Anyways back to reality. For the rest of this conversation I’m going to define the B1G West era. I define the B1G West era as 2014-2019, 2021 and 2022 (no 2020 for obvious reasons) which are eight seasons where Wisconsin had a pretty clear identity while winning a lot of football games. By the way they also produced some of the best running backs in the country.

The question for 2026 is whether Wisconsin can get some of that identity back. I think it can, but I don’t think that means recreating the old offense. Football has changed, and some of what we remember about that era doesn’t quite hold up when you look at the numbers.

Read more

It can also be said in football nothing is truly new and anything “new” that is added to any offense is usually “borrowed” or at least inspired by the work of someone else. That’s actually something I love about coaching this sport is that I can study, be influenced, and inspired by the greatest minds in the sport and still find a way to make it my own.

So with the idea of nothing is new every year there is a trend, and the next season everyone is quietly finding ways to follow that trend while searching for the next one. And sometimes you find trends that just make sense and fall in line with your own personal coaching philosophy.

So when I look at trends in offensive football coming into this season and think to myself what would make the most sense for Wisconsin football one stands out as obvious both from a schematic and personnel point of view.

Wisconsin runs an NFL style offense the offensive scheme that it most resembles is that of the Shanahan/McVay system. Lots of wide zone with lots of bootlegs built off of play action to take shots all while using a ton of motions and shifts. Two offensive systems that started in different places but finding the same conclusion.

McVay has been finding a clever way of taking advantage of defensive personnel adjustments. As NFL defenses have been getting faster and more in line with the offensive trend of using more speed on the field McVay has found by going the opposite direction and bringing more size on the field with 13 personnel that he is basically giving defenses the opportunity to tell him how to beat them.

So instead of the traditional fall camp preview going position by position or asking the same questions that dozens of more qualified people have been asking all off season I’m going to be taking a look at this offensive trend and how it could be used to bring Wisconsin football “back”.

Video coming soon…

The easy answer is well...easy. No doubt that injuries and inconsistent play over the past three seasons will lead most fans to the idea that our transfer QBs are the most important. But there has been an underlying issue that has plagued the success of the Badgers' offense that often gets overlooked.

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The roster has largely been rebuilt. Jeff Grimes is entering his second season. Colton Joseph appears to have established himself as the quarterback, and the Badgers have reshaped multiple position groups through recruiting and the transfer portal. The question is no longer whether Wisconsin is different than it was a year ago, but whether or not those changes have made the program better.

The program needs evidence that the foundation being built can finally translate into consistent success on Saturdays. As fall camp approaches three questions could determine whether the Badgers take a meaningful step forward in 2026.

Which position battles in fall camp have the greatest chance to change the entire season?

Every August certain competitions create headlines because they involve marquee positions, but the reality is that some battles have a much greater impact on the entire team than others. Positional battles can determine how the football is distributed during the season or serve and an indicator of a roster’s depth. They can alter a coach’s approach game planning from feeding a potential superstar or by trying to replicated one in the aggregate. Going into fall camp I feel that the coaching staff has three positions that not just by what the depth chart is can have a major impact on the team this season.

The wide receiver rotation is one of the most intriguing groups on the roster because the Badgers have accumulated more talent and versatility than they have had in recent seasons. Where have we heard this story before? The competition for the backup role will determine whether Wisconsin has reliable insurance behind Joseph because God knows that has become the most important roster spot on the team. And the interior offensive line rotation is not a headline grabbing battle but could be vital to keeping the engine running in a revamped Badgers’ offense.

The talk this off season so far has been “do we have a WR1?” A superstar that can take over a game and be the threat that defenses have to game plan against. That’s a luxury that I think unless a secret billionaire starts funding the football program and global warming turns Madison in a tropical paradise I don’t think we will ever see. So instead the offense need to be designed around a group of players who bring different strengths and can create problems in different ways.

