Grant Stec enters the season with a real chance to turn promise into production.
The redshirt sophomore tight end arrived at Wisconsin as a consensus four-star recruit, but his first two seasons have been more about potential than impact. That started to change in 2025, when his snap count climbed and he finished as the Badgers’ third-most productive tight end last fall behind Lance Mason and Jackson Acker. With three years of eligibility still left, Stec looks set up for his biggest role yet.
At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, Stec is the second-largest tight end on the roster, behind projected TE1 Jacob Harris, who checks in at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds. He brings enough size to handle the physical side of the position and enough receiving ability to matter in the passing game, which is why he drew strong praise during spring work.
“Going into year three with Grant, I think that’s the year where a lot of guys make jumps. Again, they’ve been in the system, their body starts to change," tight ends coach Nate Letton said this spring.
"You’re starting to see him move, come in and out of breaks at the top of his route, become a more viable option for us in the passing game on a wider route tree.”
That’s the profile Wisconsin is betting on. On paper, Stec looks like one of the most complete tight ends on the roster. The question is whether that shows up when the games start.
The opportunity is there. Offensive play-caller Jeff Grimes likes using 12 personnel, so the Badgers should lean on multiple tight ends again.
That matters in a room that remains largely unproven. Harris is coming off a solid season at Bowling Green, but he still has to show his traits carry over to Big Ten football.
Like Stec, he’s a big target who can run routes and catch the ball cleanly. The two of them appear to be the top options, but Stec has a path to becoming Wisconsin’s TE1 this fall.
Blocking could be the separator. If Stec is near the top of the room in that area and makes a few early plays as a receiver, he should get every chance to seize the job for Letton, who has also stressed leadership as an area where Stec needs to grow.
“I’m still doing my best trying to take over the leadership role considering I have been here three years already. Pulling those guys in, showing them the standard of what it means to play tight end at Wisconsin," Stec said this spring.
Stec also made it clear he’s bought in on his position coach.
"I think he’s the greatest coach in the country," he remarked during spring ball.
Still, this is a room with plenty of uncertainty, and that cuts both ways. Stec could emerge as the top tight end, or he could get passed by Harris, redshirt freshman Emmett Bork or FCS transfer Ryan Schwendeman.
If he struggles as either a blocker or a receiver, the staff could move away from him. More likely, though, one of those challengers could surge in fall camp and jump him on the depth chart, which would likely leave Stec with another quiet stat line and perhaps his final season in Madison.
For now, he looks like the firm TE2. Fall camp can always shuffle things around, but the signs point to a player who has taken a step this offseason.
The bigger question is how much production Wisconsin can squeeze out of the position. That’s tough to pin down in an offense still sorting itself out under Grimes, especially with the unknown surrounding Colton Joseph in the Big Ten.
Even so, Stec should be in line for a career year. It may not be enough to catch Harris, but it should be a noticeable jump from 2025.
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