Column: Wisconsin football taking a committee approach at tight end—but should they trust the depth?
Wisconsin football tight ends are much more involved this Spring—but with Tanner Koziol gone, can they fill the void in Jeff Grimes' new offense?
You can tell a lot about a football team by how it utilizes its tight ends. And the Wisconsin Badgers are treating them more like a priority this Spring.
With Jeff Grimes installing a new offensive system and the Badgers trying their best to reclaim a physical identity that long defined the program, few position groups have seen more changes than tight end.
Gone are the days of Phil Longo’s spread-out formations that largely marginalized the tight ends. Grimes still operates out of the shotgun but with a completely different set of core values—motion, misdirection, and physicality.
And under his watch? The tight ends are much more involved.
“That position is one of the most difficult positions to just to learn in this offense, but also to just get to the point where they’re able to excel at their jobs,” Grimes said. “They’re lining up all over the place. They have to know where to line up like any receiver or running back would, as well as traditional tight end alignments.
“Their job responsibilities are larger. The volume of skills that we’re asking from them is high. They’ve got to be able to run block like an offensive tackle. They’ve also got to be able to run block like a receiver does—which is an undervalued thing. Then they’ve got to be able to pass protect, particularly in the play-action game. And then they’ve got to be able to hopefully run routes like a receiver would when we extend them out there."
Now, they’re expected to block like a linemen, move around like slot receivers, line up all over the field, and play an integral role in the misdirection and physicality Wisconsin wants to hang its hat on moving forward.
But let’s not bury the lead here—Wisconsin had a plan this offseason. It involved Tanner Koziol, a 6-foot-6 All-MAC tight end from Ball State, being a plug-and-play weapon in this offense.
That plan fell apart when Koziol re-entered the transfer portal and wound up in Houston. And just like that, the Badgers lost a player that they expected to build around—forcing the coaching staff to reset their expectations.
Position coach Nate Letton didn’t offer much when asked about Koziol’s decision to leave the football program.
“I won’t talk about his departure,” Letton told reporters. “But, we got the guys in the room to do what we need to do.
“I feel really good about it.”
And here’s the thing: Letton might be right. Because from what we’ve seen and heard this Spring, Wisconsin’s tight end room has started to embrace the opportunities—and it’s going to have to be a committee approach.
That said, it’s hard to ignore the numbers—or lack thereof. On average, Letton’s tight end room has produced just 27 catches, 235 yards, and under two touchdowns per season across the last two years—that's it. That level of production barely moves the needle—and without a proven starter to replace Koziol, skepticism isn’t just fair. It’s warranted.
Running it back and hoping for a different outcome is a gamble. And while this Spring has been encouraging in some respects, it’s fair to question whether this group—as currently constructed—is ready to take the leap to become Big Ten caliber.
Let’s start with Tucker Ashcraft.
He’s caught just 20 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns across his first two seasons in the program—spanning 612 career snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Ashcraft finished the 2024 season with a 43.3 offensive grade—the lowest on the team—and a 48.6 mark as a receiver.
A couple of years ago, he was a true freshman thrown into the fire before he was physically ready due to some unexpected departures. Now? He’s the guy atop Wisconsin’s tight-end depth chart.
“The thing with Tucker that’s been fun… you saw a guy who physically wasn’t ready, get thrust into playing, and not having a tremendous amount of confidence in what he’s doing,” Letton said. “But to me, what’s been the most fun with his development is you just see somebody who’s sure of himself and confident—both in the run and in the passing game.
"We’ve added some responsibilities in the protection elements as well that he’s taking in stride. So, he's doing a really nice job. But if I have one thing I’d just say—he’s a confident football player now."
Confidence is great. But so is physical growth. And that’s where Ashcraft has made another leap headed into his third season with the Wisconsin football team.
"We have the best strength and conditioning staff, the best nutrition staff in the country, in my opinion," Letton proclaimed. "We have some before and after pictures when guys get here to where they’re at in their career right now, and there is a pretty stark difference.