True depth is when you can mix and match players based on their strengths to exploit defensive weaknesses, and while this roster may not have a first round draft pick there is potential for a solid group of role players. Tyrell Henry provides reliability and strong route running from the slot, Eugene Hilton Jr. gives Wisconsin a versatile weapon who can line up throughout the formation, and I don’t know if you’ve heard but Chris Brooks is the best blocking receiver on the roster. Newcomer Malachi Coleman brings significant physical upside while Zion Kearney has shown the ability to threaten defenses vertically, and Jaylon Domingeaux provides another physical option outside.

Six receivers with six individual skill sets that working together give the illusion of superstar hiding in plain sight. Depending on the matchup one receiver could lead the team in catches one week, while others could become the focal point the next. The goal is not to find one receiver who solves every problem; it is to create enough different threats that defenses cannot predict where the football is going.

The quarterback depth chart deserves attention. Not because it is a glimpse of the future of at the position or curiosity surrounding potential package using a player with a unique skill. Nope. It’s because we has Badgers’ fans have been conditioned to assume that the starter is going to get hurt eventually so we might as well get to know the backups. But where in the past we had a room that was built on this is the best we can do with what we have available and we need to make drastic changes to the offense for each QB now there is a sense of “this is what a Wisconsin QB is” and let’s build the offense around all of them.

Colton Joseph established himself as the starter during spring practice as he should have. At times there were some inconsistent moments, but that goes with a new QB in a new system with new coaches and teammates so that should not be viewed as unusual. Spring football often magnifies individual throws while ignoring the bigger developmental process. The more important takeaway was that Joseph became increasingly comfortable operating Jeff Grimes’ system, and his athletic ability fits naturally with the style of offense Wisconsin wants to run. Do by learning and learn by doing. QB1 is QB1.

The Badgers built this quarterback room with mobility and versatility in mind. It is refreshing to see a room with a common purpose. Joseph, Deuce Adams, Carter Smith, and Ryan Hopkins all bring different levels of athleticism, but still give the coaching staff the ability to maintain its offensive identity if and when the depth chart is tested. Praise Jeebus Joseph remains healthy and handles nearly every meaningful snap throughout the season. Let’s let the battle for QB2 to just be something the pundits talk about and not a preview of what’s to come.

Getting away from the ticket selling positions we get to a position battle that is both a battle for playing time and to be identifiable as one of the key pieces in the resurgence of the Wisconsin rushing attack. The interior offensive line is often overlook, but in and offense based around the wide zone you need guards who become mobile, agile, and hostile instead of just operating in a phone booth like in previous offenses. Inside linebackers may be playing B gap to B gap but if those gaps extend from sideline to sideline you can create real issues.

Position battles are all about rising up the depth chart, but creating true depth where you may be in an 1A/1B situations can be a real benefit. If there is a massive dropoff between the starter and the backup that can really effect playcalling and blocking schemes especially as a game wears on because of the wear and tear the players have to endure. So while it seem like Colin Cubberly and Emerson Mandell are pulling away don’t be surprised if you hear Blake Cherry or Stylz Blackmon’s names called because it allows Coach Mateos to have a little more of a balls to the wall attitude toward the blocking schemes knowing there be a massive dropoff if the backups come in. Having good depth allows for the occasional breather without changing your playcalling.

The one position I hope we never need to see the backup as is center. Austin Kawecki is perfect for this offense and honestly the less I hear him name the better. That’s great the Stylz took some snaps at center and looked solid. I just want a center who stays healthy, does his job and when we look back on this season we can say for the first time in years that we didn’t have to worry about the snap.

Competition brings the best out of a football player. So every battle is important, but not every battle completely changes the way a coaching staff will approach game planning because not every battle goes beyond who is where on the depth chart. True depth isn’t who you want to have on the field it is who can you not keep off the field.

If Wisconsin’s offense improves dramatically in 2026, what will be the biggest reason?

The easiest answer is Colton Joseph. Goodnight everyone.

