The University of Wisconsin football program has added another early building block to its 2028 recruiting class.

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Brock Barrows, an interior offensive lineman from Lee’s Summit West High School in Missouri, announced his verbal commitment to the Badgers.

“COMMITTED! 🦡🦡🦡,” Barrows wrote.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound offensive lineman chose Wisconsin from an offer list that included Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Purdue and Tennessee, among others. He also drew interest from Missouri, where his father, Chris Barrows, played on the offensive line from 1992-1995.

Barrows is still early in the recruiting process and has not yet received a composite ranking from the major recruiting services. Still, his growing Power Four offer list and relationship with Wisconsin offensive line coach Eric Mateos made him a priority target for the Badgers.

That connection began before Mateos arrived in Madison.

Barrows first became familiar with Mateos when he was the offensive line coach at Arkansas. Their relationship continued after Mateos joined Luke Fickell’s staff, and Wisconsin strengthened its position through a spring visit and Barrows’ participation in one of the program’s summer camps.

The opportunity to receive direct instruction from Mateos helped Barrows become more comfortable with Wisconsin and the direction of its offensive line room.

Barrows primarily played tackle during his sophomore season but projects as an interior offensive lineman at the college level. Wisconsin views him as a center prospect, though his experience at multiple positions and continued physical development could also make him an option at guard.

He also brings an athletic background that extends beyond football.

Barrows competes in track and field, where he has recorded personal bests of approximately 48 feet, 11 inches in the shot put and 127 feet, 11 inches in the discus. Barrows also participated in national events such as the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl.

Wisconsin has long valued offensive linemen with size, room to add weight, positional versatility and multi-sport backgrounds. Barrows fits that profile, even if much of his development still lies ahead.

Barrows becomes Wisconsin’s second verbal commitment in the 2028 class, joining four-star linebacker Cale Britt. With prospects in that cycle still nearly two years away from signing, plenty will change before National Signing Day. Even so, the Badgers have already started identifying the players they believe can become foundational pieces.

Barrows represents exactly that kind of early evaluation. He is not yet a finished product, but Wisconsin sees enough in his frame, athletic profile and upside to make him one of its top priorities in the 2028 cycle.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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For college football fans, this is when the offseason starts to feel like it’s finally coming to an end.

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Big Ten Media Days won’t decide a single game or answer every lingering question from the offseason, but it does mark the unofficial beginning of the season. Coaches step up to the podium, preseason narratives take shape, and the countdown to fall camp shifts from anticipation to reality.

For the Wisconsin football program, this year’s trip to Chicago carries a little more weight than most. Luke Fickell was joined by three veteran leaders in senior safety Matt Jung, senior edge rusher Sebastian Cheeks and senior wide receiver Chris Brooks, each representing the Badgers as the program turns its attention toward the upcoming season.

Fickell enters his fourth season leading the Badgers knowing full well that the conversation has changed. The honeymoon period is over. So are the excuses. After three consecutive seasons that failed to meet expectations, the pressure is squarely on Wisconsin to show meaningful progress in 2026. And the Badgers seem better equipped to do just that.

Now comes the difficult part: proving it.

With that in mind, here are my biggest takeaways from coach Fickell’s appearance at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

Wisconsin has fallen short of the standard, promises improvement

Luke Fickell did not attempt to soften the reality of his first three seasons at Wisconsin.

“The last two years for us have not been up to the standard, and I’m not shying away from that,” Fickell said. “The standard of what we have to uphold and where we have to grow as a football program, it hasn’t been there.

“That’s not just in the wins and losses. That’s in a lot of other things as well. The way we play the game, the physicality, the toughness — we’ve got to do a hell of a lot better job at doing. I can promise you that we will and things are obviously moving in that direction.”

That acknowledgment matters because Wisconsin’s problems have extended well beyond a 17-21 record (10-17 Big Ten) during Fickell’s tenure. The Badgers have watched their win total decline in each of the last three seasons, culminating in a 4-8 finish in 2025.

The Badgers have too often lacked the physical identity, discipline and consistency that once defined the program. Fickell knows those shortcomings cannot be explained away by injuries, roster turnover or the changing landscape of college football forever.

There is still plenty of belief inside the building that things will turn around, but Year 4 is no longer about selling a vision. It is about producing evidence that the program is moving in the right direction.

Fickell understands that distinction better than anyone. Now Wisconsin has to show that its promises will translate to Saturdays.

Wisconsin reevaluated nearly every part of the program

One of Fickell’s clearest messages was that Wisconsin did not treat another disappointing season as a reason to make only minor tweaks.

“For us, in the last eight or nine months, we’ve taken a deep dive at all things that we’ve done within our program,” Fickell said.

That review extended to how the Badgers attack the weight room, practice, prepare for fall camp and manage the physical demands of the season. Fickell specifically acknowledged that injuries forced the staff to reconsider some of its long-held training methods.

