The 2023 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were led by first-year head coach Luke Fickell. The team played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Offseason 2023 NFL draft
243Joe TippmannCNew York Jets249Keeanu BentonNTPittsburgh Steelers4132Nick HerbigOLBPittsburgh SteelersUndraftedTyler BeachOTHouston Texans
Transfers Wisconsin outgoing transfersNameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownTransfer to Deacon Hill #10 QB 6'3 262 Freshman Santa Barbara, CA Iowa Logan Brown #50 OL 6'6 310 Junior Grand Rapids, MI Kansas Stephan Bracey #10 WR 5'10 182 Junior Grand Rapids, MI Central Michigan Graham Mertz #5 QB 6'3 216 Junior Overland Park, KS Florida Titus Toler #41 S 5'11 180 Junior Bellflower, CA Boise State Tristan Monday #91 DE 6'4 274 Freshman Scottsdale, AZ Arizona State Isaac Guerendo #20 RB 6'0 223 Senior Clayton, IN Louisville Semar Melvin #20 CB 5'11 178 Junior Pembroke Pines, FL Michigan State Jaylan Franklin #81 TE 6'4 243 Senior Brownstown, MI Michigan State Dean Engram #6 WR 5'9 170 Senior Washington, DC UConn Julius Davis #32 RB 5'10 201 Senior Menomonee Falls, WI Montana State Spencer Lytle #7 ILB 6'2 234 Senior Redondo Beach, CA Stanford Avyonne Jones #8 CB 5'11 187 Freshman Southlake, TX Coastal Carolina Vito Calvaruso #91 K 6'3 198 Senior Jefferson City, MO Al Ashford III #30 CB 6'0 181 Sophomore Denver, CO Utah State A'Khoury Lyde #4 CB 5'9 191 Freshman Wayne, NJ Delaware Marshall Howe #12 QB 6'1 187 Freshman Pacific Palisades, CA Yale Markus Allen #14 WR 6'1 190 Sophomore Clayton, OH Drew Evans #77 OL 6'5 260 Freshman Fort Atkinson, WI Indiana Keontez Lewis* #3 WR 6'2 196 Junior East St. Louis, IL Southern Illinois Dylan Barrett* #61 OL 6'5 320 Junior St. Charles, IL Iowa State Myles Burkett* #16 QB 6'0 202 Freshman Franklin, WI Albany Ross Gengler* #53 OLB 6'2 230 Junior Delavan, WI Wisconsin–La Crosse Chimere Dike* #13 WR 6'1 200 Senior Waukesha, WI Florida Skyler Bell* #11 WR 6'0 195 Sophomore Bronx, NY UConn Jordan Mayer* #95 OLB 6'4 235 Freshman Jefferson Hills, PA Penn State Trey Wedig* #78 OL 6'7 315 Junior Oconomowoc, WI Indiana Jordan Turner* #54 ILB 6'1 238 Junior Farmington, MI Michigan State Rodas Johnson* #56 DE 6'2 295 Senior Columbus, OH Texas A&M Darian Varner* #19 DE 6'3 275 Junior Norfolk, VA Cincinnati Keane Bessert* #60 LS 6'2 230 Freshman Fruita, CO Kansas State
*Entered NCAA transfer portal midseason or prior to bowl game
Wisconsin incoming transfersNameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious team Nick Evers #7 QB 6'3 186 Freshman Flower Mound, TX Oklahoma Tanner Mordecai #8 QB 6'3 214 Graduate Student Waco, TX SMU Jason Maitre #3 S 5'10 188 Graduate Student Orlando, FL Boston College Darian Varner #9 DE 6'2 260 Junior Norfolk, VA Temple Joe Huber #60 OT 6'5 310 Junior Dublin, OH Cincinnati Jake Renfro #56 OL 6'3 290 Senior Mokena, IL Cincinnati Jeff Pietrowski #47 DE 6'1 250 Junior Lakewood, OH Michigan State Braedyn Locke #16 QB 6'1 195 Freshman Rockwall, TX Mississippi State Nathanial Vakos #90 K 6'1 188 Sophomore Avon, OH Ohio Will Pauling #19 WR 5'10 165 Sophomore Chicago, IL Cincinnati Quincy Burroughs #12 WR 6'2 202 Freshman Jacksonville, FL Cincinnati C.J. Williams #8 WR 6'2 190 Sophomore Santa Ana, CA USC Bryson Green #9 WR 6'0 203 Junior Allen, TX Oklahoma State Nyzier Fourqurean #12 CB 6'1 185 Junior Mentor, OH Grand Valley State Michael Mack #9 CB 6'1 180 Junior Potomac, MD Air Force
Preseason Spring game The Badgers held a spring game titled "The Launch" on April 22, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium.