If Wisconsin’s offense takes a significant step forward in 2026 the quarterback will receive much of the credit. That is how football has always worked. Quarterbacks are judged by wins, losses, efficiency, and production, and a major offensive turnaround almost always begins with improved quarterback play. And at a place like Wisconsin where we have made a habit of winning football games for 30 years with subpar QB play any improvement at the position is going to seem monumental. But focusing only on Joseph would miss the larger reason Wisconsin’s offense has a chance to improve.

Quarterbacks rarely develop in isolation because their success depends on the structure around them. The players protecting them, the weapons available to them, and whether the system puts them in positions where they can consistently succeed.

Last season was the perfect example of how to be terrible at offense. The offensive line struggled. The receivers lacked proven production, injuries affected continuity, and the quarterback position was what it was. All on top of a new offensive coordinator trying to cobble together an offense without the firepower to truly make it work. The biggest reason for optimism in 2026 is that the roster now looks far more like the offense Grimes wants to run. Year two in any system should look different from year one because he returning players understand expectations better while the coaches can spend less time teaching basic concepts. There is less installation and more repetition. The offense can expand because the foundation has already been established so the players are learning how to execute it faster and more consistently. That is key because Grimes’ offense relies heavily on timing, spacing, and decision-making.

There’s no doubt Colton Joseph is a better fit for the system than any of the previous Wisconsin quarterbacks. His athleticism changes the way defenses have to prepare because his mobility creates another element that must be accounted for on every snap. The threat of him running may be just as valuable as the number of designed carries because the defense has to respect the possibility that now every situation is a chance he could take off. And just like that the Badgers don’t need Joseph to become a running quarterback who constantly puts himself in danger. His athletic ability simply gives the offense another advantage. Sometimes the threat of movement creates opportunities before he ever leaves the pocket.

Now that the obvious is out of the way let’s get to the real answer. Everything Wisconsin wants to do offensively will be easier if the offensive line takes a step forward. It is the foundation that determines how much of the offensive playbook is available.

If Wisconsin’s offense improves dramatically in 2026 it will happen because the entire structure around the quarterback has improved. The scheme has continuity, the quarterbacks fit the system, the offensive line will become more reliable, and the team will finally begin to play the complementary football that has historically defined Wisconsin football.

Based on your observations from spring ball, how does this coaching staff’s approach to preparing the positional groups differ from coaches?

This question comes straight out of my YouTube comments so if you’ll allow me a quick plug for the ol’channel and if you like my content but don’t want to read head on over and subscribe. Every new member of a coaching staff is going to try and do things his way. It makes sense because everyone is different and coaches are not excluded. They have different personalities and different ways of communicating. People tend to forget that we only see a tiny piece of the coaching process. We watch a couple clips of practice and then try to make a judgement call on the work. But we don’t see what’s really going on because we don’t see what’s going on when the cameras aren’t rolling. We aren’t sitting in the meeting rooms, and wedon’t hear the corrections after film study.

That all being said for me it comes back to something I have said many times with the Dairy Raid. I love watching coaches coach. I enjoyed some of the coaches who aren’t here any more. I think AJ Blazek is a tremendous coach, a devoted teacher of the game, and really knows his craft. It’s why I’m still following him and I still study his teaching. It’s a shame he’s gone, but I think we hit a home run with Eric Mateos. I love watching him coach because you can really tell he REALLY cares about coaching offensive line. Ari Confesor brings a confidence that he projects to his players and that he wants them to carry as well. Coach Everett is connected with the history of this program and understands the standard that he needs to uphold and that hasn’t been met. And Coach Steeples has a smoothness and a clarity to his coaching that can only be matched by his own swagger. So from what I have seen yeah all these coaches are going to fit in great to the staff and I think our players in a real solid position heading into fall camp.

The position coach’s job isn’t just to know football. It’s to take what the coordinator wants and teach it so players don’t have to think about it on Saturdays. If a guard is worrying about his footwork instead of the linebacker scraping over the top, he’s already behind. The same goes for a receiver who’s thinking about his split instead of reading the coverage or a linebacker who’s processing his assignment instead of attacking downhill. That’s where coaching really shows up.

