Isaiah Mullens explained that he has received a few nicknames over his time in Madison, but the one that currently sticks is "Big Tree." That is fitting, given his 6-foot-4, 297-pound stature on the Wisconsin defensive line.
Where did that moniker come from? Mullens credits Shaun Snee, UW's director of football strength and conditioning.
"Coach Snee was the one who kind of brought it up," Mullens told BadgerBlitz.com on Monday. "I got a lot of nicknames, man. Like 'Baywatch' because I guess I run in slow motion. I look really big running. Like I said 'Big Tree,' Coach Snee was the one that kind of made that up. 'Big Jelly' was another one my freshman year.
"I have a lot of nicknames," Mullens continued after a laugh, "but I say 'Big Tree' is the main one they call me."
Mullens' play this season also fits that description of "Big Tree," firmly planting his roots and becoming a presence on Wisconsin's defensive front. The redshirt junior end has played in all eight games for the Badgers this season, starting four contests and contributing 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
One-and-a-half of those sacks came in the past two games against Purdue and Iowa. Last week, he teamed up with inside linebacker Leo Chenal to tackle quarterback Spencer Petras in the backfield during the Hawkeyes' first offensive snap of the second quarter. The drive ended with a Nick Herbig strip-sack, and the defense once again overwhelmed an opponent's attempt at protecting their signal caller.
The week prior in West Lafayette, Mullens registered a full sack on Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer, producing another key first down stop. This time it came on the Boilermakers' first offensive play after the Badgers took a 20-13 lead in the third quarter.
Head coach Jeff Brohm deployed three quarterbacks on that snap as Austin Burton handed off the ball to Plummer, who ran to the right side of the field while Burton and Aidan O'Connell scurried off to the left. Mullens stayed home and worked past offensive lineman Cam Craig and tackled the signal caller for a four-yard loss.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard believes Mullens has grown this year.
"Just always physical, right?" Leonhard said on Monday. "He's a big, strong kid, and through experience, I think he's really gaining a lot of confidence. He is being that physical guy, but seeing the last couple of weeks, getting some sacks, a little bit more production. Credit to him, I think he put in a great offseason, and now once again, as I mentioned with experience, you just see him continuing to grow week in and week out.
"I think he's confident in who he is. He knows the type of player he is, and he's putting that out there every single week."
A lot of attention this season has gone to fellow defensive linemen Matt Henningsen and Keeanu Benton. The duo has combined to register 33 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss as Wisconsin (5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) faces Rutgers (4-4, 1-4) on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. (2:30 p.m. CT, BTN).
That being said, Mullens' performance through eight games also deserves mention as part of a defense that leads the nation in rushing yards allowed (49.6) and total yards given up (214.6). The fourth-year Badger "got off to a good start" and has "continued to build on that," according to head coach Paul Chryst on Monday.
The leader of the football program also branched out to discuss his appreciation of the progression of reserve nose tackle Bryson Williams and mentioned second-team defensive end Rodas Johnson by name when answering a question about Mullens. Chryst expressed "confidence in the next guys," in his words, before turning back to "Big Tree."
"No doubt, Isaiah, I think he's been playing good football," Chryst said. "Each experience, he can still build on. He's gaining the experience, and when you do, boy you can truly benefit from that. I think he's gaining confidence through it, and he's been fun to see, kind of his approach and how he's been doing."
Mullens pointed to the confidence Chryst and Leonhard mentioned as a main area in his game that has grown. He came into this season with 20 games played; however, he claimed no starts on defense with fellow ends Henningsen, Garrett Rand and Isaiahh Loudermilk receiving more time on the line.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) reported the Ohio native playing just 44 snaps from 2019-20, 42 of them last year. He recorded only 0.5 tackles for loss and five total stops before this season, and he felt that he was not receiving a lot of playing time and an opportunity to show what he could do.
Rand and Loudermilk departed the program after the 2020 season, with the former walking away from football due to injuries and the latter moving on to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mullens admitted he missed some time during Wisconsin's spring practices -- UW designated him with a left leg injury in late April -- but he recalled that belief in his abilities blossomed during fall camp in August while adapting to game speed.
"As the days gone by, as the weeks have gone by, and as the first game came along, I started gaining more confidence each and every day. It's been an honor and a blessing just to get the opportunity."
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