“We’ve had some critical injuries that have cost us some issues, Fickell acknowledged, “so we’ve taken a really hard look at the way we’ve trained, to the way we’ve practiced all through spring ball, how we’ll practice in fall camp, how we’ll practice as we get into the season.

“We know how to develop and put together a team that can be tough, nasty and disciplined and win in this league. We also have to be aware of some of the evolutions of the things that have continued to happen.”

That does not guarantee better results, but it was necessary.

Wisconsin could not keep approaching every part of the operation the same way while expecting a different outcome. Fickell’s willingness to at least question the program’s processes suggests he recognizes that the Badgers needed more than another offseason of roster additions.

“We’re going in a different direction, and there’s a lot of things that have changed even within the last year in our program,” Fickell said.

They needed to evolve without losing sight of the toughness and physicality they are trying to restore. Now it’s time to find out whether those changes, combined with the school’s increased investment in the program, are enough to move Wisconsin closer to where it expects to be.

Fickell believes Wisconsin’s leadership has changed the trajectory

Entering Year 4 as head coach, Fickell still pronounces Wisconsin as “Wes-con-sin,” and much like previous trips to Big Ten Media Days, he once again pointed to leadership as the biggest reason for optimism.

He believes the most meaningful changes inside the program began midway through last season, when younger players like Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano started assuming greater responsibility. At the same time, Wisconsin’s veterans embraced their development.

Despite finishing the season by losing eight of their final 10 games, the Badgers still knocked off ranked Washington and Illinois teams behind an emerging group of young linebackers, reinforcing the belief in the locker room that the program was moving in the right direction.

“We could have gone one direction or the other, and we were in a really tough situation, but there were some youth within our program that really started to grow and took over in a way that was really, really healthy for us,” Fickell said, “and we had a group of veteran leaders that kind of understood what was happening and saw it and embraced that as well.

“It’s really, over the last nine months, put us in a position that is far, far different than we ever have been since I’ve been here. I can honestly tell you that.”

Fickell also pointed to Chris Brooks, Sebastian Cheeks and Matt Jung as representatives of that veteran group, but his larger point was about what has developed around them.

“These guys, coupled with some youth of this program and this team, have really changed the trajectory,” Fickell said. “I’m going to be honest with you. It has laid some roots within our program that puts us in a much different place right now.”

That is encouraging, particularly for a program that has too often struggled to respond when adversity has hit during Fickell’s tenure. Leadership is easy to praise in July. Its true value will be determined by how Wisconsin responds when the season inevitably tests it.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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One of the annual challenges this time of the year is balancing optimism with reality. Every fan base convinces itself this is the season everything clicks, and to Wisconsin's credit, there are legitimate reasons to believe the Badgers will be improved in Year 4 under Luke Fickell.

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The roster is considerably deeper, the financial investment is greater, and this year’s schedule is far more forgiving than a season ago. But improvement and playoff contention are two very different conversations.

With preseason projections starting to roll in, one reader asked where the Wisconsin Badgers actually stand in the Big Ten pecking order and what its chances are of reaching the College Football Playoff.

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The University of Wisconsin football program has lost a developmental piece along its defensive front just before fall camp.

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Middleton standout Torin Pettaway is no longer with the program, according to a report from Colton Bartholomew of BadgerExtra. Pettaway decided to leave the team and was not dismissed by the staff.

No reason for his departure was disclosed.

Pettaway was entering his second season at Wisconsin after redshirting as a freshman in 2025. The 6-foot-5, 298-pound defensive lineman did not appear in a game during his first year with the Badgers.

His departure ends a brief but eventful relationship with his hometown program.

Pettaway did not begin playing organized football until his junior year at Middleton High School. Still, his combination of size, athleticism and upside quickly turned the in-state product into a Power Four recruit.

As a senior, he earned first-team All-Big Eight honors, was named the conference’s defensive end of the year and became a finalist for the Tim Krumrie Award, which recognizes the state’s top senior defensive lineman.

Pettaway initially committed to Wisconsin in March 2024 before flipping to Minnesota shortly thereafter. The Badgers staff continued recruiting him and eventually brought Pettaway back to Madison for an official visit.

He flipped his verbal commitment back to Wisconsin in June and would later sign, giving Luke Fickell and his staff a promising in-state addition along the defensive front. Pettaway also held scholarship offers from Nebraska, USC, Washington, Illinois and Rutgers during his recruitment.

Pettaway was a consensus three-star prospect whose evaluation was largely tied to what he could eventually become. He had the physical tools to play along the defensive line, but his limited experience made him a longer-term project rather than someone expected to contribute.

That remained apparent during his first year in the program.

The Badgers rebuilt much of their defensive front through the transfer portal after losing several experienced contributors from last season’s rotation. Wisconsin added transfers Hammond Russell IV, Junior Poyser, Jacob Anderson and DeNigel Cooper, creating a veteran room around returning players such as Charles Perkins, Nolan Vils, and Dillan Johnson.

Pettaway appeared likely to open fall camp with the third-team defense behind several older and more experienced options. His departure removes one developmental piece from the room, though it should not dramatically alter Wisconsin’s immediate plans along the defensive front.