I also want to be careful and not turn every comparison into a debate about the old staff versus the new one. Like I said I believed the previous coaches could coach, and I believe this group can coach too. Changing coaches doesn’t magically solve every problem, just like keeping the same coaches doesn’t automatically create them. Sometimes everything lines up. When that happens, everybody suddenly starts talking about what a great coaching staff you have. Football has always been a little more complicated than giving one guy all the credit.

So if you’re asking what looked different this spring, my answer isn’t that one coach yelled louder or another ran a different drill, and honestly it’s not going to matter until we can see the actual outcome of their coaching. Has the new staff taken a different approach then in previous years? Yes of course, but only because there are so many new faces. At the end of the day football is football and there are only so many ways of interpreting “if you do A then B will happen”.

The summer break is upon us and even though July is the worst month on the sports calendar we can still find time to talk about Wisconsin football. On today's docket: Colton Joseph. Is he the savior the Badgers offense needs or can his unique skill set bring out the best in everyone around him?

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Find audio-only versions on your favorite podcasting app, like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

For additional guidance and insights, follow my updates on Twitter: @thedairyraid

#WisconsinFootball #WisconsinBadgers #FootballStrategy #FootballCoaching

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

I’ve probably spent more time thinking about the Shawn Eichorst hire than most sane people would admit for what is a pretty standard athletic director move. It’s probably why this piece is being release several days after the news cycle has moved on from it.

Strip the name away and Eichorst’s resume is solid and uncontroversial. Eight years at Texas, power conference AD experience (x2), and a return to a place he already knows. You don’t really have to squint to understand why a search committee would land there. However, don’t live in a world built in a LinkedIn profile.

Content creators and wannabe sports writers like yours truly are wired to overanalyze. Sometimes we’re uncovering something meaningful, and sometimes we’re just manufacturing intrigue out of ordinary decisions. Either way, I couldn’t help but do the same with this hire, and the deeper I looked the less those lines on a resume answered my questions. They are jumping off points resolve until you start thinking about what they mean in Madison.

And just like that a simple personnel move turns into a rabbit hole. The same resume can point you in completely different directions depending on what you emphasize. One reading makes this feel like a steady, experienced hire built for the moment Wisconsin is in. Another makes it look like the program defaulted to familiarity and tries to call it fresh leadership. The facts don’t change only the interpretation does.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this hire, and why they are not so pro or so con.

Positive: Eight Successful Years at Texas

Our new athletic director was most recently inside one of the most powerful athletic departments in the country during the most volatile period the history of college athletics. NIL has reshaped the entire landscape of college athletics. Revenue and revenue sharing became an operational reality and because of that conference realignment pushed Texas toward the SEC. The entire department had to adjust in real time while still competing at a championship level. And that it did. It’s impossible to ignore his time with the Longhorns because it’s the strongest point in the entire resume.

From the outside that looks like exactly the kind of environment Wisconsin needs someone to understand. Just the massive scale of it all, which you can’t really separate from the success. And that’s where Wisconsin woefully lags behind. Texas operates with resources that most athletic departments can’t realistically match with a massive donor infrastructure built around national brand that recruits itself. Regardless of recent success the football program sits at the center of the sport, and and because of that an NIL ecosystem functions on a different financial tier than most of the B1G outside of Ohio State and Michigan.

So when someone spends nearly a decade inside that structure the assumption is that they’ve seen how an elite program operates. They have learned how decisions get made when money isn’t the limiting factor because donors are already aligned. The coaching staffs are supported, but with the expectations anything short of a championship is a failure. It has to be liberating to operate in a world where money isn’t an object and the only goal is success at all costs. But...of course there’s a but. Eichorst wasn’t the athletic director. Chris Del Conte is the one setting the direction. The Texas boosters were the ones funding NIL at a level that changes recruiting outcomes. So the question becomes less about whether Texas was successful and more about what Eichorst’s specific role was as part that success. That distinction matters a lot more in Madison than it does in Austin.

