Wisconsin’s tight end room has spent fall camp making itself impossible to ignore.
The Badgers got one of their loudest showings from the group during an open practice at Camp Randall Stadium, when transfer Jacob Harris hauled in a pair of acrobatic downfield catches and sophomore Emmett Bork stretched for a sideline grab before twirling his fingers beside his head in celebration. That kind of flash has become part of the story for a unit that has paired playmaking with plenty of punishment.
Quarterback Colton Joseph didn’t sound like he was talking about a standard position group.
"All of those tight ends are absolute dogs," quarterback Colton Joseph said. "I love every one of them. They're all good at what they can do, and they know that."
Wisconsin has spent more than two weeks of camp mixing and matching the room’s different skill sets, and the variety is obvious. No two of them bring the same thing, but that’s exactly the point in a new-look offense that plans to use the position in a lot of different ways.
Head coach Luke Fickell and tight ends coach Nate Letton have pushed one message throughout camp: be loose, be fast and bring a physical edge.
"When you come out here, why not have fun and do whatever you can to play your best and be tough out there," Bork said. "Play free, fast and physical."
That approach has shown up in the tape. Junior Grant Stec has come down with multiple leaping scores in the end zone.
Bork has become a dependable target downfield and over the middle. Harris, at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, has flashed burst, even lining up wide at times while using his size to win tough catches in traffic.
The contact has been just as noticeable. Bork, transfer Ryan Schwendeman and sophomore Nizyi Davis have all delivered some heavy shots during practice, giving the room a nasty edge to go with its receiving ability.
Linebacker Cooper Catalano sees the depth from the other side of the ball.
"I think we've got one of the deepest tight end rooms in the nation," linebacker Cooper Catalano said. "...
Coach Fickell said that the tight ends were like the 'play-hard' offensive group of fall camp. So, they've been having a great fall camp and it's really tough to defend all of those guys."
The group also won an intra-squad camp competition for the offense’s toughest and most relentless unit, a nod to the way it has practiced every day.
"I guess we're the guys that are just busting our asses all the time," Bork said. "I feel like the tight ends have done a great job of, coach Letton has done a great job of- we're tough every practice. We come out here ready to play."
That mix of size, toughness and versatility is going to matter right away. Wisconsin opens the 2026 season against No. 4 Notre Dame on Sunday at Lambeau Field, and the Fighting Irish are expected to bring plenty of physicality themselves.
For Joseph, the job is about handling the pressure and getting the ball to the right places. For the tight ends, it’s a chance to turn camp momentum into something bigger under the lights.
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