Seven Badgers honored as preseason All-Americans

Athlon Sports released its 2018 preseason All-America team this week and Wisconsin was heavily represented.

The Badgers placed seven players on either the first, second, third, or fourth teams according to Athlon. That number was more than any other school in the country.

Running back Jonathan Taylor and offensive tackle David Edwards both were named to the first-team, offensive lineman Beau Benzschawel, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and safety D’Cota Dixon were all recognized on the second-team, and offensive lineman Michael Deiter was placed on the third-team, and kicker Rafael Gaglianone was selected to the fourth-team.

The Big Ten had the most selections as a conference with 22. Thirteen of those selections were from either Wisconsin or Ohio State, as those two schools had the two highest number of selections in the country. Michigan was next with five selections, and Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Iowa all had one player selected.

The full list of Athlon 2018 preseason All-Americans can be found here.

    Former Wisconsin All-American Joe Thomas on post-retirement life

    CLEVELAND – On March 14, the Wisconsin football program held its annual pro day in Madison. It was a day for players with NFL aspirations to showcase their skills in front of scouts and team personnel from all 32 teams in hopes of helping their chances of being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

    But the biggest story of the day had nothing to do with anyone inside the McClain Center. No, that came courtesy of a guy that had been on that same field 11 years earlier going through his own pre-draft workout. Joe Thomas, an All-American and Outland Trophy award winner for the Badgers, announced he was retiring after 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. The No. 3 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft was done after 167 games — 167 starts, to be clear. And it wasn’t all the losing Thomas did with the Browns that sent him into retirement. It was the injuries.

    The Brookfield, Wis., native set an NFL record with 10,363 offensive snaps played for before tearing the tricep in his left arm. That snap would be the last one Thomas played in his career.

    “It was an easy decision. My joints and my body is not in good enough shape any more to play with all these young 20-year-olds,” Thomas told The Zone on Tuesday. “I get around pretty well. But the game is so violent and so physical. When your joints start to deteriorate the way mine have, you just can’t keep up. It’s just untenable. I pretty much didn’t practice the last couple of years because I couldn’t. I had to save everything I had for Sunday.”

    He did receive some positive news regarding his post-career honors earlier this week when Thomas was officially placed on the ballot for induction to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

    Thomas is one of 76 players and six coaches to be placed on the ballot. The announcement on the Class of 2019 will come in early January.

    “I heard maybe a few months ago that I might be nominated. Then I woke up (Tuesday) and I think I saw it on Twitter,” Thomas said with a laugh. “I was very humbled. When you start to look at the names of the other guys that are nominees, it’s like ‘wow, how is that guy not already in?’ There are some unbelievable names that are on [the ballot].”

    Thomas also said he has many aspirations for his post-playing career that include being involved in football both near and far. One of them is becoming a super-fan of the Badgers once again.

    “I’m really excited now that I’ve got so much more time in the fall to be a die-hard Badgers fan again, to be able to watch every game and follow the team really closely,” Thomas said.

    “I think they’re building on the things [former coach and current athletic director] Barry Alvarez built back in the [1990s]. [Current coach] Paul Chryst is a good friend of mine, and I think he’s such a great shepherd of what this program has become. He just does such a good job teaching the game, teaching young men, developing them into grown men and productive members of society. It’s great just watching the way that the handle everybody within that university and that program.”

    One potential avenue for Thomas is getting into the sports media industry. He currently hosts The TomaHawk show with former NFL wide receiver Andrew Hawkins and did have some auditions with various companies after his retirement. In fact, that’s why Thomas was in attendance on Tuesday evening. The Cleveland Indians were honoring him, Hawkins, and The TomaHawk podcast as they were slated to throw out the first pitch.

    “Just trying to figure out what’s next in life. I’ve done some auditions and some interviews for some different media broadcasting jobs. Now I’m just trying to figure out what that next chapter looks like,” Thomas said.

    “For 11 years in the NFL I’ve been formulating opinions on things and the only person that was unlucky enough to hear them was my wife. So now I feel like people should be able to hear my opinions on things, so they can be mad at me just like my wife is when I lecture her on things.”

    As his podcast continues to be successful, there’s little doubt by many that Thomas will be able to find success in the media landscape should he desire.

    And when he heard that the news of his retirement caused quite a buzz at Wisconsin’s pro day back in March he had a chuckle.