The Wisconsin athletic department doesn’t get to operate with advantages that Texas has. There isn’t a donor base that automatically keeps pace with the blue bloods. There isn’t recruiting geography in the revenue generating sports that is consistently offsetting gaps in NIL. There isn’t the margin for error that allows you to simply maintain a machine. Wisconsin requires a different kind of athletic department leadership. Less stewardship of an infinite money glitch, and more grinding problem solving under constant pressure. Which raises the uncomfortable question sitting underneath the Texas resume which is does experience inside such a silver spoon environment prepare anyone to go back to the real world?

Negative: He Failed at Nebraska

For Wisconsin fans this is where the conversation inevitably turns. Shawn Eichorst ultimately failed and that naturally raises the question does his experience inspire confidence? To be fair the answer isn’t as simple as pointing to one failed hire because the college athletics landscape Eichorst left at Nebraska is almost unrecognizable compared to the one he’ll enter at Wisconsin. There was no NIL or revenue sharing. The transfer portal wasn’t reshaping roster construction every offseason. The responsibilities of an athletic director have changed dramatically making past experience more nuanced than simply labeling it a success or failure. If Nebraska is viewed as the defining chapter of Eichorst’s career, then this hire feels like a gamble. But if it’s viewed as the most visible mistake in a much longer career, the conversation changes. Experience isn’t only about repeating success it’s also about learning from failure.

Since the start of the Luke Fickell era, there’s been a lot of talk about Wisconsin “becoming the next Nebraska.” I’ve never fully bought into that comparison. Nebraska’s decline came after decades as one of college football’s true national powers. Wisconsin’s history is different. The Badgers built one of the nation’s most consistent programs over the last 30 years, but they were never operating from the same historical peak. Their success was built on stability, favorable scheduling (hello B1G West), and a run of generational running backs. Ironically, Eichorst’s time at Nebraska may provide exactly the perspective Wisconsin needs.

He has seen firsthand what an administration and boosters can do to accelerate the decline of a proud football program. Now after spending time in a modern football program, and athletic department as a whole, at Texas he has also seen how an elite program are adapting to the realities of today’s college athletics. The fear is he recreates Nebraska, but what could happen is he combines the lessons from what went wrong there with what he’s learned at Texas to help build a blueprint for Wisconsin to recapture the success of its golden era...and maybe take the program a step beyond it.

Positive: He’s a Wisconsin Guy

It just makes sense. He grew up in Wisconsin, played at UW-Whitewater, studied at Marquette, and worked under Barry Alvarez inside the athletic department. That kind of familiarity usually gets framed as stability, and there’s truth to that. Athletic director transitions often lose time early because relationships have to be rebuilt from scratch bt Wisconsin doesn’t lose that time here. But the more important question might not be what he already knows. The question is because he knows it will he fall back into the status quo that on the surface level lead to “success” but on a national scale set the program farther behind then a money making program like it should.

Wisconsin’s biggest challenges have never been cultural. They’ve always been structural. Building everything from within because it’s cheaper than going outside. Keeping things small and local and hoping for that hometown discount. Building relationships with donors who care more about looking mad at half court at the Kohl Center then building programs that keep up with the schools they claim superiority over. Old school positives turn into new school problems.

To catch up with the rest of the old B1G and to hopefully join the upper echelon of the new B1G we need an AD who isn’t going to rely on nostalgia and the Old Boys Network. NIL fundraising, revenue generation, branding, recruiting competitiveness require change in how the program operates and communicates that new message. And why should we expect a “Wisconsin Guy” to do anything different than anyone else has done in the past?

The more I’ve thought about this hire the less I’ve become interested in Shawn Eichorst’s resume and the more I’ve become interested in what we expect him to accomplish. We can debate Texas, Nebraska, and his Wisconsin roots all we want, but none of those things will determine whether this hire succeeds. They simply provide clues about how he might approach the job. Every point in Eichorst’s favor comes with a legitimate counterargument.