"His willingness to buy in… even knowing that this is really hard… when you tangibly see results day over day, month over month, it makes it easier to keep believing in the work that you’re doing. So it’s a credit to Brady [Collins] and his staff—and obviously a credit to Tucker for how he goes about his business."
Ashcraft isn’t alone.
Jackson Acker has settled nicely into a hybrid tight end/fullback role—slipping out for catches, setting edges, and doing a little of everything. Grant Stec, the former four-star recruit, is turning heads in his second season after battling through injuries and putting in the time to develop.
“He went down last year and took every single rep on scout team, broke his hand twice, didn’t come out, and just got to play against a really good defense week in and week out,” said Letton. “He works incredibly hard off the field… and good things happen for guys like that.”
That work ethic is showing up now. Then there’s JT Seagreaves, the in-state product from Monroe, who’s gotten plenty of reps with the second team this Spring.
He played 73 snaps in 2024—55 of which came as a run blocker—and caught just four passes for 44 yards. But don’t mistake that for a ceiling. Seagreaves has the athletic profile to be more than just a rotational piece for the Badgers.
The question has always been whether he can harness it consistently enough to earn trust and carve out a bigger role.
“JT—he’s as talented as anybody we have in the room,” Letton shared. “The challenge with JT has been: ‘Hey, can you do this? Can you use your gifts consistently enough? Can you do the right job consistently enough for the rest of the team to trust that you’re going to go out there and do the right job?"
Letton noted that Seagreaves dealt with a pec injury during winter training and missed some early spring reps, but his growth throughout the latter half of camp hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“You’re seeing more and more and more consistency out of him as spring has gone on,” Letton said. “He’s got a lot of tools for us to be able to leverage in the offense. So I’m excited to see how he finishes up.”
Jackson McGohan remains an intriguing pass-catching option who’s still working to round out his game, and early enrollee Emmett Bork has started to settle in.
“I’m sure you notice—the tight ends do maybe more than any other position group when it comes to play types, and job responsibility, location, pre-snap, things like that,” Letton said. “We’ve got a lot of unique skill sets in the room… so what’s been fun is trying to find who the best is at certain things.”
That competition has been noticeable. So has the shift in identity.
“I do think you’re starting to see some of that become a little bit more of our offense’s identity,” Letton said when asked about two-tight end sets.
“Not only does it make us more physical and more of a presence in the run game, but then you start to play with the combinations… a Tucker and an Acker, or a Grant and a Tucker… the different play types that you can utilize and still have the physicality we want.”
But there’s a challenge in all of this too. For all the experimentation taking place, this group has to replace a projected starter. They have to block, catch passes over the middle, protect, and be ready for every pre-snap shift and motion that Grimes throws at them.
That’s a big ask.
But with spring practice coming to a close, the Badgers have a better idea of what they’re working with. They didn’t panic when Koziol left—they doubled down on development. Ashcraft has made strides. Stec is coming on. Acker and Seagreaves bring some versatility. There’s a path forward. But let’s be honest: whether that’s enough is another question entirely.
Adding a more experienced tight end from the portal—someone who can contribute right away and raise the level of competition—would still be a wise move. Ideally, that incoming transfer would be of starter quality—or something close to it.
Koziol’s departure may not be this staff’s fault, but it’s absolutely their problem now. And as they head into a pivotal 2025 season after missing a bowl game last year, they’ll need to take a serious look in the mirror and ask themselves if this room’s—talent, depth, and all—is enough to help them win football games. Because this team has got a lot to prove.
A lot of teams say they want to be multiple. Wisconsin’s tight ends are being asked to live it—and you’re going to see a lot more 11 and 12 personnel this season under Grimes. Whether this group is ready to meet that moment remains to be seen. But the expectations are clear. Now, it’s about turning potential into production under coach Letton.
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Seagreaves is a Monroe HS graduate, not Mount Horeb.