Following the conclusion of spring 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.

Grant Stec

When spring began, the tight end room could be divided into two groups. There were the veteran known quantities — Tanner Koziol, Tucker Ashcraft and Jackson Acker. Then the less-established question marks — Grant Stec, JT Seagreaves and Emmett Bork.

Of the veterans, Koziol obviously left. And Acker was revealed to be more of a fullback-tight end hybrid, and thus can’t really be discussed in the same way as the other guys.

The question of spring became clear — which of the second tier of guys could emerge as the No. 2 behind Ashcraft? It feels safe to say that Stec won the sweepstakes. He’s easily the most balanced and consistent of the second group.

Stec, a redshirt freshman, struggled with injuries last season and could never have much of an impact. But the coaches have lauded his work ethic, and it’s showed up on the practice field.

He’s not a terribly dangerous receiver yet. And he’s not as lethal of a blocker as someone like Acker. But he’s reliable in both of those areas, and is on the path to becoming the Badgers’ tight end of the future.

J.T. Seagreaves

The story of Stec’s emergence would be incomplete without discussing who he beat out. Seagreaves is the second-oldest player in the room, behind Acker, yet was surpassed by another young guy.

The issue for Seagreaves isn’t talent. Behind McGohan, he might be the most athletic tight end in the room. When he would pull down contested catches and race down the seam, he looked like a real weapon. The issue is that we simply didn’t see enough of those plays.

“He’s as talented as anybody we have in the room,” tight ends coach Nate Letton said about Seagreaves.

“The challenge for JT, since I’ve been here, is, ‘Hey, can you do this and can you use your gifts consistently enough for the rest of the team to trust that you’re gonna go out there and do the right job?’”

On the bright side for Seagreaves, the tight end room isn’t solidified enough at the top to write him off. He could have a great fall camp and be right back in the conversation for the No. 2 job. But, based on what we know about Seagreaves, it’s tough to predict that duration of success.

Can Tucker Ashcraft be a real No. 1?

The sudden departure of Koziol had a major impact on several people. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes lost a potential centerpiece of the passing game. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. lost a potential top weapon. But for Ashcraft, it meant that he would now have to step back into the No. 1 tight end role.

He’s essentially been the top player in his room since his freshman season. But Longo’s offense never prioritized the tight end position, so it never felt like he had that much pressure.

Grimes, however, does value tight ends. It’s part of why they pursued a big name in Koziol. He may have left, but the need for a top tight end in this offense remains. And Ashcraft is their best bet.

But can he actually do it? I don’t know yet.

He has a harder time being impactful when the play isn’t designed for him, which isn’t ideal for his position. Few offenses run through the tight ends. Their greatest value is often as a safety valve who can be turned to when the play breaks down.

Ashcraft simply hasn’t shown the ability to be a consistently reliable force. We won’t know how truly impactful he is in this offense until they play real games. But I expected a better spring.

The Badgers boast two tight ends in the 2025 class — Emmett Bork and Nizyi Davis.

Bork enrolled early and thus already has a full spring camp under his belt. The biggest thing that stood out was his body. At 6-foot-5, 249 pounds, he’s already essentially the same size as redshirt freshman Stec (6-foot-6, 255 pounds), redshirt junior Seagreaves (6-foot-6, 254 pounds) and junior Ashcraft (6-foot-5, 260 pounds).

Tight end is a complicated position in this offense, and he was clearly learning on the job. He was a better blocker than most freshmen tight ends, but still received his fair share of lessons from veteran linebackers. I wanted to see more flashes as a pass-catcher, but given the complexity of the offense, I’ll give him a mulligan.

We’ll have to wait until fall camp to get a first look at Davis. But, given his lack of size at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, we shouldn’t expect an instant impact.

The optimism comes from his receiving ability. He thrived in multiple spots in his high school offense. This makes him a better fit for Phil Longo’s offense, but Grimes also recruited Davis out of high school.

The intrigue is there. It’ll just take some time to manifest. He’s gonna need at least a year in the strength program before we can really forecast him.

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