Draft Scout Wisconsin Player News, College Football: Wisconsin

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Wisconsin

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01/12/23 - Nathanial Vakos, Jr/2026, Wisconsin + More +

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

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K Nathanial Vakos, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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01/12/23 - Braedyn Locke, rSo/2027, Wisconsin + More +

The transformation of the University of Wisconsin quarterback room continued Tuesday with transfer Braedyn Locke announcing he was joining the Badgers program. Locke, who spent his freshman year as a redshirt at Mississippi State, was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals and a three-star recruit by 247Sports. The Rockwall, Texas, product was ranked among the top 25 quarterbacks in the 2022 class by all three sites. He is the third quarterback to transfer into the UW program since coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo took over, following redshirt freshman Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and senior Tanner Mordecai (SMU). - Wisconsin State Journal

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QB Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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01/11/23 - Jake Renfro, rSr/2025, Wisconsin + More +

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

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C Jake Renfro, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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01/11/23 - Jeff Pietrowski Jr, rSr/2025, Wisconsin + More +

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

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OLB Jeff Pietrowski Jr, Wisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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01/08/23 - Joe Huber, rSr/2025, Wisconsin + More +

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

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OG Joe Huber, Wisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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01/08/23 - Jeff Pietrowski Jr, rSr/2025, Wisconsin + More +

Defensive end Jeff Pietrowski is the latest Michigan State player to enter the transfer portal, a team spokesman confirmed on Friday. The junior suffered an injury in week three against Washington and missed the rest of the season. As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, Pietrowski appeared in all 13 games with three starts while ranking second on the team with 5.5 sacks. He also recorded seven tackles for loss while notching 33 tackles for the season and tying for second in the Big Ten with three forced fumbles. In 23 career games, Pietrowski had 43 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. - Detroit News

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OLB Jeff Pietrowski Jr, Wisconsin
News Source: Detroit News
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01/08/23 - Braedyn Locke, rSo/2027, Wisconsin + More +

As Mississippi State football coach Zach Arnett prepares to assemble a new offensive staff, he's lost his first offensive player to the transfer portal. Braedyn Locke, a former four-star prospect out of high school, announced Tuesday he's departing the program after one season. Locke was heavily recruited by Mike Leach, MSU's previous coach, who died on Dec. 12 after complications from a heart condition.

Locke has four years of eligibility remaining. "I want to say thank you to everyone that made this past year at Mississippi State possible for me," Locke wrote in a tweet. "I love my teammates and I'm so grateful for my time and experience in Starkville." Locke joined MSU out of Rockwall High School in Rockwall, Texas. He did not play this season and received a redshirt. Locke leaves ahead of what should be a loaded quarterbacks room next season. He is the second quarterback, along with Daniel Greek, to transfer out this offseason. - The Clarion Ledger

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QB Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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01/02/23 - John Torchio, rSr/2023, Wisconsin + More +

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl was John Torchio's last game in a Wisconsin uniform. The senior safety said in November he wasn't returning to UW for a sixth season in 2023 but then after the bowl game revealed he was reconsidering that decision. Torchio ended any doubt Saturday night by announcing on Twitter that he plans to enter the 2023 NFL draft.

The former walk-on from California recorded four tackles and broke up one pass in his final college game, a 24-17 UW victory. He finished the season fourth on the team in tackles with 56 and led UW in interceptions with five. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns - one for 100 yards in the opener against Illinois State and one for 31 yards against Purdue. - Journal Sentinel

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SS John Torchio, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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01/01/23 - Tanner Mordecai, rSr/2024, Wisconsin + More +

Head coach Luke Fickell has said from the day he was hired at Wisconsin that he plans to use the transfer portal only as complementary tool to fill gaps on the depth chart. Although senior Chase Wolf played well to help the Badgers close the season with a victory over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, it was clear UW could use an experienced player at that critical position. The Badgers reportedly landed such a player Thursday night in SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai, who has one season of eligibility remaining.

Mordecai, 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, told reporters last month he planned to enter the 2023 NFL draft. However, he reportedly entered the transfer portal Thursday afternoon. Mordecai played two seasons at SMU. He completed 65.0% of his passes this season for 3,524 yards, with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He rushed 59 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,628 yards, with 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, in 2021. Mordecai signed with Oklahoma and redshirted in 2018, playing in just two games. He played in six games in 2019 and four in 2020 before transferring to SMU. The addition of Mordecai likely gives UW six quarterbacks entering next season. He joins Wolf, Myles Burkett, Oklahoma transfer Nick Evers, incoming freshman Cole LaCrue and walk-on Marshall Howe. - Journal Sentinel

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QB Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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12/31/22 - Nathanial Vakos, Jr/2026, Wisconsin + More +

After freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos kicked a 56-yard field goal to tie the game with only four seconds left on the clock, the Ohio football team (10-4, 7-1 MAC) defeated the Wyoming Cowboys (7-6, 5-3 MWC) at the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl in overtime, 30-27. This victory marks the Bobcats' first 10-win season since 2011 and their fourth in program history as well as their first win over Wyoming. Redshirt sophomore quarterback CJ Harris (West Bloomfield, Mich.) went 20-for-33 with two touchdowns on 184 yards. Junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones (Tunica, Miss.) scored one touchdown on 44 yards while redshirt junior tight end Tyler Foster's (Pickerington, Ohio) only reception of the day scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

On the ground, redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.) led the Bobcats with 25 carries and one touchdown on 138 rushing yards. Harris, who was named the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl Most Valuable Player, was also a rushing threat, registering 10 attempts on 52 yards. Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker Cannon Blauser (Hilliard, Ohio) led the team with seven tackles, five of which were solo. Redshirt freshman cornerback Torrie Cox, Jr. (Bowie, Md.) snagged the only interception of the game. - Ohio Football

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K Nathanial Vakos, Wisconsin
News Source: Ohio Football
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12/29/22 - Chase Wolf, rSr/2024, Wisconsin + More +

Chase Wolf wasn't perfect in his first college start. Yet the fifth-year senior overcame a costly interception on is fifth throw of the game and directed two critical touchdown drives in the second quarter to help Wisconsin end its season with a 24-17 victory over Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night in Phoenix. "I thought Chase did a phenomenal job tonight," UW coach Luke Fickell said. "He controlled what he could control. He took shots when he took shots. "I don't think I ever saw him bat an eye. Even after the interception, his ability to come back. That's a credit to him."