The larger loss comes from what Pettaway represented.

Wisconsin’s staff took a chance on a local prospect whose best football was potentially still ahead of him. Pettaway possessed the frame and athletic ability that made him an intriguing long-term project for the Badgers, but he will now pursue that development somewhere else.

His departure also leaves Wisconsin without one of the few defensive linemen on its roster who came through the state’s high school ranks. The Badgers will begin fall camp with a defensive front that looks significantly different from the one they carried into last season, and Pettaway will no longer be part of that competition.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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John Tonje’s professional basketball journey has already included three NBA organizations, two G League affiliates and no guarantees.

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But the former Wisconsin men’s basketball star keeps creating opportunities for himself.

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed Tonje to a two-way contract, giving him another chance to establish himself at the NBA level after a strong showing with the Boston Celtics during NBA Summer League. He fills Portland’s final two-way roster spot.

For Wisconsin fans, the way Tonje earned this opportunity should feel familiar.

His basketball journey has rarely followed the most direct path. Tonje spent five seasons between Colorado State and Missouri before transferring to Wisconsin as a sixth-year senior, with relatively modest expectations surrounding his addition.

In one season under Greg Gard, Tonje developed into a consensus second-team All-American, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection and one of the most prolific single-season scorers in Wisconsin history.

Tonje averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game for the Badgers while shooting 38.8% from three and 90.9% from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-5 guard’s 724 points were the second-most in a season at Wisconsin, behind only Frank Kaminsky (732), while his 231 made free throws established a new program record.

That breakout season helped him become the No. 53 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, where the Utah Jazz selected Tonje in the second round.

His rookie season was spent primarily in the G League before Utah traded him to the Boston Celtics. Tonje later appeared in six NBA games for the Celtics, averaging 2.5 points in seven minutes per contest, while continuing to show his scoring ability at the developmental level.

Across his G League appearances, Tonje averaged 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He also delivered a 42-point performance for Maine that offered a reminder of the microwave scoring ability Wisconsin fans watched throughout his lone season in Madison.

Tonje entered Summer League without a guaranteed contract waiting for him. He responded by averaging 14.8 points over five games while shooting 45.2% from three-point range and showing growth defensively.

Boston Summer League coach Amile Jefferson publicly praised Tonje’s development and said he believed the former Badger was an NBA player.

“He’s one of the guys I’m most proud of because he wants to make it,” Jefferson said. “And when a guy wants to make it, and when a guy wants to be in the NBA, that’s how you look. If somebody wants to know how hard it is to be in the NBA — you can all see how good he is. He’s given himself a really good chance. He is definitely an NBA player.”

That performance ultimately helped Tonje earn his next opportunity, even if it came somewhere other than Boston.

“Everyone wanted to see the defense from John, and I think he showed that at a super high level,” Jefferson said. “I am proud of the effort he’s given. He is a high-level shot-maker at all three levels. He can get to the rim, he can shoot the mid-range, and he can catch and shoot the three and off the dribble.

“You just want to see, for his position, can you guard the ball? Can you pressure the ball? Can you be in your shifts? Can you be where you need to be? And I think he showed that he can do that at a high level.”

A two-way deal does not guarantee Tonje a permanent NBA role. Tonje will still need to prove himself with Portland and the Rip City Remix while competing for minutes on a young and developing roster.

But Tonje has spent most of his basketball career proving that the first evaluation does not have to be the final one.

Wisconsin gave him the platform to change the trajectory of his career. Since exhausting his eligibility, Tonje has continued to do what made his season with the Badgers so memorable: staying ready, scoring when called upon, and making it difficult for NBA teams to overlook him.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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During the first three seasons under Luke Fickell, the Wisconsin football program has been searching for an identity.

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Not a slogan. Not another catchphrase. Although Fickell has given Wisconsin fans plenty of those during his tenure: competitive maturity, complementary football, climbing the mountain, keep swinging, pound the rock, even asking for a little blind faith.

What Wisconsin has lacked, however, is an identity on the field. The kind that shows up every Saturday, regardless of opponent or circumstances.

That’s become the defining frustration of Fickell’s tenure. Wisconsin has flashed physicality at times and resilience in isolated moments. But over the course of the Fickell era, the Badgers have rarely looked like a team that consistently knew who they were and imposed their will.

That’s a difficult reality for a program that spent the better part of three decades doing exactly that. But Fickell believes that is finally changing.

“Those guys wanted to know... what’s the identity?” Fickell said during an appearance on ESPN Madison. “It’s hard when you don’t have success, and you don’t win on the football field. We know inside this program what we want our identity to be. Our job is to see what we promote, what we permit, but ultimately what we put on film as our identity.

“We want to be a tough, nasty and disciplined football team.”

Fickell has spent three years, going on four, preaching those same three words. His teams have spent three years struggling to reflect them. If 2026 is going to be different, “tough, nasty and disciplined” can no longer be an aspiration. It has to become Wisconsin’s reality.

