yeah the sim stats in general are a bit off. very few teams with 1,000 yd rushers while passing is over inflated
The Victory Lap.
The Victory Lap.
quite the incoming class. a lot of talent leaving though. net gain or loss? how will you fill Medina's cleats? are you even staying at Wisconsin?
The Victory Lap.
lol
The Victory Lap.
Projecting potential replacements as Badgers defense look to reload, not rebuild, for 2028
Rohan Osen -- Badger247 Senior Football Analyst
Wisconsin finished last season with the nation's top ranked total defense, rushing defense and were second in scoring defense, trailing only Oregon State. The defense helped the Badgers navigate through a season of ups and downs with their offense, still managing eleven games and were just a few votes away from making the College Football Playoffs.
The Badgers are heading into the 2028 season with the expectations -- not blind hope -- that they'll once again be at the doorsteps of the Big Ten Championship Game after making the leap from a six-win team to an eleven-win team win Charles Huff's second season.
It'll be no easy task as they'll be without two of their best defensive players in Taylor Medina and Terhyon Nichols that are now in the NFL as well as two other key starters in defensive end Will McDonald and linebacker Christian Alliegro as well as nearly the entire cornerback group.
Here are the players on deck as potential replacements:
DB Taylor Medina
Role: Nickel corner/safety hybrid, leader of the defense, playmaking ballhawk
2027 stats: 66 tkl, 11 TFL, 0.5 sack, 6 INT, 7 PBU, FF, Thorpe Award, Bednarik Award, First Team All-American, First Team All-Big Ten
Replacement candidates: CB Demario Starr (redshirt junior), LB David Zelenka (redshirt sophomore), S Matthew Gore (true freshman)
On the front end, replacing Taylor Medina will be practically impossible for the Badgers as he was one of the best players in all of college football the past two seasons and the unquestioned leader of the defense, making big time plays when most required. From a schematic standpoint, it might be even harder to replace the edge that Medina provided the coaching staff with the ability to play at nickel, boundary corner, deep lying safety or even in the box.
The Badgers tried out a few options throughout the spring, primarily with Demario Starr bumping inside from outside corner as he's probably one of their best man coverage guys but with corner being so thin (more on that later), his talents might be needed elsewhere on the outside.
The team also experimented with David Zelenka, the sophomore linebacker, at that position at times as well as true freshman Matthew Gore, the talented four-star recruit. Gore has the tools and physical profile to eventually be a Taylor Media offshoot but expecting a true freshman to line up play in and play out at the Big Ten level is a tall task, no matter how talented he is.
Zelenka is a freak athlete and someone they want to get on the field but does he have the 'stickiness' to be effective in man coverage when lined up against some of the better slot receivers?
FS Terhyon Nichols
Role: Deep lying free safety
2027 stats: 62 tkl, 4 TFL, INT, 4 PBU
Replacement candidates: S Marques Sneed (redshirt sophomore), Jamerson Knowles (redshirt freshman), Cole Chocolatey (true freshman)
While the counting numbers weren't there, Tehryon Nichols played an important role in Wisconsin's defense, helping take away the deep part of the field and limiting the big plays.
Marques Sneed, who played a limited role last season as a backup with 241 snaps, got the start in the spring game but the young guys are definitely coming. Sneed is a limited athlete but a technician back there with sound coverage skills and a knack for knowing where the ball is going to be. On his heels are two five-star prospects in Jamerson Knowles who redshirted last year and true freshman Cole Chocolatey who is coming in ahead of where Knowles was as a true freshman.
We saw Wisconsin's defense struggle in Jerome Singleton's first season when they didn't have that roaming free safety back there, eventually putting Rico Smith in Thomas Heiberger's spot and moving the slower Heiberger back to linebacker. From an athletic profile standpoint, Sneed is a lot closer to Heiberger than Smith or any other deep lying free safety that Singleton has had success with at Wisconsin.