Tuesday was his 13th game at UW. Fickell suggested afterward Wolf is leaning toward taking advantage of the COVID season of 2020 and returning to UW for a sixth season. Wolf told reporters he would be back. "We've talked about that," Fickell said. "He's got himself into graduate school, and I think he feels like he's got some unfinished business. "And it's hard to walk away from a place like this." - Journal Sentinel

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QB Chase Wolf, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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12/28/22 - Braelon Allen, Jr/2024, Wisconsin + More +

Wisconsin had a new coach on the sideline, with the interim coach still calling the shots. The Badgers had several new players in key positions, including quarterback. A long, sometimes-difficult season came to a conclusion with more adversity - and, eventually, a win. A 17-point lead nearly erased, Wisconsin dug down for one last defensive play to beat Oklahoma State 24-17 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night. "It ended exactly the way we wanted it to - we got the win," said Braelon Allen, who ran for 116 yards and scored on a 20-yard touchdown. Luke Fickell, hired away from Cincinnati after a trip to the College Football Playoff last season, joined the team on the sideline for the bowl game. He wasn't there to run the show, though; all the decisions were left to interim coach Jim Leonhard.

The Badgers had everything working in the first half. The offense had balance, the defense stifling while they built a 17-point lead. In the second half, Wisconsin (7-6) bogged down on the slippery Chase Field turf and the defense started giving up chunk plays as the Cowboys rode their way back. Cedrick Dort finally ended Oklahoma State's momentum, intercepting Garret Rangel's pass with three minutes left, preserving the Badgers' eighth win in their past nine bowl games. "This is what I envisioned what this was about from afar," Fickell said. "And that's what they've shown me over the last three and a half weeks: they want to be here, they want to do it together and they want to do it the right way." The Cowboys lost four of five to close out the regular season and struggled offensively while falling into a 24-7 hole midway through the third quarter. Rangel had the lone offensive highlight in the first half with a big assist from Stephon Johnson Jr., who broke a couple of tackles to turn a swing pass into an 84-yard touchdown. - Wisconsin/AP College Football

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RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
News Source: Wisconsin/AP College Football
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12/26/22 - Alexander Smith, rSr/2024, Wisconsin + More +

UW next season must replace cornerbacks Jay Shaw, Justin Clark and Cedrick Dort Jr. Smith announced late in the regular season he planned to return to UW for his final season in 2023. He likely will be the team's most experienced cornerback. "The No. 1 thing I saw on his tape was his versatility," Leonhard said. "He had the length. He had the twitch, the speed. You saw him on offense. You saw him on defense. You saw him returning kicks. He played physical. It was just a little bit of everything. "And when you (combine) the skill set you saw on tape with who he is from a character standpoint, it was just a perfect fit. It was awesome to get him on campus." But? "You never know -- you get players from outside the area -- how they're going to respond," Leonhard said. "You saw his eyes light up. He understood what Wisconsin was about and that's why he didn't take very long with his decision." - Journal Sentinel

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CB Alexander Smith, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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12/18/22 - Braelon Allen, Jr/2024, Wisconsin + More +

Former coach Paul Chryst's staff had months to recruit Braelon Allen, to convince the standout from Fond du Lac High School that Wisconsin was the best place to realize his dreams of playing college football. New head coach Luke Fickell had days to recruit Allen, to convince him that staying at UW was the best option for the tailback's third and perhaps final college season. "We talked about his potential, his development of what he could do, hopefully, in the next 12 months," Fickell said. "He is a really young kid. But most of our conversations have been getting to know each other. "I asked him to have that blind faith, to trust us and believe (in) us, in what we're going to do and how we're going to do it. "To me, it is all about: Do they really trust you? So spent a little bit more time with him in particular. Just going through his history. How he ended up in college at 17 years old and things like that. "I think we have a pretty good connection and I'm happy to say I think he believes and trusts in what we're going to do."

Allen obviously liked what he heard from Fickell because he decided to return to UW in 2023. "Everybody has got to buy into that, with a new staff," Allen said Thursday after bowl practice. "A lot of it is having trust, trust in him knowing what he has done with past teams...It was just getting to know each other, building that relationship." Allen, who rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 regular-season games, talked to Fickell about myriad topics. - Journal Sentinel

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RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
News Source: Journal Sentinel
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12/17/22 - Nathanial Vakos, Jr/2026, Wisconsin + More +

2022 ALL-MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM: Placekicker - Nathanial Vakos, Ohio,...Vakos is having a strong freshman year for the Bobcats, kicking in all 12 regular season games. He went 19-for 22 on field goals and 47-for-48 on PATs, scoring a total of 104 points. Against Western Michigan (Oct. 15), his 55-yard field goal marked a personal record as well as tied him for the third-longest field goal in program history. Vakos earned MAC Special Teams Player of the Week twice. - Ohio Football

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