The irony is that Wisconsin hasn’t been searching for a new identity. It’s been searching for a way to finally become the team Fickell has described since the day he arrived.

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The offseason is often when some of the most interesting questions about the Wisconsin men’s basketball program come into focus.

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Wisconsin has a new athletic director in Shawn Eichorst, raising an obvious question: Is that a good thing or a bad thing for head coach Greg Gard? The Badgers once again attacked the transfer portal aggressively to reshape the roster this offseason, but someone will need to emerge and fill the scoring void. Who might that be? And despite no longer being on staff, Kirk Penney’s fingerprints remain all over the program’s recruiting efforts.

Let’s dive in.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program didn’t enter the offseason looking for another point guard to carry the offense.

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The Badgers had already invested heavily in building around one of the Big Ten’s most talented frontcourts. What Greg Gard needed was a point guard capable of organizing the offense, leading a new-look roster and helping change the identity of a defense that struggled to get consistent stops a season ago.

That's why, when Australian guard Owen Foxwell became available after LSU's coaching change, Wisconsin quickly renewed its pursuit. Existing relationships, particularly with forward Austin Rapp, along with the involvement of New Zealand basketball legend Kirk Penney, helped the Badgers land one of their most important offseason additions.

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One of the hardest things to evaluate in modern college football is whether history still matters.

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Wisconsin football’s most decorated head coach needed time before building a nationally relevant program. Luke Fickell now enters the same stage of his tenure, where the program either begins to turn the corner or difficult questions become impossible to avoid. The problem? College football has changed dramatically since Barry Alvarez arrived in 1990.

Which brings us to today’s mailbag question:

Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that Luke Fickell follows a Barry Alvarez-like trajectory at Wisconsin? Alvarez struggled plenty in his first three seasons before the program completely turned the corner.

-JumpAround88

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The funny thing about college football in July is that everyone can build a convincing case for optimism.

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Every roster looks deeper than it did a year ago. Every transfer is going to fit perfectly. Every coordinator has solved last season’s problems. Hope is abundant because nobody has actually played real football yet.

Wisconsin football is no different.

The Badgers are coming off a 4-8 season (2-7 Big Ten), their second straight year without a bowl game. And yet, Wisconsin closed the year with wins over two AP Top 25 opponents, a reminder that there were at least some signs of progress beneath an otherwise disappointing season.

Since then, the program has poured resources into the roster, overhauled key position groups, and enters Year 4 under Luke Fickell with a schedule that looks much more manageable than the one it faced a season ago.

That doesn’t mean the Badgers are destined for greatness. It means there are fewer excuses than there have been at any point during Fickell’s tenure.

Whether Wisconsin finally turns the corner won’t come down to one player or one game. It’ll come down to answering a handful of questions that have hovered over this program since last season came to a close.

Here are the five that matter most.

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Wisconsin football has made another addition to its coaching staff.

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Curtis Grant Jr. announced that he’s joining Luke Fickell’s football program as the Badgers’ new director of player development. He replaces Chris Worley, who recently transitioned into an on-field coaching role as Wisconsin’s assistant defensive backs coach working with the nickels.

Grant’s addition quietly appeared on Wisconsin’s updated 2026 football staff directory, filling an important support position responsible for mentoring student-athletes both on and off the field.

While the role doesn’t involve coaching on Saturdays, it has become an increasingly important part of modern college football as programs navigate roster turnover, the transfer portal and the evolving NIL landscape.

For Grant, the opportunity represents much more than a new job title.

“For a long time, people told me I had a gift for leading young men,” Grant said. “I didn’t want to hear it because I was still bitter that my playing career didn’t unfold the way I had envisioned. They say the things you go through aren’t always for you — they’re meant to prepare you to help someone else. I truly understand what that means now.

“I’m honored to be part of an incredible program at Wisconsin, where I have the opportunity to pour into the next generation, share the lessons this game taught me, and help these young men become better players and even better people. Sometimes God changes the dream, but never the purpose.”

Grant arrives in Madison with an extensive football background.

A former five-star recruit out of Hermitage High School in Virginia, Grant entered Ohio State as one of the nation’s highest-rated linebackers before developing into a key contributor for the Buckeyes. He played in 45 career games, served as one of the program’s leaders, and was part of Ohio State’s 2014 College Football Playoff national championship team.

The relationship between Grant and Fickell dates back more than a decade.

Fickell coached Grant throughout his entire Ohio State career from 2011-14, while serving as his linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. Following Ohio State’s 2014 national championship season, Fickell publicly praised Grant for helping restore the culture in the Buckeyes’ linebacker room, a glimpse into the leadership qualities that now make him a natural fit for Wisconsin’s director of player development role.

Although his collegiate career didn’t match the lofty expectations that accompanied his recruiting ranking, Grant’s perseverance eventually helped him carve out a cup of coffee in the NFL. After going undrafted in 2015, he spent time with multiple organizations, including the Chargers, Falcons, Titans, Raiders, 49ers and Giants, appearing in 10 regular-season games with New York.

