Wisconsin football 2025 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten selections
Seven Wisconsin Badgers football players earned 2025 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten honors as the program enters Year 3 under Luke Fickell.
Athlon Sports released its 2025 preseason All-Big Ten teams, and several familiar names earned recognition for the Wisconsin football team.
The honors come as head coach Luke Fickell enters Year 3 in Madison, one defined less by hype and more by quiet urgency. After two years of inconsistency and unmet expectations, the Badgers return with a new direction, a turned-over roster, and just enough hope that things could finally start trending back toward what Wisconsin used to be.
Here are the Badgers who earned preseason recognition from Athlon:
Riley Mahlman, OL
Let’s start with right tackle Riley Mahlman.
The former 4-star recruit out of Minnesota lands on the first team, and it’s a nod to just how steady he’s been on the right side of Wisconsin’s line. Mahlman has started 31 straight games for the Badgers and brings 33 games of experience overall. That kind of continuity matters.
And while Mahlman hasn’t reached all-conference status during his career just yet, he’s been trending in that direction — enough so that he also appeared on Athlon’s fourth-team All-American list heading into the 2025 season.
At 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds, Mahlman checks every physical box you want in a Big Ten tackle. And based on what he put on tape last season, the arrow is still pointing up. According to PFF, he enters 2025 as the sixth-highest graded returning offensive tackle in the conference with a solid 76.0 grade. He allowed just two sacks on 405 pass-blocking snaps, a testament to both his footwork and consistency in protection.
Now factor in an offseason in the weight room, a new offense under Jeff Grimes, a schedule littered with tough opponents, and you’ve got plenty of opportunities to put together some quality tape for the NFL. This scheme suits Mahlman’s game significantly better than what was asked of him under Phil Longo.
Another year stronger, another year more experienced — the pieces are in place. If he keeps progressing, don’t be surprised when his name shows up on postseason awards lists.
Christian Alliegro, LB
On the third team is inside linebacker Christian Alliegro. That feels about right. He came on like a freight train over the final month of the 2024 season, flashing the kind of speed and awareness that turned heads across the league. Badger fans are right to be excited about his upside.
Alliegro played in all 12 games for Wisconsin last season, starting three, and finished second on the team with 66 tackles (44 solo), 29 stops, seven pressures, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and a pass breakup.
"Well, it's being [more] vocal," Fickell said this spring when asked about where he's seen growth from Alliegro. "I think the most important aspect of a guy, interior linebacker, Mike or Will — those guys inside the middle have got to be able to run everything. His ability to take the next step and run the show out there is really important. The guy in the middle has to be vocal, impose some leadership, and take those rein 'cause that's not easy.
"The difficult thing for guys that haven't played a ton of ball is to show the confidence that you have and be able to lead. That's what we've challenged him with this spring. We’ve seen growth, and he's going to have to continue to grow even more," Fickell continued. "‘Because there's a really high expectation for all the things that he can do for us."
There’s definite star potential if he can stay healthy and put it all together. The folks at Athlon did their homework here.
Ricardo Hallman, CB
Joining him on the third team is cornerback Ricardo Hallman, though that one might actually be selling him a bit short. Two years removed from an All-American season where he led the country in interceptions, Hallman was still one of the least-targeted corners in the Power Five last year.
He didn’t record an interception and missed spring while recovering from shoulder surgery, but make no mistake, he still locked down his side of the field. According to Pro Football Focus, Hallman allowed just 21 catches on 35 targets across 319 coverage snaps. That’s one reception every 8.7 snaps, which ranked ninth-best among all Power Five corners.
The splash plays didn't happen in 2024, but the consistency was quietly efficient. And Hallman has put in the work to finish his career strong.
“I'll be honest, this is a different Rico than I've seen, and I mean that in a lot of different ways,” Fickell told reporters. “Rico is bigger, Rico is stronger, Rico is faster. I know last year was tough because he had to miss all of the offseason with shoulder surgery, but I think more than anything, Rico's got a little bit different mindset and attitude, and it has been noticeable, to be honest with you. I'm really excited about what Rico's done."
And with Nyzier Fourqurean presumably back starting on the opposite side, that only raises the ceiling for Wisconsin’s secondary, arguably the strongest unit on the team. I think Hallman is primed for a big season.
