Vinny Anthony helping set the standard for Wisconsin football WR room
Vinny Anthony has embraced a leadership role in the Wisconsin Badgers' WR room and is primed to be the go-to target in Jeff Grimes' offense.
When you look at the Wisconsin football team's offense heading into 2025, there’s no mistaking who the Badgers expect to be their top target in the passing game. Senior wide receiver Vinny Anthony isn’t just providing returning production, he’s returning as the heartbeat of a position group that’s undergone plenty of change.
A year ago, Anthony was coming off two modest seasons and stepping into an offense still searching to find its rhythm. All he did in 2024 was deliver the kind of breakout campaign that cements a player as a go-to option: 39 catches for a team‑high 672 yards, four touchdowns, and an impressive 17.2 yards per reception. That came with a 70.7 receiving grade, per Pro Football Focus, the best mark of his Badgers career, while working with wildly inconsistent quarterback play from Braedyn Locke.
Now, in an offense transitioning toward a more balanced, NFL‑style system under Jeff Grimes, Anthony’s role as WR1 is taking shape. And for position coach Jordan Reid, his emergence isn’t just about what he can do on the field, it’s about the example he’s setting for everyone in the room.
Reid said Anthony’s leadership was a point of emphasis from the moment he arrived. He noticed the jump in spring ball, but now sees it on another level. Anthony is pushing both himself and all his teammates to be better.
"You see him challenging other guys, challenging himself. And I always think with the leadership perspective, when somebody holds himself to a higher standard, they can hold other people to that standard," Reid told reporters. "And Vinny Anthony embodies that without a question. He has done that, and it's paid dividends within the rest of the room as well."
That kind of leadership didn't just show up one day. Anthony’s path to this point started when he came to Wisconsin as a three‑star out of Louisville Male High School in Kentucky, choosing Paul Chryst and the Badgers over offers from Duke, Cincinnati, among others. He wasn’t the most heralded name in the class, rated the No. 5 player in Kentucky and the No. 105 receiver nationally. Still, Anthony put in the work and paid his dues to establish himself as a cornerstone offensive piece in Madison.
He’s weathered a coaching change, stuck it out when plenty of others didn’t, and grown into both a veteran voice and one of Wisconsin’s most trusted big‑play options. Of his career‑high 672 yards a season ago, 291 came after the catch and 154 came after first contact, showing he’s a lot more than a one‑trick pony. When Anthony gets the ball on short to intermediate routes, he wastes no time dancing. The 6-foot wideout plants his foot, gets north‑south, and helps the offense move the chains.
And the numbers back up what you see on tape. Anthony led the Badgers with 2.29 yards per route run, paired with a 12.5‑yard average depth of target, meaning he’s not just catching empty calories underneath; he’s working every blade of grass. He also compiled 14 explosive plays of 15+ yards and led all Wisconsin receivers with 10 missed tackles forced.
When it came to moving the sticks, no one on the team did it better: 21 of his 39 receptions went for first downs, the most on the team. Quarterbacks posted a 119.0 passer rating when targeting him, also tops on the Badgers, and his 0.097 Wins Above Average rating graded in the 82nd percentile nationally, per PFF. In other words, when the ball found Anthony, good things happened, and often in game‑changing ways.