As Week 1 gets here, Wisconsin’s freshman class is worth a closer look - even if this wasn’t a year built around rookies.
The Badgers signed just 13 freshmen in their lightest recruiting cycle under Luke Fickell, then spent much of the offseason loading up through the transfer portal instead. More than 30 newcomers were added, and plenty of those players are expected to factor into the two-deep or even start in 2026. Still, a few freshmen have forced their way into the conversation.
Ryan Hopkins is the name that jumps out first. The quarterback has turned heads in both spring and fall, pushing transfer Deuce Adams for the No. 2 job. Even so, with Colton Joseph ahead of him, there isn’t an obvious path to immediate snaps for the freshman right now.
That’s not unusual for Wisconsin. The Badgers have gotten freshman production in recent seasons, whether it was on offense, defense, or special teams.
Last year, Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, Eugene Hilton, Carter Smith, Cairo Skanes, and Nicolas Clayton all found roles as true freshmen. In 2024, Xavier Lucas, Kevin Heywood, Dillan Johnson, Darrion Dupree, and Dilin Jones saw action as the season unfolded.
This year, Fickell said two true freshmen already have clearly defined jobs for Week 1.
“It’s hard to remember some of these guys. They come in early, so it’s hard to say who’s even a true freshman,” Fickell chuckled.
“I know this, that a guy that didn’t come in early, [cornerback] Donovan Dunmore, you’ll see out there a bit on some special teams. There’s no doubt [tight end] Jack Sievers is a guy that you’ll see out there on some special teams.
“I don’t want to leave out a bunch of others, and I can’t think sometimes off the top of my head all the guys that are true freshmen or came in in January. Those 2 guys, for sure, stand out to me that will have definite roles on September 6th.
And there’s another one, right? I mean, like, you know, under the lights in Lambeau Field that an 18-year-old that’s going to be something we got to find out a lot about ourselves as well.”
Dunmore, who was not an early enrollee, already being in the special teams mix is a strong early indicator. Sievers, meanwhile, was one of the more intriguing athletes in Wisconsin’s 2026 class, and special teams gives him a natural way onto the field.
Another freshman who has made noise is wide receiver Kash Brock. He entered the class as the lowest-rated commit in Wisconsin’s 2026 group on 247Sports and was also the final addition to the class. But that hasn’t stopped him from climbing.
Brock has impressed in both spring and fall, and he was even taking some No. 2 reps during fall camp. Wide receiver is a crowded room, so earning real playing time won’t be simple. Even so, the fact that he’s pushed himself into that mix is its own kind of statement.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Has 3 Freshmen Who Could Matter Right Away Against Notre Dame
For most of the offseason chatter around Wisconsins 2026 recruiting class, the attention naturally landed on quarterback Ryan Hopkins. But as fall camp has unfolded, a few other true freshmen have started to push their way into the conversation, and that matters with Notre Dame on the horizon. Wide receiver Brock, tight end Sievers and defensive player Dunmore have each shown enough promise to put themselves in position for early snaps, even if their first impact is more likely to come on special teams or in limited rotational work.
That kind of contribution may not make headlines in September, but it can still shape a season, especially against a matchup that will demand clean execution and depth from the Badgers. Coaches have liked what theyve seen from the trios work ethic and intelligence, and those traits often translate fastest when young players are asked to do the little things well. Wisconsin is still early in the process of finding out exactly how much it can trust them, but the fact they are already in the mix says plenty about the opportunity in front of them. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Sent Wisconsin Fans A Needed Reminder At Lambeau
An intriguing subplot is already building around the upcoming game at Lambeau Field, where Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell will meet as head coaches for the first time. Their connection runs deeper than a one-off matchup, with Freeman having played for Fickell and later coached under him, which gives this game a familiar edge even before the teams take the field. Freeman made sure to reinforce that point during his Week 1 press conference, offering clear respect for Wisconsin and the roster Fickell has put together.
From a Badgers perspective, the praise landed as a useful reminder that this is not a program being overlooked by those who know the sport best. Freeman singled out quarterback Colton Joseph along with linebackers Mason Posa and Sebastian Cheeks, which says plenty about where the attention is heading as the game approaches. With both coaches now leading their own programs, the matchup carries the feel of a reunion and a measuring-stick moment at the same time, and Wisconsin fans have reason to believe their team is being taken seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Is Quietly Building Something Important Before The 2026 Season
Wisconsins offseason staffing move may not have generated much noise outside the program, but it is the kind of hire that can matter a lot when a football staff is trying to get organized for the long haul. The Badgers brought in Marcus Berry as Senior Director of Personnel Strategy, adding a veteran front-office voice with more than 25 years of experience in college and NFL personnel work. Berry arrives from Temple, where he served as Chief of Staff and Director of Player Personnel, and his background suggests Wisconsin is putting real emphasis on the machinery behind roster building.
It is also notable timing for a program entering a new administrative era, since Berry is one of the first football hires under Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst. For Wisconsin, the move points to a broader effort to sharpen how the Badgers evaluate and manage personnel before the 2026 season arrives, with the kind of behind-the-scenes infrastructure that can shape recruiting, retention and roster planning. The hire does not answer every question about where the program is headed, but it does show Wisconsin is taking a deliberate step toward building something more organized beneath the surface. [Read more 🡒]