EDGE Will McDonald
Role: Pass rushing specialist
2027 stats: 15 tkl, 7 TFL, 4 sacks
Replacement candidates: IDL Charles Riley (redshirt senior), LB Josh Devey (redshirt junior)
The Badgers have a few options, depending on how they want to structure that front line. Charles Riley played a lot of snaps as an interior lineman last year, despite being listed on the roster at defensive end. He'll likely be the team's five-technique in their base 3-3-5 front but when they dig into their sub package with four defensive lineman, Riley was one of the rotational pieces at defensive tackle behind Brian Coale, Stewart Sullivan and Ernest Willor Jr.
Now, Wisconsin could decide to role with Coale and Sullivan on the inside in those looks with Riley, Willor Jr. and Kirk Kennedy rotating on the outside but Willor Jr. had a lot more success as an interior pass rusher so if they decide to keep him there, Riley could be the first choice on the outside opposite of Kennedy.
If they ultimately decide to keep their top guys -- Coale, Sullivan, Willor and Riley -- on the inside, another option is linebacker Josh Devey which would give them some more juice on the edge which Will McDonald was able to provide last year as a speed rusher and the ability to drop into coverage.
LB Christian Alliegro
Role: Base WILL linebacker
2027 stats: 38 tkl, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 PBU
Replacement candidates: LB Thomas Heiberger (redshirt senior), LB Coco Generals (senior), LB Roddy Orr (redshirt senior), LB Tony Tripp (redshirt senior), LB Robert York (redshirt sophomore)
Thomas Heiberger figures to continue to be the team's WILL linebacker in their sub packages while Coco Generals is a potential starter at SAM linebacker, rotating with Kirk Kennedy who is more of a pass rusher. But they still figure to be involved in this loaded competition for the starting WILL spot in the team's base defense, where Christian Alliegro was very effective as a down hill player, freeing up lanes for Landon Gauthier who recorded 24 tackles for loss.
The Badgers improved their depth at the position in the spring with transfer portal additions Tony Tripp and Robert York with Tripp recording 78 tackles, three tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks for Iowa State last season while Tripp is a high potential player out of Ohio State.
Another name to watch is Roddy Orr who was a sub package rotational piece at WILL last year and is entering his third year in the program after transferring from Iowa.
This is a hard positional battle to handicap as they all bring different assets to the table with Heiberger, Orr, and York being more coverage guys while Generals and Tripp are more physical linebackers that aren't afraid to bring some punishment when they strike.
CB Amare Snowden, Watts McBride, Jace Arnold
Role: Starting cornerbacks
2027 stats: Snowden (45 tkl, 4 TFL, INT, 5 PBU), Jace Arnold (43 tkl, 6 PBU), Watts McBride (41 tkl, 2 TFL, 5 PBU, 2 FF)
Replacement candidates: CB Omilio Agard (redshirt senior), CB Von Tiffin (redshirt freshman), CB Demario Starr (redshirt junior), S Matthew Gore (true freshman), CB Sam Tuaau (true freshman), CB Demetrius Telfort (true freshman),
By the end of the season, the starting corners were Demario Starr and Watts McBride following the benching of Amare Snowden with Omilio Agard being a rotational piece as well. Starr does have that experience on the outside but as previously stated, the team could opt to play him in that versatile nickel role that Taylor Medina played last season.
If they do, Agard projects to be the front runner to be one of the two outside corners with open competition at the remaining spots. Von Tiffin really impressed in the spring, at times looking like the team's best man corner. There's also true freshman Matthew Gore who the team wants to get on the field and if he's unable to crack the rotation at safety, could they throw him in at corner? He's a good enough coverage guy and athlete to do it but will it stunt his development to cross train him at both safety and corner?
Other potential candidates include Sam Tuaau and Demetrius Telfort, who the coaching staff view as potential stars.
The Victory Lap.
Wisconsin was good enough to make the playoffs but didn't get selected, can they make an undeniable claim this season?
Adriana Castillo -- usfwire.usatoday.com
Wisconsin was ultimately a few plays away from playing in the Big Ten Championship Game and could have found themselves in the College Football Playoffs for the first time in school history.
