Wisconsin’s summer news cycle is starting to pick up, and there are a few Badgers items worth catching up on before Big Ten Media Days and the real football rush arrives next month.
The biggest Wisconsin name movement came in the NBA, where John Tonje landed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. Micah Potter is already there after signing with Portland a couple of weeks ago when the Indiana Pacers released him, so the Blazers now have two Badgers on the same roster. Tonje helped his case in Summer League by showing he’s an elite shooter and can play in the NBA.
Steven Crowl’s Summer League contract has expired, and there hasn’t been any update on his next step. After a quiet showing in Vegas, his odds of landing an NBA deal are low. A training camp invite is still possible, but for now it looks like the NBA road may be over for him, at least for the moment.
Nick Boyd is in a different holding pattern with the Golden State Warriors. He’s on an Exhibit-10 deal, which means there may not be much to report until training camp.
Golden State doesn’t have to make a move right away, and Boyd could simply head to camp, end up with their G-League team, and continue from there. The Warriors could also decide to release him, so that situation is still open.
On the basketball side at Wisconsin, Braeden Carrington’s eligibility situation remains unresolved. He is pursuing another year, but the outlook does not appear encouraging, especially with the NCAA doubling down on its stance and policy.
The lawsuit is still pending, though, and both Greg Gard and Wisconsin basketball general manager Marc VandeWettering said the program is monitoring it. Even so, the timing may not line up for Carrington, because Gard is already trying to fill a 15th roster spot and Wisconsin can’t afford to sit around waiting on legal proceedings.
Gard’s assistants are recruiting Europe and working to add another big man.
Luke Fickell also checked in on ESPN Madison and gave a few clues about what he wants this Wisconsin football team to look like. One message he kept returning to was the group of players who stayed through last season and into this year, with that core helping lead the way.
That sense of resiliency and the expectation for 2026 also fits with the Big Ten Media Days player picks: Sebastian Cheeks, Chris Brooks Jr., and Matt Jung. Fickell clearly sees them as players with something to prove and the kind of Wisconsin energy he wants represented.
He also talked about Colton Joseph entering the season with an offensive line he can lean on. That lines up with another theme Fickell keeps stressing: he wants his team to be mean and nasty in the trenches. It’s a message he keeps repeating, and it sounds like a defining part of how Wisconsin plans to play this fall.
In Other News...
Luke Fickell Just Sent Wisconsin Fans A Long Awaited Message
Luke Fickell has been talking for months about building Wisconsin in a way that feels more like Wisconsin, and the latest roster update points in that direction. The staff has shifted Tyler Jansey, who had been working as a linebacker and on special teams, into a new role, while preferred walk-on McCoy Smith also accepted a position change as the Badgers continue reshaping the depth chart around a more traditional identity.
For a fan base that has long associated the program with physical football and a heavy ground game, the move is the kind of detail that gets attention because it says something about the direction of the offense, not just the roster. It also raises the obvious next question: how quickly this adjustment turns into a real part of what Wisconsin wants to do on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
This QB Is Drawing The Kind Of Comparison Badgers Fans Know Well
Trinidad Chambliss is starting to pop up in the kind of NFL draft conversations that usually grab attention in Madison, and for good reason. The Ole Miss quarterback has become a rising name for the 2027 draft, with ESPNs Jordan Reid and an NFL scout taking notice of the way he plays and the traits he brings to the position. After transferring from Division II Ferris State to Ole Miss, Chambliss has shown the kind of playmaking ability that can turn a once-obscure quarterback into a national talking point.
For Badgers fans, the part worth watching is the company hes being mentioned alongside. The scouts comparison points to a familiar style and build, the sort of profile Wisconsin supporters know has translated at the next level before. Chambliss still has work to do and could end up behind some younger names in the draft pecking order, but the buzz around him is real enough that his stock will be tracked closely from here, especially if he keeps building on what hes already shown in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
Why Austin Kawecki Suddenly Feels So Important To Wisconsin
A fifth-year center with one year of eligibility left, Austin Kawecki arrives in Madison with the kind of rsum Wisconsin has been missing up front. He started all 12 games for Oklahoma State in 2025, and after a career built on durability and steady work, he gives the Badgers a veteran piece at a spot that has become a priority as the offensive line turns over.
For Wisconsin, the appeal is less about flash than stability. Offensive line coach Eric Mateos has pointed to Kaweckis experience and leadership as important additions, especially with other centers moving on, and that makes his transition worth watching as the Badgers try to get their rushing attack back on firmer ground in 2026. The bigger question now is how quickly he settles into the role Wisconsin clearly expects him to handle. [Read more 🡒]