His own journey ultimately helped shape the perspective he now brings to a role centered on mentoring and developing young athletes.

It’s become increasingly important to have the right people in place to ensure players don’t slip through the cracks. With rosters turning over at an unprecedented rate every offseason, building relationships, monitoring the development of young athletes, and keeping players engaged year-round has become just as important as recruiting them in the first place.

While Grant may not be a household name to Badger fans, his playing experience, leadership background, and longstanding relationship with Fickell make him a natural fit for a program that has consistently emphasized the importance of culture and player development.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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Everyone remembers how much fun Wisconsin’s offense was last season. It was one of the most dynamic groups Greg Gard has ever coached.

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The Badgers averaged 83.0 points per game, finished 10th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, and attempted a program-record 32.3 three-pointers per game, the seventh-highest mark in the country. It was one of Wisconsin’s most efficient scoring attacks in years.

San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd blossomed into an All-Big Ten guard. John Blackwell gave Wisconsin another dynamic scoring option on the wing and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. The duo formed one of the best backcourts nationally, and opposing defenses rarely got a break.

But as the season wore on, the trade-off became harder to ignore. The Badgers could score with almost anybody, but they could not consistently string together enough stops on defense to reach their ceiling.

Wisconsin allowed 76.1 points per game, finished 56th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, and graded out in just the 45th percentile in CBB Analytics defensive rating. Opponents shot 44.6% from the field, 33.4% from three, and the Badgers rarely generated turnovers or protected the rim at a level capable of offsetting those deficiencies.

Ultimately, that imbalance helped define the season.

Even during a 24-11 campaign that produced a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten and a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin’s inability to string together consistent defensive stops kept the Badgers from reaching their ceiling. Those imperfections were on full display when 12-seed High Point scored 83 points in an opening-round NCAA Tournament upset.

Gard has spent very little time pretending that wasn’t a problem.

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Former Wisconsin men’s basketball guard Braeden Carrington is officially seeking another season of college eligibility.

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According to a report from On3, Carrington has joined a lawsuit seeking an injunction that would allow him to play during the 2026-27 season despite exhausting his eligibility under the NCAA’s previous rules.

Carrington is among a growing group of athletes challenging the NCAA after its recent adoption of the “five-for-five” eligibility model, which allows student-athletes five years to compete in five seasons.

Players from the 2022 recruiting class, however, were not grandfathered into the new system, leaving many — including Carrington — ineligible for another season despite the rule change. The lawsuit represents another attempt to secure additional eligibility through the courts after a separate group of athletes received a preliminary injunction earlier this offseason.

The possibility of a return to Madison for the Brooklyn Park (Minn.) native had already become a topic of conversation.

Carrington was present during Wisconsin’s summer practice open to the media, participating in drills with the team while not wearing a practice jersey. At the time, head coach Greg Gard acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

“We’re evaluating with the injunction just how that all impacts and who’s going to be attached to that,” Gard said. “Does the injunction stay? Does the NCAA push back on it immediately, or do they wait? I think there’s some unanswered questions there.

“That thing is changing by the hour. I don’t know what his intentions are, if he’s gonna get involved in that. He’s kind of taken a wait-and-see approach, as we all are. I think we’ll know more by the end of the month.”

Those intentions now appear much clearer.

Wisconsin currently has 14 of its 15 roster spots accounted for entering the 2026-27 season, leaving flexibility should Carrington ultimately receive another year of eligibility. Gard said the Badgers remain open to adding one more player. However, Gard indicated that the coaching staff has primarily been evaluating frontcourt options overseas while continuing to monitor developments in the various eligibility lawsuits.

If Carrington is ultimately granted another season and returns to Wisconsin, he’d immediately become one of the most experienced players on the Badgers’ roster.

The former Minnesota and Tulsa guard enjoyed the best season of his collegiate career after transferring to Wisconsin, averaging 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while emerging as one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous perimeter shooters off the bench. Carrington connected on 40.1% of his three-point attempts and averaged 2.1 made three-pointers per game, providing a consistent scoring spark as the Badgers’ sixth man.

The 6-foot-5 guard’s signature performance came late in the regular season when he erupted for a program-record nine made three-pointers and 32 points against Washington. The scoring outburst marked the most points by a Wisconsin reserve since Rob Wilson scored 30 against Nebraska in 2012 during the Big Ten Tournament and showcased the type of instant offense that made Carrington such a valuable bench piece.

Whether Carrington ultimately returns to Wisconsin will depend on the outcome of the ongoing litigation and how Gard and his staff ultimately decide to use their final roster spot. After adding Trey Autry in the portal, retaining Jack Janicki, Zach Kinziger and Hayden Jones, and welcoming freshmen Jackson Ball and LaTrevion Fenderson, the Badgers have considerably more depth on the perimeter than they do in the frontcourt.

