14-10 with Mordecai under center, but offense was rarely the problem. The Mustangs averaged 37.2 points per game last season, good for 12th in the FBS, after scoring 38.4 points per game in 2021. He led a spread-out offense somewhat similar to the one he'll be asked to engineer under Fickell and new offensive coordinator Phil Longo. - Wisconsin State Journal


rSr/2024 QB Tanner MordecaiWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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  Outside linebacker C.J. Goetz announced he plans to return to UW for a sixth season. Goetz, a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School, has started 14 games and played in 44 at UW. He finished third on the team in tackles (61) this past season. That total included two sacks and eight tackles for loss. - Journal Sentinel

rSr/2024 OLB C.J. GoetzWisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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  Dean Engram, who contributed at cornerback, wide receiver and on punt returns, will not return to Wisconsin for the 2023 season. Engram, who redshirted in 2019 and has two seasons of eligibility remaining, announced Thursday he plans to transfer. Engram played in all 13 games this past season. He caught 13 passes for 152 yards and averaged 5.5 yards on 24 punt returns. - Journal Sentinel

rSr/2024 CB Dean EngramWisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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  Wide receiver Bryson Green, who played two seasons at Oklahoma State, announced via social media that he committed to the University of Wisconsin. Green led the Cowboys in receiving touchdowns (five) while ranking second in receiving yards (584) and third in receptions (36) as a sophomore. The Allen, Texas, native caught 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in 2021.

The Badgers return their top three receivers from last season - Skyler Bell, Chimere Dike and Keontez Lewis. Green joins Will Pauling and Quincy Burroughs (Cincinnati) and former four-star prospect C.J. Williams (Southern Cal) as transfers who have committed to the Badgers this week who play that position. - Wisconsin State Journal


rSr/2025 WR Bryson GreenWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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  Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell and his staff have been busy during the last six weeks bolstering UW's roster. UW entered Tuesday having added a total of 26 players since the December signing period, a mix of high school recruits and transfers. Sixteen of those players are projected to start out on defense and 10 on offense. The Badgers added two more Tuesday: Quarterback Braedyn Locke, a transfer from Mississippi State, and Nathanial Vakos, a kicker from Ohio University, announced their commitments. Locke is the third quarterback UW has added via the transfer portal.

Vakos is from Avon, Ohio. He hit 19 of 22 field-goal attempts during the regular season, missed his lone attempt, from 56 yards; in the Mid-American Conference title game; and then made 3 of 4 attempts in a 30-27 overtime victory over Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl. In the bowl game, Vakos hit from 43 yards, missed from 53 and then hit from 45 and 45 yards. The second 45-yarder came with four seconds left and sent the game into overtime. - Journal Sentinel


Sr/2026 K Nathanial VakosWisconsin
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  Former Cincinnati center Jake Renfro announced Sunday he plans to transfer to UW and former Michigan State defensive end/outside linebacker Jeff Pietrowski announced Monday he is coming as well. Renfro's announcement came two days after former Cincinnati tackle Joe Huber announced he is joining his former head coach in Madison.

Renfro, 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, missed the 2022 season after suffering a knee injury. Renfro started 13 games in 2021 and was named a first-team, all-American Athletic Conference pick. He started six games as a freshman in 2020. UW lost center Joe Tippmann, who announced before the bowl game he was entering 2023 NFL draft. - Journal Sentinel


rSr/2026 C Jake RenfroWisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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  The Badgers football program picked up another transfer commit, this time from a Big Ten foe. Jeff Pietrowski Jr., who played defensive end for Michigan State from 2020-22, announced Monday that he committed to the University of Wisconsin. The Spartans listed the Medina, Ohio, native at 6 foot 2 and 250 pounds last season, and he played in 23 career games for the Big Ten East program.

Pietrowski's best season for MSU came in 2021, when he participated in all 13 games and recorded 33 tackles. His seven tackles for loss ranked third on the team, and he tied for second with 5.5 sacks. His three forced fumbles that season tied for third in the Big Ten Conference with two other players. He played in only three games last season due to injury, recording six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. - Wisconsin State Journal


rSr/2025 OLB Jeff Pietrowski JrWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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  Luke Fickell and his new staff will see more Cincinnati flavor come to the University of Wisconsin. Offensive lineman Joe Huber announced via social media Friday that he committed to the Badgers. Huber claimed All-AAC honorable mention accolades this season, a year where he started all 13 games at right tackle as a redshirt sophomore. The Bearcats listed the Dublin, Ohio, native at 6 foot 5 and 310 pounds, and Huber initially walked on to the program in 2020, according to the Bearcats game notes for the Fenway Bowl. The program also listed him as a backup center under fellow redshirt sophomore Gavin Gerhardt.

Where Huber projects to play on UW's offensive line will be worth watching. His experience at tackle could help bolster depth inside coach Jack Bicknell's revamped room. Both Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman, who predominantly started at the tackle spots last season, return. Former five-star recruit Nolan Rucci will be a redshirt sophomore in 2023. Huber joins five other players who have announced their intentions to transfer into the program. That list includes quarterbacks Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Tanner Mordecai (SMU), defensive linemen Darian Varner (Temple) and Manny Mullens (Division II Lake Erie College - walk-on) and defensive back Jason Maitre (Boston College). - Wisconsin State Journal


rSr/2025 OG Joe HuberWisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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