Badgers Spring Practice Stock Risers and Standouts
Wisconsin's staff learned a lot about their roster during spring practice.
Spring camp is officially in the books, and the second year of the Luke Fickell era for the Wisconsin Badgers football program is under way.
After a challenging inaugural season in Madison, the Badgers staff attacked the transfer portal and made several key additions to promote more competition, add depth, and improve their overall talent.
"I really do, deep down inside, think the nature of what we've got inside that locker room is in a better place than we were last year," Fickell told reporters. "I thought we were in a good place last year. But there were a lot of unknowns. At least we found out a lot of those unknowns with some of the adverse things that we went through.
"And it's going to pay off in the long run for us."
Now that the transfer portal window has closed, the Badgers coaches have a better idea of what they're working with personnel-wise heading into 2024 and can address a few spots in the portal before fall camp.
That said, here are some Wisconsin football players who improved their stocks during the Badgers' 15-session spring camp.
Max Lofy, Cornerback
Coming into spring practice, Luke Fickell and the Badgers coaching staff knew very little about senior cornerback Max Lofy — which is fair, considering he wasn't healthy enough to play or practice last season.
That said, Lofy worked his way into earning first-team reps in the slot this spring and was arguably the biggest stock riser among all Wisconsin football players. His emergence pushed Austin Brown back to his more natural spot at safety and has given the Badgers some added flexibility.
"He's got great hands, good ball skills, good feet, he can run, and he's fast," Paul Haynes told reporters. "Again, he's super smart too. I'm super happy that he stuck through it, because I think he's gonna be great help for us this year."
In 2022, Lofy appeared in 12 games for the Badgers, racking up 15 tackles and snagging an interception. I think it's safe to say he'll earn more playing time this season for the Wisconsin football team and, at worst, will be a rotational piece — if not the full-fledged starting nickel.
Vinny Anthony, Receiver
Vinny Anthony is one of just two holdovers in the Badgers wide receiver room from the Paul Chryst era and began his transition from being a slot receiver to the "outside" group last season during bowl prep. By all accounts, Anthony made the most of his new opportunity this spring.
With one of the starting receiver spots essentially wide open next to Will Pauling and Bryson Green, position coach Kenny Guiton made it clear that Anthony would earn that last spot if Wisconsin football had a game today.
"At the third spot, it's really got a few guys coming along very, very well," Guiton said. "I think Vinny Anthony has put himself in a position to really take off and probably take over the spot right now."
When you consider that Anthony wasn't someone this staff hand-picked upon arrival, it's encouraging to see that he's worked his way onto the first-team offense. To me, that means he's been objectively better than some of his counterparts, and coach Guiton is treating this competition as a meritocracy. Anthony's straight-line speed could be an exciting asset.
Last season, Anthony was targeted 18 times on offense and caught 10 passes for 99 yards in 237 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Anthony also had one carry that went for 18 yards against Indiana.