Five under-the-radar Badgers who could surprise in 2024

If you were told a year ago that in 2023, tailback Jackson Acker would finish second on the Badgers in carries, would you believe that? How about that Preston Zachman would be the No. 2 safety for all intents and purposes?

Every roster in the country has surprises like those every fall. That's particularly true in a head coach's debut season —with Luke Fickell implementing a brand new staff and scheme, there was no telling who might emerge. With his system more firmly in place for year two, that may no longer be the case. Still, there will always be surprises in terms of reps, snap counts and playmakers.

With that, which of the less-heralded Badgers on this roster could surprise this fall? BadgerBlitz.com takes a look below.

As a true freshman, inside linebacker Christian Alliegro only played 53 snaps last fall. But they were an exhilarating 53 snaps for a youngster who proved he belonged as soon as he stepped on the gridiron. And these weren't mop-up duty snaps, either. Alliegro's first playing time on defense came in a nail-biter of a road game against Illinois, with Wisconsin needing one more stop to steal the victory.

On that drive, Alliegro was asked to spy Illini quarterback Luke Altmeyer, as inside backers coach and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel recognized the freshman's speed was exactly what he needed in that scenario. That speed, coupled with a nose for the football and a distinct level of physicality, makes Alliegro one of the more exciting young talents on the roster.

However, with a revamped inside linebacker room that includes three transfers and returns its top player, Jake Chaney, reps could be hard to come by once again this fall. Nonetheless, Tressel knows what he has in Alliegro, and recognized that certain situations may allow for him to go deeper down the inside backer pecking order.

“The most, probably, I’ve ever played is four for two positions in your normal, base down packages. But then, there’s also been situations where you can get one or two more in situational packages. Whether it’s third down, or maybe against big personnel groupings or things like that," he said this spring. "So four normally, but then you hope with the talent level going up, you can get more in packages.”

Alliegro has a shot to crack that aforementioned top four, but it not, it sounds as though he'll still have opportunities to contribute this fall.

The spring transfer portal window tends to come with much less fanfare and hype than its winter counterpart, but don't let that distract you from the fact that the Badgers landed a pass-catcher with serious upside in May. Boston College transfer Joseph Griffin Jr. adds needed size at 6-foot-3, but more exciting is that he pairs that with what appears to be an extremely well-rounded skillset.

It might not be an embarrassment of riches quite yet, but Wisconsin is certainly loaded at slot receiver. Between the established star Will Pauling, the spring camp darling Trech Kekahuna and promising true freshman Kyan Berry-Johnson, the Badgers should be set in the slot both now and later. But the lack of a consistent outside playmaker — an issue that plagued Wisconsin last season — was still evident this spring.

As a jump-ball threat with good hands and budding run-after-catch ability, Griffin could be one of the main answers to that problem. He'll be a key player to track this fall camp.

Speaking of the spring portal window, the Badgers addressed another hugely important position of need by flipping former Louisville signee defensive lineman Brandon Lane. The FCS transfer out of Stephen F. Austin was highly coveted in the portal, and was briefly committed to Michigan State before pledging to Louisville.

Defensive linemen are perhaps the biggest premium in college football right now. That's maybe never been more apparent than this offseason, in which Rodas Johnson and Gio Paez — who were by all measures mediocre at best in Madison — found new homes at SEC powerhouses Texas A&M and LSU, respectively.

Lane is another acquisition this staff has made from the lower levels of the sport whose skills they hope will translate to the Big Ten. The jury isn't quite done deliberating on cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean (formerly with D-II Grand Valley State) and outside linebacker John Pius (formerly with FCS William & Mary), but both are extremely promising players heading into the fall.

Last season, Lane logged 44 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. It remains to be seen where he fits into a defensive line that returns its top player James Thompson and brought in another transfer from a lower level of college football, former Albany lineman Elijah Hills. But if the Badgers are going to improve on their porous defensive line play from a season ago, Lane figures to be a big reason why.

The top of the Badgers' safety room shouldn't come as a surprise this fall: Hunter Wohler and Austin Brown as the top two options, with Zachman and Kamo'i Latu sprinkled in here and there. But a sneaky pick to be this year's Zachman — i.e., an un-heralded safety who winds up playing nearly starter-level snaps — could easily be redshirt freshman Braedyn Moore.

What's exciting about Moore is that positionally, he's extremely fluid. This spring, he lined up all over the formation, from the slot to the box to the back end. That's exactly what Tressel wants on defense. So, while Zachman impressed last season with his football IQ, Moore's versatility and athleticism could get him on the field sooner rather than later. This spring, new safeties coach Alex Grinch acknowledged the importance of a safety who can do it all.

"It’s a job description that’s lengthy in college football nowadays," he said. "As I tell guys, safeties have to be able to cover a 6-foot-4 wide receiver, a 5-foot-9 speed guy in the slot and a 6-foot-7 tight end. And oh by the way, you’ve gotta stop the run when they run it.”

There's lots of experience ahead of Moore, but this staff has proven they don't have any qualms with playing someone who fits the skillset they need ahead of a more experienced player. It'll be fascinating to see how and where Moore gets on the field this season.

Capping off a defense-heavy list is Toledo transfer cornerback RJ Delancy. The fifth-year senior was worth keeping an eye on before his rock-solid spring camp performance, as in 2023, he put together a better statistical season in terms of coverage — albeit in a smaller sample size — than his teammate Quinyon Mitchell, who was a first round NFL Draft selection this spring.

Delancy can play the slot or the outside, and gives Wisconsin another legit game-ready corner whom it can deploy wherever needed. He'll likely battle it out with Max Lofy for the starting slot job this fall camp, but he'll be helpful wherever the Badgers play him.

If Delancy can carry over his impressive 37.5 percent reception percentage from a season ago into Camp Randall Stadium, the staff will have no choice but to play him regularly. Pair that with Ricardo Hallman, one of the better returning corners in the nation, and Fourqurean, who Fickell told reporters is one of the most improved players on the roster, and the Badgers could have an extremely stingy cornerback trio this fall.

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