Post-Fall Camp Position Overview: Wisconsin Badgers Tight Ends

Following the conclusion of fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com will take a look at each position group and where they stand with the final phase of the offseason wrapping up.

We'll continue our offensive overviews with the tight ends, a unit entering year two of the coach Nate Letton era in Madison.

STOCK UP

Overall development: This is one of the younger, more inexperienced rooms on the roster. Wisconsin's scholarship tight ends consist of two true freshmen, three sophomores and a senior who's only been a tight end for one full season. It's a position group that needed a complete revamp when the Badgers transitioned to an air raid offense under play-caller Phil Longo, and said revamp is still very much a work in progress. However, slowly but surely, Wisconsin's young tight ends are finding their way.

"We didn't have a lot of competitive maturity this spring, being able to sustain throughout practice. The youth had something do to with that. I thought they accepted that challenge well, and I think you've seen that consistency throughout camp," Letton said. "Practice to practice, play to play it's been a lot improved. And what that's done is create some competition within the room, and heighten everybody's level of play a little so I've been really pleased with that."

Knowledge of the offense and off-the-field maturity are things that naturally take time for the youngsters to develop. But Letton also sees his players' abilities expanding, an exciting prospect for the second-year coach. He spoke glowingly of sophomore Tucker Ashcraft's development as a run-blocker.

"Tucker was always a willing participant, but sometimes a little out of control, found himself in little problems. I think what you've seen from him, talking about that growth, a guy that we're gonna be counting on a lot, who's still just a second-year guy, is taking that coaching day by day. Focusing on one element of the run-blocking and the pass game or whatever it is and being able to apply that day over day and not loosing what he had built on," Letton said.

STOCK DOWN

Emergence of a true No. 1: It's hard to consider this a true stock down, because the stock wasn't there to begin with. Wisconsin hasn't had a true No. 1, every-down tight end since Jake Ferguson. Last season, an underwhelming combination of Ashcraft, Riley Nowakowsi and Hayden Rucci handled the tight end by committee approach in Madison. After another spring and fall camp, that doesn't appear to be remedied just yet.

There's nothing inherently bad about using multiple tight ends — in fact, that's been a staple of some of Longo's most successful offenses. Still, having to piece together a tight end room with varying skillsets can make it harder to operate with fluidity. Letton addressed that topic with reporters this spring.

"It's a lot of fun for me as a coach, but we wanna make sure we challenge everybody to supplement the parts of their game that maybe they're not the best at, because we wanna have versatility across the board," he said. "But when you do have guys with different skillsets, number one it gives you an opportunity to put different personnel on the field to attack defenses. Number two, it allows you to play at some tempo, because you have guys that can do different jobs. I think we have that right now, specifically at the top end of the room."

Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

BIGGEST QUESTION BEFORE THE SEASON OPENER

Who's the third tight end? At this point, it's pretty clear that Nowakowski and Ashcraft sit atop the pecking order. Those two should receive the majority of the reps, particularly early on in the season. But who emerges as the tight end No. 3? There's a handful of candidates, and it's anyone's best guess.

The most intriguing? Jackson McGohan, the athletic LSU transfer who projects more as a wide receiver/tight end hybrid. The biggest potential surprise? JT Seagreaves, the speedy redshirt sophomore who has flashed but lacks consistency. The biggest sleeper? True freshman Grant Stec, whom Letton praised this spring as being more developed as a blocker than he initially expected.

Ultimately, this unit is still a tad subpar in terms of talent that's ready to contribute consistently. Nonetheless, tracking the emergence of new contributors and the development of youngsters will be fascinating at the tight end position this fall.

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

After reeling in two tight ends in the 2024 cycle, Wisconsin appears content to sign one in the 2025 class. The Badgers currently hold a verbal commit from Indianapolis native Nizyi Davis.

Though he's only a three-star prospect, the Badges feel as though they've legitimately landed one of the better tight ends in the country. Davis is a versatile ball of clay who thrives as both a receiver and blocker on his high school tape. His pass-catching ability, however, is what really stands out about his game and makes him an excellent fit in Longo's offense. Slowly but surely, Letton is building a bright future at tight end in Madison.

Projected Tight End Depth Chart