Preseason Big Ten poll Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2023 poll, Wisconsin was projected to finish first in the West Division.
Schedule
Personnel Coaching staff +Wisconsin football current coaching staffLuke Fickell Head CoachOhio State University 1stPhil Longo Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Rowan University 1stMike Tressel Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers Cornell College (IA) 1stColin HitschlerCo-defensive coordinator/safeties University of Pennsylvania 1stJack Bicknell Jr. Offensive line Boston College 1stMike Brown Associate head coach/wide receivers Liberty University 1stDevon Spalding Running backs Central Michigan University 1stNate Letton Tight ends Centre College 1stPaul HaynesCornerbacks Kent State University 1stGreg ScruggsDefensive line University of Louisville 1stMatt MitchellSpecial teams coordinator/outside linebackersCornell College (IA) 1stGreg GillumChief of staff Ohio State University 1stPat LambertDirector of recruiting University of Cincinnati 1stMax StieneckerDirector of recruiting strategy University of Cincinnati 1stBrady CollinsDirector of football strength & conditioning University of Kentucky 1st
Roster 2023 Wisconsin Badgers football rosterQuarterback 7 Nick Evers – freshman (6'3, 196) 8 Tanner Mordecai – senior (6'2, 218) 16 Myles Burkett – freshman (6'0, 202) 17 Cole LaCrue – freshman (6'1, 197) 18 Braedyn Locke – freshman (6'0, 200)
Running back 0 Braelon Allen – junior (6'2, 245) 1 Chez Mellusi – graduate student (5'11, 212) 20 Nate White – freshman (5'11, 170) 25 Cade Yacamelli – freshman (6'0, 213) 34 Jackson Acker – sophomore (6'1, 235) 43 Grover Bortolotti – sophomore (5'9, 192) 44 Zach Gloudeman – freshman (6'2, 218)
Wide receiver 4 C.J. Williams – freshman (6'1, 197) 5 Quincy Burroughs – freshman (6'3, 208) 9 Bryson Green – junior (6'0, 215) 11 Skyler Bell – sophomore (6'0, 195) 12 Trech Kekahuna – freshman (5'10, 180) 13 Chimere Dike – senior (6'1, 200) 15 Tommy McIntosh – freshman (6'5, 205) 19 Will Pauling – sophomore (5'10, 187) 21 Cam Fane – freshman (6'1, 184) 23 Davion Thomas – freshman (5'11, 174) 26 Grady O'Neill – freshman (5'11, 160) 27 Haakon Anderson – junior (6'1, 210) 30 Alex Moeller – sophomore (5'11, 180) 84 Christopher Brooks Jr. – freshman (6'2, 225) 86 Vinny Anthony II – sophomore (6'0, 183)
Tight end 37 Riley Nowakowski – junior (6'1, 243) 38 Tucker Ashcraft – freshman (6'5, 245) 41 JT Seagreaves – sophomore (6'6, 245) 48 Cole Dakovich – junior (6'5, 255) 49 Cam Large – junior (6'3, 237) 81 Angel Toombs – freshman (6'5, 245) 87 Hayden Rucci – senior (6'4, 253) 89 Jack Pugh – sophomore (6'5, 257) Offensive lineman 56 Joe Brunner – freshman (6'5, 317) 57 Jake Renfro – junior (6'4, 310) 60 Joe Huber – junior (6'5, 311) 61 Dylan Barrett – junior (6'5, 320) 62 Max Rader – freshman (6'6, 283) 63 Tanor Bortolini – junior (6'4, 313) 64 Sean Timmis – sophomore (6'4, 305) 65 James Durand – freshman (6'5, 303) 66 Nolan Rucci – sophomore (6'8, 300) 67 JP Benzschawel – sophomore (6'6, 312) 70 Barrett Nelson – freshman (6'6, 292) 71 Riley Mahlman – sophomore (6'8, 315) 72 Zack Mlsna – freshman (6'7, 328) 73 Kerry Kodanko – junior (6'2, 315) 74 Michael Furtney – graduate student (6'5, 315) 76 John Clifford – freshman (6'5, 304) 77 Peyton Lange – freshman (6'9, 340) 78 Trey Wedig – junior (6'7, 315) 79 Jack Nelson – junior (6'7, 310)