    “I didn’t even know it was pro day,” he said. “I feel bad about that. I’ll have to repay them somehow, take them out to dinner or something.”

      Wisconsin Badgers to host NC State in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

      The schedule for the 2018-19 Wisconsin basketball season became a little more clear, according to a report on Thursday afternoon.

      Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com reported the matchup between Wisconsin and NC State which will take place at the Kohl Center at a date yet to be determined.

      Rothstein also had the complete schedule for ACC/Big Ten Challenge which can be found here.

      The ACC/Big Ten Challenge has been in existence since 1999 and the Badgers have a 9-10 record, including 49-37 loss to the University of Virginia last season.

        NFL Scouting Combine: Day 5 observations

        Indianapolis – Sunday was the fifth and final day of media availability at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The linebackers and defensive line took part in the on-field testing while the defensive backs met with the media and took part in the bench press.

        Here are three takeaways from Day 5 of the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.

        Linebackers workout

        Sunday was the chance for the linebackers to work out on the field at Lucas oil Stadium. Of the three Wisconsin linebackers invited to the combine, two of them took part in Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley. Jack Cichy did not participate as he continues rehab from surgery after tearing the ACL in his right knee in August.

        Jacobs continued to test well, as expected. His first 40-yard dash time was 4.48 seconds, officially. His second attempt was slightly slower than that at 4.55 seconds. Jacobs mentioned to me on Saturday afternoon that he expected to run a 4.5.

        Dooley didn’t run as fast as Jacobs did, nor was he expected to. His first attempt at the 40-yard dash was 4.92 seconds. He was able to improve on his second attempt clocking in at 4.81 seconds.

        The show was stolen by UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin for the second consecutive day. On Saturday, he bench pressed 225lbs 20 times despite only having one hand and having to use a prosthetic device in order to grasp the bar with his left arm. On Sunday, Griffin ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a linebacker in the past 15 years at the combine. He clocked a 4.38 in his first attempt, the third-fastest time of anyone at the combine so far, this year.

        Defensive backs speak

        The defensive backs were the final position group of the media to speak at the combine. This is an area where the Packers could potentially be interested. The top player in the group is Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick, although it is more likely he is drafted far before the Packers are slated to select at No. 14 overall.

        A couple of prospects that could make sense for Green Bay are Florida State safety Derwin James and Iowa corner Josh Jackson.

        James is a physical safety that could play both in the box and on the back end of the defense. Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, is a defensive back that is more versatile in the sense that he can play either safety position or corner.

        James also said that he has met formally with the Packers already.

        Jackson was one of the best corners in the Big Ten at Iowa. Fans might remember him having three interceptions against Ohio State and following it up with two interceptions returned for touchdowns against Wisconsin the very next week at Camp Randall.

        Lastly, Denzel Ward is regarded as the other top defensive back in the draft. The Ohio State product is a sure-fire first round pick that will be able to come in and make an impact from day one.

        Any of them would make sense at No. 14 overall for the Packers.

        More Badgers

        While Saturday had a trio of Wisconsin linebackers speak to the media – Jacobs, Cichy, and Dooley – Sunday featured a pair of defensive backs from the Badgers.

        First, Natrell Jamerson met with the media. Jamerson began his career at Wisconsin as a wide receiver before moving to corner and ultimately safety in his final year. He is at the combine as just that, but does believe that he could play anywhere in the defensive backfield in the NFL.

        Jamerson tested on the bench press after meeting with the media where he posted 25 reps of 225lbs. He out-performed four of the five other Badgers there, trailing only Jacobs by a single rep. Jamerson tied with Arizona’s Dane Cruickshank to lead the defensive backs.

        Later in the afternoon corner Nick Nelson met with the media and said that he expects to run his 40-yard dash faster than Jamerson, and hopes to be sub-4.4. Nelson was not quite as impressive as Jamerson in the bench press as he finished with 17 reps, tying him for 12th among defensive backs.

          NFL Scouting Combine: Day 3 observations

          Indianapolis – The 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis continued on Friday with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, and specialists meeting with the media.

          Here are three takeaways from the day:

          Help in the wide receiver room

          Friday is when all of the wide receivers met with the media. This class doesn’t have a sure-fire top receiver in it. Calvin Ridley, who played college at the University of Alabama, is expected to be the first receiver taken off of the board. With that being said, it would come as a surprise to no one if he stuck around until the middle of the first round.