For now, the lawsuit offers the possibility of a reunion, while providing another reminder that the ever-changing landscape of college athletics continues to reshape roster management well beyond the transfer portal.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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The Wisconsin football program is officially on the board in the 2028 recruiting cycle.

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Four-star linebacker Cale Britt announced his verbal commitment to Wisconsin, giving Luke Fickell and his staff their first pledge in the 2028 class.

“Very blessed to be in this position…. Can’t thank my family, coaches, teammates, trainers, and every school that believed in me enough… With that being said I am committing to Wisconsin 🖤❤️,” Britt wrote.

Landing Britt is significant for more than simply getting the class started.

The Bishop Moore Catholic (Orlando, Fla.) standout has quickly emerged as one of the top linebackers in the 2028 cycle. He gives Wisconsin an early commitment from a player who had attracted attention from many of college football’s top programs.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and roughly 210 pounds, Britt possesses the size, athleticism and versatility that have become increasingly valuable at the position. Recruiting services view him as a consensus four-star prospect, with 247Sports ranking him among the top 20 linebackers nationally.

His sophomore season offered plenty of evidence why.

Britt recorded 118 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks while consistently flashing the instincts, range and physicality that have made him one of the fastest-rising defenders in Florida. A multi-sport athlete who also competes in lacrosse, Britt brings the combination of length and downhill playmaking ability that projects well at the Power Four level.

The testing numbers only reinforce what shows up on film.

Britt has posted a 315-pound bench press, a 445-pound squat, a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump, along with 10.3-inch hands and a 78-inch wingspan. Those measurables reinforce why Britt has emerged as such a coveted linebacker prospect.

Wisconsin identified those traits early.

Inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland spearheaded the recruitment alongside defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, building a relationship that made the choice easy. Britt made his first trip to Madison during spring practice in April, and it didn’t take long to realize Wisconsin felt like home.

The First-Team All-State linebacker returned in June for camp, further strengthening those relationships before ultimately making his decision.

The offer list shows just how competitive this recruitment became.

Britt picked Wisconsin over scholarship offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, Auburn, Nebraska, UCLA, Louisville, Missouri and dozens of other programs, giving the Badgers an early recruiting win against some of the sport’s biggest brands.

While the 2028 class is still in its infancy, securing the first commitment always carries added importance. Beyond adding one of the nation’s blue-chip linebacker prospects, Wisconsin now has an early cornerstone piece for the class and another recruiting victory for Borland and the Badgers’ defensive staff as they continue building toward the future.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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The dust has finally settled on another busy offseason for the Wisconsin men’s basketball program.

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The transfer portal has closed. The roster is largely in place. Summer workouts are underway. And after months spent debating who Wisconsin would lose, who it would keep, and who the Badgers would land, the conversation can finally shift toward something much more interesting: what this team actually looks like once the ball gets tipped.

There are still plenty of questions. Replacing nearly 40 points per game from Nick Boyd and John Blackwell won’t be easy. Wisconsin also returns just 29.5% of its scoring from last season, good for 11th in the Big Ten.

But after taking a step back and letting the roster marinate for a bit, I keep coming back to three themes. Some I feel better about than others. And together, they’ll probably go a long way toward determining just how high this team’s ceiling and floor ultimately is during the 2026-27 season.

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The truth is, nobody really knows what Wisconsin football is going to look like once the season gets here.

Between now and Week 1, things will change. Players who looked buried on the depth chart in spring will suddenly emerge. Injuries will happen. Transfer portal additions who looked great on paper may not translate the way people hoped, while others nobody is talking about right now could become real difference-makers by mid-season. That’s college football.

Rosters are fluid, expectations swing wildly, and trying to project a season in July can feel like more guesswork than anything else. I’ve been pretty transparent about my skepticism surrounding this coaching staff, and nothing that’s happened over the past three seasons has done much to erase those concerns. But skepticism isn’t the same thing as wanting to be right. There are real reasons to think this team is in a better place.

After a 4-8 season and back-to-back years without a bowl game, the Badgers didn’t sit still. They invested heavily in the transfer portal, rebuilt key position groups, and finally started leaning back into a more physical brand of football that actually resembles what has historically worked.

Whether that translates into wins remains to be seen. But there are at least 10 legitimate reasons to believe Wisconsin could take a meaningful step forward in 2026.

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Shawn Eichorst’s introductory press conference at the University of Wisconsin wasn’t about unveiling sweeping policy changes or making bold promises. Instead, the Badgers’ new athletic director used his first public appearance to outline the principles that will guide his leadership.

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There weren’t many headline-grabbing moments. But if you listened closely, the Lone Rock, Wisconsin native and former Texas deputy athletic director offered perhaps the clearest glimpse yet into how Eichorst plans to navigate one of the most challenging eras in college athletics.

“Badger Nation, please know that nobody will work harder for Wisconsin athletics,” Eichorst said. “I love this state. I love everything that it represents. The passion is there. I don’t have to make it up. I’ve lived it. It’s in my heart. We will live and breathe the principles that have defined generations of Badgers: hard work, integrity, competitive fight.