Defensive lineman 19 Darian Varner – DE – junior (6'3, 275) 56 Rodas Johnson – DE – senior (6'2, 295) 58 Gabe Kirschke – DT – freshman (6'5, 250) 68 Ben Barten – DE – junior (6'5, 303) 76 Tommy Brunner – DE – senior (6'3, 250) 77 Will McDonald – DT – freshman (6'4, 254) 84 Manny Mullens – DE – sophomore (6'2, 276) 85 Nolan Vils – DT – freshman (6'2, 271) 90 James Thompson Jr. – DE – junior (6'5, 288) 91 Jamel Howard – DT – freshman (6'2, 318) 92 Curtis Neal – NT – freshman (6'0, 290) 93 Isaac Townsend – DE – senior (6'5, 277) 94 Gio Paez – DE – senior (6'3, 310) 96 Cade McDonald – DE – junior (6'6, 285) 97 Mike Jarvis – DE – sophomore (6'4, 288) 99 Isaiah Mullens – DE – graduate student (6'4, 298)
Long snappers 47 Peter Bowden – senior (6'2, 242) 60 Keane Bessert – freshman (6'2, 230) 64 Duncan McKinley – junior (6'2, 224) 69 Zach Zei – sophomore (6'2, 217)
Kicker 22 Jack Van Dyke – senior (6'5, 228) 29 Nate Van Zelst – sophomore (5'11, 200) 90 Nathanial Vakos – freshman (6'1, 200) 97 Gavin Lahm – sophomore (6'0, 216)
Punter 28 Gavin Meyers – junior (6'1, 203) 49 Atticus Bertrams – freshman (6'3, 225) Linebacker 3 T.J. Bollers – OLB – sophomore (6'2, 270) 17 Darryl Peterson – OLB – sophomore (6'1, 245) 27 Tyler Jansey – ILB – freshman (6'0, 230) 28 Christian Alliegro – freshman (6'4, 228) 32 Marty Strey – OLB – graduate student (6'2, 235) 36 Jake Chaney – ILB – junior (5'11, 235) 39 Tatum Grass – ILB – senior (6'2, 234) 44 Jeff Pietrowski – OLB – junior (6'2, 243) 45 Garrison Solliday – ILB – sophomore (5'11, 233) 47 Evan Van Dyn Hoven – freshman (6'3, 228) 50 Aidan Vaughan – ILB – freshman (6'2, 224) 51 Bryan Sanborn – ILB – sophomore (6'1, 233) 52 Kaden Johnson – OLB – junior (6'2, 248) 53 Ross Gengler – OLB – junior (6'2, 230) 54 Jordan Turner – ILB – junior (6'1, 238) 55 Maema Njongmeta – ILB – senior (6'0, 240) 59 Aaron Witt – OLB – junior (6'6, 254) 95 Jordan Mayer – OLB – freshman (6'4, 235) 98 C.J. Goetz – OLB – graduate student (6'3, 240)
Defensive back 2 Ricardo Hallman – CB – sophomore (5'10, 185) 7 Michael Mack – CB – junior (6'1, 180) 9 Austin Brown – S – sophomore (6'1, 210) 10 Nyzier Fourqurean – CB – junior (6'1, 190) 11 Alexander Smith – CB – graduate student (5'11, 187) 12 Max Lofy – CB – junior (5'10, 189) 13 Kamo'i Latu – S – senior (6'0, 207) 14 Preston Zachman – S – sophomore (6'1, 208) 16 Amare Snowden – CB – freshman (6'4, 199) 18 Owen Arnett – S – sophomore (5'11, 212) 20 Braedyn Moore – S – freshman (6'2, 200) 21 Jonas Duclona – CB – freshman (5'10, 188) 22 Jace Arnold – CB – freshman (5'9, 186) 23 Jason Maitre – CB – senior (5'10, 188) 24 Hunter Wohler – S – junior (6'2, 210) 25 Justin Taylor – freshman (6'0, 195) 26 Travian Blaylock – S – graduate student (5'11, 208) 29 AJ Tisdell – CB – freshman (5'11, 189) 34 Charlie Jarvis – S – freshman (6'1, 205) 37 Bryce Carey – S – junior (6'1, 198) 43 Jackson Trudgeon – S – freshman (6'1, 202) 46 Deven Magli – S – freshman (6'1, 198)
Source:
Rankings
Game summaries Buffalo
at Washington State
Georgia Southern
at Purdue
Rutgers
Iowa
at Illinois
No. 3 Ohio State
at Indiana
Northwestern
Nebraska
at Minnesota
vs No. 13 LSU (ReliaQuest Bowl)
Awards and honors Weekly Awards Braedyn Locke Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week October 23, 2023
Individual Awards Braelon Allen Second Team All-Big Ten Offense (Media)/Third Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches) Hunter Wohler Second Team All-Big Ten Defense (Media)/Third Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches) Ricardo Hallman Third Team All-Big Ten Defense (Media)/Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches) Tanor Bortolini Third Team All-Big Ten Offense (Media)/Honorable Mention Offense (Coaches) Will Pauling Third Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches)/Honorable Mention Offense (Media) Nathanial Vakos Honorable Mention Special Teams (Media)
2024 NFL draft
4117Tanor BortoliniCIndianapolis Colts4134Braelon AllenRBNew York Jets
References