          The other receivers in this class that could find themselves in Green Bay include James Washington of Oklahoma State, Equanimeous St. Brown from Notre Dame, Christian Kirk from Texas A&M, or Maryland’s D.J. Moore.

          Those four all said that they have met with the Green Bay Packers – either formally or informally – while in Indianapolis.

          Indiana wide receiver Simmie Cobbs also said that he met with the Packers informally with no plans for a formal visit as of Friday afternoon.

          It’s common for teams to take meetings with as many prospects as possible at the combine, but this position is certainly worth watching with the looming contract situations of current wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

          If one, or both, of Cobb and Nelson are gone next fall when the Packers hit the field, drafting one of these four receivers certainly could help to lessen the impact.

          Wisconsin on the scene

          After the first day of player availability, no players from the University of Wisconsin had spoken yet. That changed on Friday when tight end Troy Fumagalli met with the media.

          Expectedly, the first few questions that Fumagalli fielded from members of the media were about the fact that he only has four fingers on his left hand. This was something that happened when Fumagalli was exposed to national media during his time at Wisconsin, but did not come up on a day-to-day basis.

          “Woodshop class, I guess that was my best one,” Fumagalli joked when asked what his best fake story about losing his finger was. “No, I’m pretty serious about it. I just tell people how it happened at birth. At serious events like this I don’t mess around with that stuff.

          “I know it’s part of the process. [Teams] invest a lot of money in people and they need to know everything so that doesn’t bother me,” he said when asked if the questions about his missing finger annoyed him.

          Fumagalli also said that he did meet with the Packers while at the combine already.

          “I love the Packers. I love what they do with the offense and things like that. Yeah, I’d love to stay at home in Wisconsin.”

          Saquon Barkley impresses

          The Packers won’t be drafting Saquon Barkley in the draft this year. That needs to be said before the rest of this is written.

          Barkley, however, has been one of the stars of the combine to this point.

          In the bench press on Thursday, Barkley benched 225lbs 29 times, tied for most among the running backs with Nick Chubb from Georgia. For a point of reference, Barkley beat all but five offensive linemen at the combine.

          On Friday, Barkley took part in on-field drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. He tested extremely well in both the 40-yard dash and vertical leap. The Penn State product had the second fastest time in the 40-yard dash at 4.41, two hundredths of a second slower than Nyheim Hines from NC State.

          Barkley was the leader at the running back positon in the vertical jump with 41 inches.

          Whether or not these things will translate on to the field in the NFL remains to be seen, but his athleticism is certainly undeniable.

            Badgers snap losing skid against Illinois

            The Wisconsin Badgers entered Illinois with a five-game losing streak and losers of its last seven road games. They ended both of those streaks with a 78-69 win on Thursday night over the Illini. Not only did the win end those streaks, it simultaneously extended Wisconsin’s winning streak over Illinois on the hardwood to 13 games. The last Illinois win over Wisconsin came on January 2, 2011.

            Ethan Happ was dominant when his team needed him to be. He finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and eight assists in the win. Brevin Pritzl snapped out of his funk, after finishing a combined 0-for-10 from behind the 3-point line in the previous two losses. He was 3-for-3 shooting from behind the arc and had 15 points off the bench for Wisconsin.

            Trent Frazier was outstanding in the loss for Illinois. He finished with a career-high 32 points to lead the way for the Illini.

            Wisconsin’s win puts them at 10th place in the Big Ten heading into the weekend. The teams that finish in the top 10 receive a first round bye in the Big Ten tournament that starts later this month. The Badgers have not played in the first round of the conference tournament since 2000.

            The Badger return to the hardwood on Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center against No. 20 Michigan. Tip-off is at noon.

              Wisconsin sends six to NFL Combine

              The invitations to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Ind. have been officially sent out and six players from Wisconsin will be in attendance.

              Linebackers Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley, and defensive backs Natrell Jamerson and Nick Nelson will represent one of the best defenses in the country from the 2017 season. Tight end Troy Fumagalli is the only offensive player from Wisconsin that will be in attendance.

              Linebacker Jack Cichy, who missed the entire 2017 season after tearing his ACL in preseason camp, was the sixth invitee from Wisconsin.