“No expectations for all of us will be greater than my own, as those are solely tied to achieving excellence. And so my commitment is to strive for that every single day in everything that we do. Everything matters.”

Here are three takeaways from Eichorst’s introductory press conference.

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You don’t need anonymous coaches to tell you that Wisconsin football was a mess in 2025.

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But sometimes it helps to hear how bluntly the rest of the league sees it.

In Athlon Sports’ 2026 College Football Preview, one Big Ten coach did not exactly dance around the issue.

“They scored 81 points in nine conference games. I don’t care who your quarterback is. That speaks to a lot of bigger issues than just the quarterback position,” an anonymous Big Ten coach told Athlon Sports.

“There are teams in the conference who could not throw a single pass and score more than nine points per game. It also speaks to, defensively, your ability to make turnovers, and special teams, your ability to make kicks. I thought it was a whole package thing.”

That is harsh, but it’s also hard to argue with.

Wisconsin absolutely had quarterback problems last season. Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. got hurt. Danny O’Neil was forced into action, then got hurt. Hunter Simmons had his turn, but couldn’t take care of the ball. Carter Smith eventually entered the picture. It was not a normal year at the most important position on the field, and that context matters.

By season’s end, Wisconsin had become the first Badgers team since 1956 to have four different quarterbacks attempt at least 10 passes in a season, and the only Big Ten program to do so in 2025.

But the quarterback carousel also exposed something deeper.

The Badgers finished 132nd nationally in offensive EPA per play, 131st in EPA per dropback, and 115th in EPA per rush, per Game on Paper. They ranked 135th nationally in scoring offense at 12.8 points per game, averaged 253 yards per game, and threw for just 136.4 yards per contest.

That is not just bad quarterback play. That is system-wide dysfunction.

The offensive line had very little depth and was constantly shuffled. The run game never became reliable. The passing game lacked answers. Wisconsin could not consistently create explosives, sustain drives, or put players in position to steal easy yards. At some point, injuries stop being the explanation and start becoming part of a larger failure to adjust.

And while the offense deservedly absorbed most of the criticism, the defense wasn’t without fault either. Wisconsin finished dead last nationally in turnovers forced with just five interceptions and one fumble recovery, ranked 73rd in defensive EPA per dropback, and struggled to defend the pass consistently. The pass rush improved, and the run defense was great, but the complementary football simply wasn’t there.

The next anonymous coach took that criticism a step further.

“Truthfully, I was surprised that both Wisconsin and Maryland decided to run it back with their head coaches,” another anonymous coach told Athlon Sports. “I wasn’t really impressed with either one of those teams. It almost felt like they didn’t really know who the next guy was gonna be, so they decided they’d rather have a year to prepare a move like that.”

Plenty of Wisconsin fans probably felt the same way when “Fire Fickell” chants started raining through Camp Randall Stadium.

Luke Fickell is 17-21 at Wisconsin, including 10-17 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have missed back-to-back bowl games, failed to produce an NFL Draft pick for the first time since 1978, and looked a lot closer to being a bottom-feeder in the conference than a serious contender.

In the midst of all those struggles, the athletic director, Chris McIntosh, publicly backed Fickell and promised more financial resources to the program. Then, to Wisconsin’s credit, the Badgers responded by knocking off AP Top 25 opponents Washington and Illinois down the stretch, showing there was still enough belief inside the locker room to finish the year with some fight. That, coupled with a significant roster investment through NIL and the transfer portal, bought this staff another chance.

Now there is no hiding from the expectations.

FanDuel has Wisconsin’s regular-season win total at 6.5, which feels closer to the national perception of this team. But given the schedule, the roster investment to raise the talent floor, and the years this staff has already had to build its program, seven wins should not be the ceiling.

Eight or nine wins should be on the table.

Wisconsin has seven games at home, including a neutral-site opener against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, avoids several of the Big Ten’s heavyweights, and draws a schedule that’s far more manageable than the gauntlet this program navigated a year ago. If the increased investment was truly the missing piece, there is little room left for excuses.

And with Shawn Eichorst now stepping in as athletic director, the dynamic changes. McIntosh, who hired Fickell, was tied to him and publicly backed him through some difficult moments, is now with the Big Ten. Eichorst has deep Wisconsin ties and likely isn’t eager to make a coaching change and pay a sizable buyout figure before it’s necessary, but this is no longer the administration that made the original hire.

Fickell got the resources. He got another offseason. He got a schedule that gives them a legitimate opportunity to take a step forward.

Now he and his staff have to deliver.

At this point, there isn’t much left to sell besides results.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.

The University of Wisconsin has officially introduced Shawn Eichorst as its next director of athletics, bringing home a familiar face with deep ties to the Badgers at one of the most transformative eras in college sports.