His time at Texas exposed him to the inner workings of one of the premier athletic departments in the country, but it also came in an environment with financial resources Wisconsin can only dream about. His tenure at Nebraska ended poorly, but failure can be one of the greatest teachers if the right lessons are taken from it. His familiarity with Wisconsin should allow him to hit the ground running, but it also raises the concern that the department will continue to rely on the same thinking that has slowly allowed the rest of the B1G to pass it by.

That uncertainty is why this hire feels so fascinating. Wisconsin doesn’t need someone to bring back what Barry Alvarez built. It needed someone capable of adapting that foundation to a completely different era of college athletics. The schools that thrive over the next decade won’t necessarily be the ones with the richest traditions or the loudest fan bases. They’ll be the ones whose leadership recognizes that the business of college athletics has changed and acts accordingly.

Wisconsin’s biggest challenge is convincing itself that tradition alone is no longer enough. The athletic department has spent years leaning on stability, continuity, and the idea that the “Wisconsin Way” could continue producing the same results while the rest of college athletics evolved around it. That is why this hire matters so much. Shawn Eichorst isn’t inheriting an athletic department, or even a football program, in crisis. The decisions he makes over the next several years will matter far more than anything listed on his resume. His past may have earned him the opportunity, but his willingness to challenge old assumptions will determine whether Wisconsin merely protects its place in college athletics or reclaims its ambition to become one of the programs setting the standard.

As college athletics enters a new era will Wisconsin have the courage to evolve with it or was it content to remember when it didn’t have to?

In the most literal sense of the phrase because any scrap of paper you find in my house has a decent chance of something football related scribble on it. My phone is no different with an overflowing folder of screenshots, clips, and notes from around the football internet. Anytime I come across anything noteworthy it will make made me pause long enough to try and translate it into the language of my own system.

Watching Wisconsin football this spring fed that habit. As fans all we got was a clip here, a drill there, or someone’s comments on a handful of snaps. From those fragments I try to do two things at once by first identify what is actually being presented, and extrapolate and scale up into what we saw could become. It’s part study, part guessing game but all in all a creative exercise that forces me to think critically beyond just “what did I see?”

Now I will fully admit that the conclusions I draw from all of this are filtered through my own self taught, heavily biased mind. I see what I want to see and connect dots based on my own understanding of football. From there I try to build an interpretation of how I would use those same ideas if I were designing the system myself. Of course that means some of my takeaways might not be aligned with what the coaching staff is actually installing.

But that to me is not a flaw in the process that’s the beauty of the game. Football is one of the few sports where the same information can be processed in completely different ways and still lead to success. Two coaches can watch the same clip, identify the same structure, and build entirely different answers around it. So what follows is my attempt to organize the spring into something coherent. I went through my notes, rewatched the clips, revisited the media reports, and pulled together anything that felt relevant to the direction of the Wisconsin offense. This is part observation, part projection, and part imagination.

“QBs running routes vs. air. Air Raid passing drill where 4-5 QBs run through the entire progression so every route gets a ball on time.”

As I have stated a couple of times during these spring wrap ups the simple act of running routes on air is a great way to build timing and muscle memory for both quarterbacks and pass catchers. Every play is built around the quarterback’s internal clock and physically manifested through his footwork.

A rhythm route is the route designed to be open when the QB hits the top of his drop. Is he open? Throw him the ball. He’s not? Then you’re on to the read route, which opens based on defensive reaction to the rhythm route, or simply because it takes longer to develop.

The rush and release routes serve two functions. In a pure progression, they can be your third or fourth options, but they can also function as built in hot or pressure answers. In a true progression concept, we work from the first read to the last. When you have multiple QBs who can throw all four or five routes in a concept, every receiver gets a ball, and you can really feel if there are any timing issues.

It’s a simple drill, but it’s a great way to start a practice.

“Hopkins, Smith, Adams working RPO footwork to throw sticks”

I think RPOs get a bad rap these days because many people don’t understand the difference between play action and an RPO/package play. More egregiously it’s often viewed as a dumbed down version of the passing game. And I suppose there is some truth to that but only in the sense that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put a defense in conflict of assignment.

