Post-Fall Camp Position Overview: Wisconsin Badgers Wide Receivers

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 receivers, a unit under new direction in first-year coach Kenny Guiton.

STOCK UP

Chris Brooks Jr.: If Wisconsin wants to expand its passing game this season, it needs a big-bodied receiver who can out-muscle cornerbacks and clear out room underneath for the Badgers' twitchy slot weapons to thrive. Enter the 6-foot-2, 218-pound redshirt sophomore Brooks.

The perimeter receiver was absent for spring camp, but managed to make some noise this fall. That comes as little surprise — when Brooks has been on the practice field, he's been one of the more dynamic downfield threats on the roster. The issue, of course, is that injuries have prevented him from making some of the highlights he makes in practice on Saturdays.

Brooks has battled injuries and other receivers on the roster for playing time his entire career in Madison. Even towards the beginning of fall camp, he was a limited participant. But as fall camp heated up, so did Brooks. The receiver asserted himself as one of the most physical in Guiton's room. With the number of wideouts that can feasibly contribute, it may be hard to find regular snaps for Brooks. Still, he screams a 'younger Bryson Green waiting in the wings'.

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Joseph Griffin Jr.: First of all, this is splitting hairs. Wisconsin's receiver room looks deep and capable, and now perhaps finally possesses an ability to make plays on the perimeter. Still, one of the players who was expected to help the Badgers do just that has gotten off to a slow start in Madison.

The Boston College transfer wideout Griffin in theory represents one of the ways Wisconsin is going to get more production from its outside receivers. He's a big body at 6-foot-4, and has put good hands and wiggle on tape at the power conference level. Still, Griffin had a slow fall camp as he accustomed himself to his new team and schematics. His team reps were limited early on, and while he had his flashes when he did see the field, the rust of joining a program mere weeks before the season kicks off was evident.

"He's an older guy. Joe's an older guy, so he gets it. He knows there's gonna be a learning curve, he knows he doesn't know the offense as well as everyone else," Guiton said. "I'm very excited to watch him. Obviously he's a big dude, very physical with natural strength about him. He sat on his butt for a little while, and now he gets a chance to come out and play a little ball and lift and run and things of that nature. It's a phase he's going through; I'm just happy he's an older guy so he knows how to go through it. He'll be okay."

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BIGGEST QUESTION BEFORE THE SEASON OPENER

What kind of leap can second-year receivers make? That doesn't mean sophomores; rather, receivers that are about to embark on their second year in Madison. Last season, great expectations abounded for newcomers such as Green and CJ Williams. Neither lived up to the hype in year one. What will year two hold? For players like Green and Williams that figure to crack the two-deep, whatever kind of leap they can make is directly correlated to the success of the receiver room as a whole.

Another second-year receiver is Trech Kekahuna. The redshirt freshman has dazzled in practice this offseason, and his innate twitch and elusiveness should be on full display this fall as Wisconsin's second slot receiver.

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

In the 2025 class, Wisconsin has secured two commitments from projected receivers: Cameron Miller, a three-star athlete from New Jersey and Eugene Hilton Jr., a four-star wideout from Indiana.

This is a nice pairing for Wisconsin, as Miller is a slippery slot threat while Hilton projects more as an outside receiver. The Badgers could add to their receiver haul if the right option presented itself down the stretch in the 2025 cycle, but these two represent the next in line at pass-catcher in Madison.

Projected Wide Receiver Depth Chart