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Eichorst, a Wisconsin native and UW-Whitewater graduate, returns to Madison after serving as deputy athletic director and chief operating officer at Texas. He replaces Chris McIntosh, who left to become the Big Ten’s Deputy Commissioner for Strategy, and succeeds interim athletic director Marcus Sedberry, who guided the department through the transition while the national search was underway. Eichorst now inherits an athletic department navigating a rapidly changing landscape.

For university leadership, Eichorst’s institutional knowledge, extensive Power Four experience, legal background, and familiarity with the challenges of modern college athletics — including NIL and revenue-generation strategies — helped set him apart from the rest of the field.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Eichorst signed a five-year contract that will pay $1.6 million annually with built-in raises and performance incentives.

“We began this process seeking to identify a new leader who would build on our excellence and continue to elevate our program for the future in the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics,” interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots said.

“We have found that person in Shawn Eichorst, who brings incredible experience, a history of innovation and success at the highest level, and a commitment to student-athletes’ welfare. The fact that he is a native of Wisconsin, and understands our university and state, is a tremendous bonus.”

Those Wisconsin ties run deep.

After starring as a defensive back at UW-Whitewater, Eichorst eventually returned to Madison in 2006, serving under legendary athletic director Barry Alvarez. During a five-year stint that culminated in a role as deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, Eichorst helped oversee daily operations, budgets, and major facility projects before moving on to athletic director roles at Miami (Ohio) and Nebraska from 2012-2017.

For Eichorst, returning home is far more than another career opportunity.

“Destination place. Iconic. One of the world’s great public institutions that just has this incredible history and tradition of excellence, academics, research, and athletics,” Eichorst said.

“Growing up 45 minutes from campus [Lone Rock] and having the great opportunity to work at the university for a great five-year period of time, I was super excited for the opportunity, the moment where I was going to get an opportunity to represent and serve this great institution.”

His most recent stop came at Texas, where Eichorst helped oversee football, business operations, facilities, and the Longhorns’ transition from the Big 12 to the SEC while the athletic department captured 17 NCAA national championships, 87 conference titles, and five Learfield Directors’ Cups in the last six years.

Eichorst credited Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte and the Longhorns’ leadership for helping shape his approach to leading a modern athletic department, saying the alignment around a shared mission is something he plans to bring with him to Wisconsin.

“You know, I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today without Chris Del Conte and the great leadership at Texas,” Eichorst said. “We’ve been able to come together and align ourselves around a mission, and that’s going to be very similar to how we’re going to do it at Wisconsin.

“It’s a united Wisconsin. It’s a reckoning. That’s the way I look at it.”

Still, Eichorst’s résumé is not without questions.

His tenure as athletic director at Nebraska remains a point of discussion for many fans after the Cornhuskers struggled to meet expectations following his decision to dismiss longtime football coach Bo Pelini. While Nebraska experienced success in certain areas during his time in the big seat, football ultimately drives the perception of an athletic director.

Eichorst’s decision to move on from Pelini and hire Mike Riley failed to produce the desired results, ultimately leading to his dismissal in 2017. That chapter will understandably remain one of the biggest questions surrounding his return to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s administration, however, appears to be betting that what Eichorst learned over the last eight years helping lead one of the nation’s premier athletic departments at Texas outweighs what happened during his time at Nebraska.

Eichorst made it clear he understands both the responsibility and expectations that come with returning home.

“Nobody will have more passion for what it is that we’re doing than me. And no one will have more respect. No one will bring more character and integrity to everything that our history, tradition, and our mission is about,” Eichorst said.

He also emphasized reconnecting Wisconsin Athletics with its fan base and the values he believes have long defined the state, an area many fans have hoped to see become a greater point of emphasis moving forward.

“I just look forward to galvanizing that with the fans in the great state of Wisconsin so that we can bring this thing together in a united way,” Eichorst said. “I want athletics to be the bridge for folks to come together with a common purpose and have fun doing it.”

For Eichorst, that vision extends beyond wins and losses.

“It’s all about people. It’s all about substance. It’s all about humility, hard work, discipline, all the things that we talk about as Wisconsinites,” Eichorst explained. “My goal is to organically bring that to life because that’s who I am and that’s what I’m all about.”

Whether the hire ultimately proves successful will be determined over time. That said, the vision is clear: pair a deep understanding of Wisconsin’s culture with experience gained across the highest levels of college athletics to help guide the department through its next era.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.

One of the more interesting developments of the Wisconsin football program’s offseason hasn’t just been the success of its 2027 recruiting class. It’s how quickly the coaching staff appears to have pivoted back toward a more traditional recruiting approach.

On National Signing Day, Luke Fickell openly discussed treating high school recruits like “draft picks,” taking smaller classes, and relying more heavily on the transfer portal as college football continued to evolve.

Now, after landing 23 verbal commitments in the 2027 cycle and aggressively pursuing high school talent again, it’s fair to wonder:

Q: Didn’t Luke Fickell say Wisconsin was moving toward smaller recruiting classes and more of a draft pick mentality? Why does it already seem like they’ve ditched that approach?

- PortalPunter

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