Preston Zachman, S
Safety Preston Zachman is another third-teamer, and it’s a well-earned nod. He led the Badgers in interceptions last season, played a ton of meaningful snaps, and brought real consistency to the back end.
Zachman quietly put together his best season yet in 2024 and was one of Wisconsin’s most reliable defenders start to finish. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound safety racked up 58 tackles (39 solo), 13 stops, six pass breakups, 2.5 TFLs, two interceptions, and a couple of pressures over 12 games.
Per Pro Football Focus, he posted an 80.3 overall grade, second-best on the team, including a 79.0 against the run and 80.0 in coverage. That blend of versatility and production put him in the 88th percentile nationally for coverage and 75th for run defense. He also missed just 8.6% of his tackle attempts, landing in the 82nd percentile in that category.
The Pennsylvania native brings a steady, do-it-all presence to the back end and should complement Austin Brown really well. He may not be the flashiest name, and he might not end the year on an all-conference list, but he's a high-IQ, reliable piece that Wisconsin’s fortunate to have.
Atticus Bertrams, P
Then there’s punter Atticus Bertrams. Not a ton of people get fired up about punting, but he deserves his third-team All-Big Ten recognition. Bertrams flipped the field time and time again last season, giving a sometimes-shaky Badgers team much-needed field position boosts.
“I see myself as a really important part of the team. Field position can mean a great deal in the later stages when it gets harder to move the ball explosively,” Bertrams said. “There’s obviously plenty that goes into a win, and my role may not create or set up points directly, but this staff knows how crucial field position is when trying to wear a team down over four quarters.”
The native of Sydney, Australia, has quietly turned into one of the Big Ten’s most reliable weapons in the field position game. He averaged 45.3 yards per punt last season, third in the conference and 15th nationally, and his 42.4 net average ranked second in the Big Ten. Of his 55 total punts, 21 landed inside the 20, just three went for touchbacks, and only 99 total return yards were allowed. Quiet production, big-time impact.
“I want to be the most dependable guy on the roster. That’s what the job demands,” Bertrams expressed. “There are also 10 other guys that make it happen downfield. I’m just the guy that puts the ball there.”
Jake Renfro (C) and Vinny Anthony (WR)
Two more Badgers cracked the fourth team: wide receiver Vinny Anthony II and center Jake Renfro. Anthony led the team with 672 receiving yards last year and hauled in four touchdowns on 39 receptions, good for 17.2 yards per catch. That mark stands as the best for a Badger with at least 30 catches since Brandon Williams in 2005 and ranked fourth in the Big Ten last season.
He also racked up nine receptions of 30-plus yards, second-most in the conference and top 20 nationally. Throw in a drop rate of just 2.5%, eighth-best in the Big Ten per PFF, and you’re looking at a wideout who’s got a chance to produce like an all-conference receiver.
Anthony has already proven he can make plays down the field. Now he gets a real chance to do it in a more structured, explosive system. With Jayden Ballard stretching the field on the other side and Trech Kekahuna working the middle as a dynamic yards-after-catch slot option, Anthony might finally have the supporting cast to unlock even more.
As for Renfro, the Cincinnati transfer was healthy all year in 2024 after an injury-riddled 2023 and held things down on the interior. He’s a stabilizing force at center and one of the team’s three representatives at Big Ten Media Days, a clear sign the staff values his presence and leadership.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, Renfro earned a career-best 66.5 offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He also finished with a 69.7 mark as a pass-protector and a 65.5 grade as a run-blocker. In 781 total snaps last season, Renfro gave up eight pressures across 399 pass-blocking reps. The former All-AAC First Team center was flagged for six penalties overall, but only one came during the team's final six games.
In all, seven Badgers earned a spot on Athlon's preseason list. And while preseason lists don’t win games, they do offer a snapshot of how the roster is perceived heading into a pivotal third season under Fickell. The expectation is that this team will look more cohesive, more like it knows what it wants to be, and that the staff has made a real effort to correct their mistakes. But with one of the toughest schedules in the country, progress might not show up in the win column.
This is a team fighting to get back to a bowl game, and there’s a mountain to climb to get there.
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