The Badgers return plenty of talent but will have to replace key players such as quarterback Cole LaCrue, safety Taylor Medina and receiver Trech Kekahuna along with most of their secondary. If they're able to thanks to the top ranked overall recruiting class when combining high school and transfer, Charles Huff should have the Badgers rolling in his third-year as the Badgers head coach and kicking the door down into the playoffs instead of knocking.
Ten Best Wisconsin Players
1. C George Purvis, Rs Sophomore
2. G Tremaine Haddad, Rs Sophomore
3. DT Brian Coale, Rs Junior
4. DE Ernest Willor Jr, Rs Senior
5. LB Landon Gauthier, Rs Senior
6. S Rico Smith, Rs Junior
7. LB Thomas Heiberger, Rs Senior
8. G Larry Calmelat, Rs Junior
9. OLB Kirk Kennedy, Rs Senior
10. WR Ofisa Rome, Rs Junior
Schedule
Aug 31 vs. #21 Purdue
Sep 9 vs. William & Mary
Sep 16 vs. #16 Utah
Sep 23 at Marshall
Sep 30 vs. Illinois
Oct 7 at Iowa
Oct 12 at Rutgers
Oct 21 at Indiana
Nov 4 vs. UCLA
Nov 11 at #3 USC
Nov 18 at Washington
Nov 25 at Minnesota
Preseason All-American
Second Team
HB Alex Timmerman
G Tremaine Haddad
Preseason All Big Ten
First Team
HB Alex Timmerman
G Tremaine Haddad
DT Brian Coale
Second Team
T Lamar Yelder
LB Thomas Heiberger
What to watch for on offense: Cole Lacrue wasn't the most exciting quarterback but he certainly embodied 'do not harm' and with a loaded offensive line and a defense that projects to be another elite unit, that might be what Wisconsin needs in its next signal caller.
It's a three-man race between Frederick Tripucka, Dean Dalton and true freshman Ramon Byard, the five-star out of IMG Academy. Tripucka is the most experienced, having backed up Lacrue for the past two seasons while Dalton came in with a lot of hype but hasn't progressed the way the coaching staff expected him to, at one point being in contention to start in place of Lacrue two seasons ago before falling down to QB3 on the depth chart last year.
What to watch for on defense: How do you replace Taylor Medina and do you even try to replace him?
That's the question for the Badgers and their coaching staff as the loss of Medina, the ballhawk defensive back, will be a tough one to subsidize but Singleton has shown the ability to adapt to different personnel in his young career as a defensive coordinator and the Badgers have recruited at an extremely high level the past two seasons.
The team will be far better if... they can replace a secondary that lost five key players and are able to withstand not having running back Sal McCracken for the year as he's still recovering from a broken leg injury that he suffered last year.
Key players to a successful season: They landed one of the top receivers in the portal in Missouri's Ofisa Rome and with a limited wide receiver room and questions at quarterback, Rome will need to be a true dominant WR1 to help a Wisconsin offense that was stagnant at times last year.
Defensively, their front line is loaded between Brian Coale, Stewart Sullivan, Ernest Willor Jr, Charles Riley and Kirk Kennedy so between them, they should be able to make up for the deficiencies in the backend.
The season will be a success if...Wisconsin makes the Big Ten Championship Game.
Key game: The late season trip to USC will be a big one and likely either put them in poll position to make the Big Ten Championship Game or knock them out of it.
Game by Game Predictions
Aug 31 vs. #21 Purdue: L
Sep 9 vs. William & Mary: W
Sep 16 vs. #16 Utah: W
Sep 23 at Marshall: W
Sep 30 vs. Illinois: W
Oct 7 at Iowa: W
Oct 12 at Rutgers: W
Oct 21 at Indiana: W
Nov 4 vs. UCLA: W
Nov 11 at #3 USC: L
Nov 18 at Washington: W
Nov 25 at Minnesota: W
The Victory Lap.
This the season, we going all the way 
The Victory Lap.
Leave no doubt
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Captain Canada
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The Victory Lap.
This is the season, let's go
The Victory Lap.
I'd feel pretty confident if I was controlling the offense but with me simming the offense, you just never know which games will be duds