As Wisconsin opens fall camp this week, the spotlight is fixed on a roster that feels loaded with movement, new faces and position battles. It’s also a huge year for Luke Fickell, a season many are treating as “make-or-break.” With so much attention on the transfers, it’s easy to overlook the players who were already in the building last year - the ones who could end up delivering the biggest surprises.
Tyrell Henry is one of the clearest candidates. The redshirt senior wideout arrived from Michigan State a couple of seasons ago with breakout expectations, but last year never really gave him a chance to get rolling.
Quarterback injuries and a struggling offense kept him from taking off. Now he’s in his final year of eligibility, and Wisconsin needs something more from him.
Chris Brooks Jr. is in a similar spot, though he actually managed to be one of the team’s more productive receivers despite the chaos around him. The redshirt senior dealt with the same revolving-door quarterback situation and an offense that too often went three-and-out, but he still stood out. With a wide receiver room full of unproven talent and a high ceiling, Brooks is being counted on as the leader.
Darrion Dupree may be getting pushed a bit into the background by the arrivals in the running back room, but he still matters. Abu Sama III is expected to be the primary workhorse, yet Dupree should be next in line for carries.
Last season, he led the Badgers in rushing and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Now the former 4-star recruit heads into his junior season with a real chance to stay firmly in the mix.
On defense, Tyreese Fearbry is another name that has been easy to forget, even though he came to Wisconsin with real buzz. The redshirt senior transfer from Kentucky was expected to bring production from an SEC rushing attack, but most of his role last season came on special teams.
His most memorable moment was a penalty before the Iowa game even began. With one season left, this has to be the year he shows more of what he can do.
Sebastian Cheeks also enters the year with something to prove. A lot of people expected him to be one of Wisconsin’s top edge rushers last season, and while he had a solid year, he was overshadowed by Mason Reiger and even true freshmen linebackers Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa.
Cheeks finished with 25 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. The next step is obvious: more disruption, more sacks, and the kind of impact many thought was coming a year ago.
Cairo Skanes brings a different kind of intrigue. He was a redshirt freshman last season and played cornerback, but now he’s moving to safety. He won’t be starting right away, but his versatility and overall skill set make him a player who could work his way onto the field and stay there.
Kevin Heywood may not exactly be a hidden name, since plenty of people expect him to start. Even so, the attention around the incoming offensive linemen has taken some of the shine off him. That doesn’t change how important he is going to be for Wisconsin this season.
Then there’s Jai’mier Scott, a redshirt freshman and former 4-star recruit who redshirted last season with this year in mind. He’ll be battling for reps in a crowded group that includes a lot of new arrivals, but he’s still a name worth keeping close. Wisconsin landed him as a major recruit for Fickell only two seasons ago, and that kind of talent doesn’t stay hidden for long.
In Other News...
Wisconsins Lambeau Opener Will Say A Lot About Luke Fickell
Wisconsins 2026 opener at Lambeau Field already stands out as one of the biggest games on the schedule, and not just because it brings Notre Dame to Green Bay for a neutral-site showcase. It will be the first real measuring stick for Luke Fickell in a season that begins with a national spotlight, a demanding opponent and a schedule that is fully laid out from Week 1 through the regular-season finale. For a program trying to keep moving forward under a coach still shaping the roster and identity, the first Saturday in September figures to carry extra weight.
Notre Dame arrives with the kind of profile that makes an early upset difficult, built around continuity, a veteran coaching staff and more depth than Wisconsin can match on paper right now. Fickell has talked this offseason about the work ahead and the importance of being ready from the start, and this matchup will test how close the Badgers are to that standard. The full slate offers chances to settle in after the opener, but the tone of the season may already be set by the time the teams leave Lambeau Field. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Be Headed For A Kicking Battle Fans Dread
Wisconsins kicking situation has become one of those quiet summer storylines that can wind up mattering more than anyone expects. Nathanial Vakos, who has handled the job before, is trying to come back for a fifth college season while working through a legal battle for additional eligibility, and that has left the Badgers with an uneasy waiting game as they sort out what the spot might look like if he is not part of it.
For now, the roster picture only adds to the uncertainty. Gavin Lahm and Brady Lelum are both in the mix, but neither has attempted a field goal in college, which makes the competition feel more about projection than proven production. If Vakos does get back on the field, Wisconsin will still have to decide whether his past work makes him the safest answer, or whether this position is headed for the kind of fall battle fans would rather avoid. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Have Finally Found The Spark Jeff Grimes Needed
Wisconsin has spent much of the Luke Fickell era searching for steadier play at quarterback, with transfers cycling through and too often not sticking around long enough to provide the kind of continuity an offense needs. This offseason brought another swing at solving that problem, but the addition of Colton Joseph from Old Dominion feels a little different because of the way he plays rather than just where he came from.
Joseph brings a dynamic style that could fit what coordinator Jeff Grimes wants to build, and CBS Sports recently ranked him among the 10 most elusive quarterbacks in college football based on several performance metrics. For a program that has been trying to find a spark and an identity under center, the appeal is obvious, even if the real answer still has to be proven once the games start. [Read more 🡒]