5 Stock risers for Wisconsin football coming out of Spring practice
Here's a look at five players who improved their stock during Wisconsin football Spring practice, including several new names poised to impact in 2025.
Luke Fickell and the University of Wisconsin football program just wrapped up its 15 Spring practices, and with it comes a clearer picture of where things stand heading into a pivotal 2025 season.
The Badgers are coming off a 5–7 finish that snapped the program’s 22-year bowl streak — a season that fell well short of expectations and made it clear that a few wholesale changes were needed.
Now, Wisconsin is ushering in a new offensive system under Jeff Grimes, while the defense is expected to look a lot different under Mike Tressel — and that’s probably a good thing after how things played out during a turbulent 2024 season.
“It’s not easily measured,” Fickell said when asked about the team’s progress in coming together. “Adversity shows you a lot of different things, but you listen and wait to hear how guys speak, and what they say, and how they talk... Are the things we preach day in and day out coming out of their mouths? Not when they’re programmed to say them but when they have opportunities to speak and talk. That gives you an indication.
"The guys understand what it takes to be successful and understand what it's going to take to climb this mountain."
With those schematic changes in mind, here’s a look at five players who improved their stock this Spring and positioned themselves to play bigger roles for this football team moving forward.
Dilin Jones, RB
After being buried on the depth chart as a true freshman — finishing the 2024 season with just 16 carries for 88 yards — Dilin Jones came into Spring with something to prove. And by all accounts, he did that.
Jones began to separate himself as the Badgers’ top option in the backfield, flashing good vision, decisiveness, and physicality as a one-cut runner who fits Grimes' run-centric offensive system well.
“He's the kind of the core, the culture, the effort and the attitude,” Fickell said. “Everything he does, he does with intensity, he does with speed — whether he has the ball in his hand, whether he doesn't have the ball in his hand, whether it's a shift, whether it's a motion.
“He has really done a great job of embodying what the culture looks like."
With Darrion Dupree limited due to injury and no additions coming from the portal, Wisconsin’s staff is clearly betting on its young backs to step into bigger roles. Right now, Jones is the one most ready to carry that load. There’s still a long way to go, but if he continues on this trajectory, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him emerge as the feature back this fall. Either way, the 1, 2 punch of Jones and Dupree should be dynamic and a lot of fun to watch.
Charles Perkins, DL
When Wisconsin went hunting for help in the transfer portal this offseason, Charles Perkins wasn’t the splashiest name to hit the wire — but he might end up being one of their most important additions.
The former UT Martin standout arrived with little fanfare, but he quickly carved out a role on a defensive line that needed an injection of size, strength, and energy. Perkins looks like a core piece of E.J. Whitlow’s rotation heading into the fall — not just because of his production, but because of how he’s elevated the room from a culture standpoint.
“Perk's got a great attitude,” Fickell said. “Just his humility, his—not just his love for the game, but his true want to be a part of something bigger than himself—that was pretty evident in the short amount of time that he was here on a visit. And since he's been here… he's appreciative of everything that we're doing. When we push him hard, he's appreciative; when we provide things for him, he's appreciative. More guys around us need to recognize that. Then that starts to show on the football field. He's continuing to grow."
Perkins was a Freshman All-American at the FCS level and earned First Team All-Big South-OVC honors in 2024 after posting 40 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 19 pressures, and 11 quarterback hurries. His tape showed a dense, twitchy interior lineman with real explosiveness — and that’s exactly what Wisconsin's staff saw.
“He plays with power, and he’s got a lot of twitch and snap to him,” coach Whitlow told reporters. “A guy that has that explosion can be a problem for defenses."
Standing at 6-foot-2, 316 pounds, Perkins has all but locked himself into the two-deep — and could be someone this staff leans on for significant snaps this fall.
“He’s getting himself into better shape where he can play a little bit longer,” Fickell explained. “Especially at the size he is now. We’re still trying to figure out what’s best for him because there’s an expectation that he’s not just going to play three, four, five, six snaps. He’s a guy that’s got to help us with a lot of snaps this year.”
Jayden Ballard, WR
After four seasons buried on Ohio State’s loaded depth chart, Jayden Ballard transferred to Wisconsin in search of a fresh start — and so far, he’s made the most of it since arriving in Madison.
The former top-100 recruit has quickly stepped into a starting role on the boundary opposite Vinny Anthony and looks like a big-play threat that Billy Edwards Jr. needs in Grimes' offense.
Ballard brings real vertical speed and has the kind of explosiveness needed to get behind a defense — something this team has been missing or, at the very least, doesn't often have in abundance.
He’s the type of receiver who could thrive off play-action and stretch the field, particularly in an offense that wants to take a lot more shots downfield.
Fickell has praised Ballard’s growth throughout Spring — not just as a deep threat, but in other aspects of the job.
“Jayden’s done a good job,” Fickell said of Ballard. "What we’ve seen is a confidence level that's started to grow. I’m seeing some contested catches, which is what makes me excited. He’s shown some things — the contested catches, the physicality — and I just see a growth.”
After logging just 11 receptions in four years with the Buckeyes, Ballard has a chance to re-write his story's ending. And based on what we saw, he’s trending toward being one of Wisconsin’s top offensive playmakers this fall.
Geimere Latimer II, CB
After a wave of offseason departures hit Paul Haynes’ cornerback room, Wisconsin needed to add experience and depth in a hurry — and Geimere Latimer II has quietly looked like a nice transfer portal pickup on that side of the ball.
The Jacksonville State transfer was brought in as a necessary depth piece, but by the end of Spring, he was repping as the first-team nickel cornerback. That’s a sign that the staff trusts him but may also lean on him to solidify a position that’s easy to overlook but tough to get right.
Latimer played 670 snaps last season — 344 of them in coverage and 129 in a press look — and posted a 73.0 coverage grade, per PFF, which ranked in the 75th percentile nationally among outside CBs.
Now moved inside, the Fairburn, Georgia native brings versatility and a level of experience, albeit at a lower level, to a secondary that needed both.
“I think we’re fortunate to have him and be able to get him,” Fickell said. “And I think we’re going to see a lot more of him.”
At this point, Latimer looks like the frontrunner to start in the slot—with guys like Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean locked in on the outside.
Matt Jung, safety
Matt Jung might have been the most interesting name to watch heading into Wisconsin’s Spring football practice.
The in-state product from Neenah joined the Badgers via the portal this offseason after dominating at Division III Bethel University, where Jung racked up 181 tackles, 16 interceptions (six pick-sixes), and 15.0 TFLs in just 25 career games.
Naturally, the question was how that production would translate to the Big Ten level. The early returns? Encouraging.
Jung earned occasional reps with the starters this Spring and looked like someone who could push for playing time in a safety room expected to be led by Preston Zachman and Austin Brown. At 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, he brings physicality, instincts, and a relentless motor to a position that puts a lot on a player's plate.
"He's a grown man," Fickell said. "No matter where they play, at what division they play, guys that are passionate about the game—that love the game, they get better. I don't know what he was like coming out of high school. I don't know what he was like in the first year or so. But I can tell you this — he’s a grown man.
"He loves the game. He's passionate about the game. And for 15 practices, he did nothing but get better each and every day,” he continued. “He's going to really, really help us. He's got a bright future."
Jung may not start this fall but don’t be surprised if he’s the next man up.
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