              Jacobs, Dooley, Jamerson, and Nelson were key cogs in a defensive unit that was second in the FBS in total yards per game allowed (262.1 ypg) and third in points per game (13.9 ppg). Alabama was the country’s leader in both categories.

              Fumagalli was the team’s leading receiver with 46 catches on the season for 547 yards and four touchdowns. He began his career at Wisconsin as a walk-on and finished with 135 catches for 1,627 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.

              In the first seven-round mock draft from Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, four of the six Badgers were selected, with Nelson being the highest selection in the third-round to the Minnesota Vikings. Fumagalli, Cichy, and Dooley were the other Badgers taken in that mock draft, with Jamerson and Jacobs going undrafted.

              A full list of the invitees to the 2018 NFL Combine can be found here.

                Wisconsin adds tight end to 2019 class

                The Wisconsin Badgers added commitment No. 8 to their 2019 class on Monday morning. Tight end Hayden Rucci made his pledge to the Badgers on Twitter before the sun was up.

                The Lititz, Pa. native is currently the No. 11 tight end in the country and the No. 3 player in the state of Pennsylvania. He’s the No. 337 ranked recruit in the country according to 247 Sports.

                Rucci’s commitment brings Wisconsin to eight recruits currently pledged to the Badgers in the 2019 class. He also becomes the fourth four-star recruit to commit to Wisconsin, joining offensive tackles Logan Brown and Joe Tippmann and quarterback Graham Mertz. The other four players currently committed to Wisconsin in the class of 2019 are rated as three-star recruits by 247 sports.

                Wisconsin signed 19 players in the December early signing period for the 2018 class, with linebacker Jack Sanborn being the only four-star recruit. National signing day for 2018 is Wednesday, February 7. As of this writing Wisconsin does not have any more commitments expected to sign a National Letter of Intent.

                  Wisconsin falls to Maryland 68-63

                  Just when things looked like they may start to get better for Wisconsin, they got worse. The Badgers tied the game at 60 on an Aleem Ford 3-pointer with 2:38 remaining, but were then outscored 8-3 over the rest of regulation.

                  Wisconsin (10-15, 3-9) had an opportunity to tie the game on its last possession, but guard Brad Davison made an ill-advised drive to the rim as opposed to attempting a 3-pointer to try and tie the game. On the possession prior, Davison hit a 3-pointer that brought Wisconsin within one-point at 64-63. Maryland’s Anthony Cowan knocked down a pair of free throws to push the lead to 66-63 before Wisconsin’s last chance.

                  After Davison’s inexplicable final possession, Cowan knocked down another pair of free throws to ice the game and give him a game-high 23 points on the afternoon.

                  Four of the five starters for Wisconsin reached double-figures in scoring, with Khalil Iverson, who scored eight points, being the exception. The Badgers did not get a single point off the bench in the loss. Forward Ethan Happ was the leading scorer for Wisconsin. He had 18 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in the loss.

                  Wisconsin has now dropped five games in a row, dating back to January 19. They’re 1-10 away from the Kohl Center this season. They have two road games remaining on the schedule, including their next game at Illinois on Thursday night.

                    Wisconsin loses to Michigan State 76-61

                    Michigan State defeated Wisconsin 76-61 in East Lansing, Mich., Friday night. This marks the fifth loss in the last six games for the Badgers.

                    Wisconsin has been unable to generate any momentum away from the Kohl Center this season, as they’re now 1-9 in road and neutral site contests.

                    Forward Ethan Happ was the leading scorer for Wisconsin, he had 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on the night. He was one of only two Badgers to reach double-figures in scoring. Brevin Pritzl was the other, he had 13 points.

                    Michigan State was led by sophomore Miles Bridges with 24 points. Four of Michigan State’s five starters reached double-figures in scoring, which helped erase the fact that the Spartans only had four bench points on the evening.

                    Despite only scoring four points off the bench, Michigan State won that statistical battle. The Badgers finished with only three points scored by Alex Illikainen for the reserve unit.

                    The loss drops Wisconsin to 10-12 on the season and 3-6 inside of Big Ten play. The Badgers return to action Monday night at the Kohl Center against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers took the previous meeting this year 63-59 in Lincoln. Wisconsin has played much better at home, with a record of 9-3 at the Kohl Center.