Wisconsin’s first public look at fall camp brought a familiar theme: the defense kept showing up, and showing out.
On a night at Camp Randall that gave fans their first chance to watch the Badgers on the field, the offense did land a few crowd-pleasing moments. But the bigger story was the same one that’s been building through camp - the defense was making plays everywhere, whether it was downfield in the secondary, in the backfield or right at the line of scrimmage.
That backdrop matters, especially with the offense still missing Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell. If those two end up being Wisconsin’s top-two linemen this fall, their absence helps explain why the offense has looked a little stuck at times.
Still, the defense didn’t need any help Tuesday. It simply kept winning reps.
One of the clearest examples was Witt, who turned in what might have been his best day of camp. The veteran graduate student has been through plenty since arriving in 2020, including a long list of injuries, and while he doesn’t project as a starter, he looks like someone who can carve out a real role in 2026.
Tuesday, he was all over the field. He opened with a tackle for loss in the first live period, then stuffed a run near the line of scrimmage, and later blew up a third-and-short look for another tackle for loss.
His energy jumps off the field, and that kind of backfield disruption would give Tuf Borland a useful change-of-pace option behind Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.
Dupree also put together a strong showing, even if it’s tough to draw sweeping conclusions about the running back room while the offensive line is banged up and tackles aren’t being taken to the ground in practice. Still, he stood out.
In a drill where backs and tight ends worked on picking up edge rushers, Dupree had two good reps. He won one against Jai’mier Scott and then delivered a big pop on Bryce West that brought the offense to life more than any other moment in the period.
Later, in live work, the junior added a couple of nice runs, made catches out of the backfield and showed he can help protect Colton Joseph. Abu Sama looks increasingly like Jeff Grimes’ bell cow, but Dupree is making a case for plenty of snaps of his own.
Schaefer, meanwhile, went from quiet to loud in a hurry. The JUCO product had been relatively low-key through camp, but Tuesday changed that.
He was around the ball constantly and came away with multiple takeaways for the defense. First came an interception during 7-on-7, then he tracked down the ball in front of the fans during a live period and forced a fumble.
The defense has made a point of punching at the football when tackling isn’t allowed, and Schaefer handled that assignment exactly the way Wisconsin wanted. He may not be a high-snap-count player this fall, but if he can come in for a few plays and make something happen, that’s valuable.
There were also a couple of notable plays in the passing game. Eugene Hilton and Jacob Harris each found the end zone on big throws, and Rigby was productive again even without the highlight grab he had in his first couple of live days.
He kept working with both the ones and the twos, and he continues to look like someone Joseph trusts. Rigby hauled in a pair of contested catches and added a key first down during situational work.
Those 10- to 15-yard gains may not grab attention like deep shots, but Wisconsin needs them, and Rigby keeps looking like a real candidate to be productive in this offense. The Oklahoma State transfer probably won’t be starting at Lambeau Field in a few weeks, but he’s been one of the more promising receivers in camp.
In the safety room, Dean made his own case with his best day yet. The Neenah native has been splitting second-team reps with Cairo Skanes throughout camp, and Tuesday he looked right at home.
During 7-on-7, he jumped a route in the flat for an interception. Later, in live action, he stepped in front of Nizyi Davis and forced him out of bounds before a big gain could develop.
With two veterans locked in as starters and a battle for reps behind them, Dean getting meaningful snaps on Saturdays still seems unlikely unless injuries change the picture. Even so, he’s trending in the right direction in his second season and looks like a player who could matter down the road.
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