The biggest surprise in Wisconsin’s receiver room this summer has been Shamar Rigby, and Luke Fickell didn’t hide how much that matters.
That’s notable because the Badgers came into fall camp with plenty of uncertainty at wideout. Wisconsin attacked the position in the transfer portal, bringing in Jaylon Domingeaux, Malachi Coleman, Shamar Rigby, and Zion Kearney to join returners Eugene Hilton, Chris Brooks, and Tyrell Henry. The goal was simple: stock the room with enough bodies and enough upside that someone would separate.
For much of the spring, Brooks, Henry, and Hilton were the names showing up most often with the top offense, though Wisconsin kept rotating through all seven receivers while sorting out what it actually had. Rigby, meanwhile, was largely absent after dealing with an injury.
That made his rise in fall camp even more eye-catching. The former Oklahoma State receiver entered the offseason as something of a mystery compared to some of the other additions.
Domingeaux looked like the headliner on paper after producing as a downfield threat and touchdown target at the FCS level at 6’3, 210 pounds. Rigby’s Oklahoma State numbers were more modest - 25 catches for 351 yards and a touchdown last season as a rotational player - while Kearney and Coleman came in with limited production from the SEC and Big Ten.
Now, though, Rigby is moving himself into the conversation as a real factor for the Badgers.
“I think he’s going to be really important for us,” Fickell said of Rigby. “And that’s another one of those groups where those guys have battled through some injuries.
We had some guys that couldn’t go today, and in some of those situations, why we haven’t done some 2-minute and things like that over the last few days is just because those guys have had some nagging injuries. And he’s been a guy that obviously missed the second half or the last week of spring football and has been very limited coming into fall camp, but a guy that we feel like has really, really high potential.
“And so trying to figure out where the balance is for him to be comfortable with what we’re doing, get a connection with Colton [Joseph] and understand the offense, but also be able to roll come September 6th. I think today was a bigger step for us because he’s come back, but he’s also been limited. And to see him kind of go out there and say, hey, this is more of a competitive spirit day where we get to see what kind of things the best we can find out before September 6th on a lot of guys that we haven’t had for a long time.
“And so you’re really curious, when the lights come on, what do they really do? And I’m happy to say, again, I saw some really good things from him today. And I mean it more in his body language, his demeanor, and all those things, whether it was a good play or not.”
Wisconsin has clearly leaned toward bigger boundary receivers, and Rigby fits right into that group alongside Coleman, Domingeaux, Kearney, and Brooks. With his health trending in the right direction, he now has a legitimate path to start or at least pile up a heavy workload when the season opens.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Fans Face A Costly Lambeau Debate Before Notre Dame
Wisconsins trip to Lambeau Field on Sept. 6 is already turning into a pricey assignment for fans who want to be there in person. Ticket listings for the Badgers matchup with Notre Dame show the lowest available seats hovering around the mid-$200s, while more desirable spots are pushing into the $300s and $400s, a sign that demand for one of the seasons marquee nonconference games is holding firm.
The market has been fairly steady for about a week, but anyone waiting for a bargain may be taking a gamble. As tickets continue to change hands through different vendors, the prices can move quickly, and the cost of getting into the historic Green Bay setting may be the biggest pregame debate for Wisconsin supporters before the teams even take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Catches A Break Before Notre Dame But One Worry Remains
Notre Dame will open Week 1 without Quincy Porter, the former five-star recruit who has been ruled out while he continues to recover from a left patellar tendon injury. That is a meaningful development for Wisconsin as it gets ready for a road matchup against a defense coach Freeman has already described as strong up front, and it likely means Micah Gilbert will be the player asked to absorb Porters role when the Badgers see the Irish on the field.
For Wisconsin, the broader concern is still closer to home. The Badgers are monitoring the health of offensive linemen Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell, and how those two hold up could shape the matchup as much as any absence on the other side. Even with Notre Dame missing a key piece in its passing game, Wisconsins own availability on the offensive line remains the issue that could define how comfortable the opener feels. [Read more 🡒]
Barry Alvarez Just Gave Badgers Fans A New Chris McIntosh Debate
Chris McIntoshs move from Wisconsin athletic director to a new role at the Big Ten office closed one chapter for a department that has spent plenty of time wrestling with change. His tenure in Madison will be remembered for the hiring of Luke Fickell, but also for the rough edges that came with it, including a slow start in adapting to the NIL era and a football season that did not go the way anyone around the program wanted.
Barry Alvarezs take on McIntoshs legacy only adds to the conversation, because he was candid about not knowing exactly how history will judge the run. Even so, Alvarez said he feels good about the next step for the department under new athletic director Shawn Eichorst, giving Wisconsin fans another reason to compare what McIntosh built with what comes next. [Read more 🡒]