At its core all you’re really saying is “I have a run play I want to run, but I don’t have enough blockers to run it successfully. How can I eliminate defenders to make the run game more efficient?”

In this example, we’re running outside zone with a stick/flat concept as the read. If the MIKE linebacker flows with the run, we hit the stick route behind him. If he doesn’t react or reacts slowly we hand the ball off and stay on schedule with the run.

The tight end or slot in the flat serves a dual purpose: he’s a safety valve if the throw is there, and he also helps hold or widen the box safety, preventing him from inserting into the run fit.

“Colton Joseph working his progression on a quick drop to hit Tyrell Henry across the formation in the EZ. Guessing they were probably running a variant of Y Cross from a 3x1”

It has been well documented that I have a certain disdain for the all or nothing nature of the 2025 Wisconsin passing game. Either we were running screens, slow developing play action concepts into nothing, or just throwing up a prayer.

What was often neglected was the part of the field that actually unlocks those types of plays: the middle of the field and the intermediate route space that ties everything together. Colton Joseph also came from an offense that seemed to operate with a similar mindset, just with a different structure. The screens were replaced with RPOs, and the dropback passing game appeared to lean heavily on curls and crossers working in and around vertical route structures.

“Colton semi rolls off of play action to again hit Henry coming across the formation (Yankee?)”

An easy way to build a fundamentally sound passing game is to work with route concepts that are effective in both traditional dropbacks and play action. The Yankee concept is commonly used as a play action shot play designed to punish aggressive safeties. Heavy run action can bring safeties down into the box, while the post, cross, and dig route combination puts the remaining single high safety in conflict.

But even in a straight dropback the same routes create both high low and inside out stress that opens up shot opportunities while still maintaining built in intermediate and short checkdown options.

“Hard to tell the exact formation/routes but Harris in what appears to be the slot and Dupree going direct to the flat could indicate possibly a jet sweep action before the rollout”

The play action game cannot be built entirely on slow developing shot plays. Often you need action and routes that hit just as quickly as the run concept they are built off of.

A simple way to do that is with a variation of a play many of us who grew up in the Wing-T could run in our sleep, the waggle. The play starts with sweep action, and for the Badgers that sweep action comes in the form of a jet sweep from an outside receiver in a condensed formation.

The routes are structured as a basic flood concept, but what I like here is how the formation and the running back’s route work together to create space over the top for the tight end running the deep out.

“Halfline scheme vs. scheme sees the offense run center/tackle pin & pull with Nate Palmer following behind C Logan Powell”

When running a zone heavy rushing attack it is important to incorporate complementary gap schemes. Defenders become conditioned to pursue laterally so you need to have the ability to exploit that aggression to create and define interior gaps.

The pin and pull creates favorable blocking angles both on the perimeter and on the cutback. A byproduct of a functioning gap scheme is forcing the defense to play with more gap control discipline and therefore you create additional stress points and more answers within the zone run game.

This is complementary football.

“The flop IZ read that we ran once with Carter Smith and Colton Joseph ran very successfully at ODU makes an appearance”

There are two general categories that most read based run plays fall into. First you have the old school/same side reads. From traditional veer to speed option looks the backfield action is moving toward the read defender, creating a more direct conflict in front of him.

Then you get into the “modern” zone read, where the backfield action crosses the quarterback and the read is typically a backside defender. This is where you start to see more horizontal stress and late manipulation of the second level.

The flop read is a “best of both worlds” type of concept. It gives you same side flow with a read that still lives on a backside defender. What I really like about this play is how clean it is structurally while still creating real conflict of assignment through simple blocking rules and backfield action.

Tag a bubble screen on the read side slot, and now you’re punishing any defender who gets too aggressive fitting the alley.

“Mesh out of a 3 receiver set. No RBs so potentially this could be used out of a 2 back set eventually”

One of the key selling points for Colton Joseph was the offense Coach Grimes ran at BYU combining NFL style wide zone principles with vertical concepts and Air Raid spacing. If you go back and watch that BYU film, you see mesh... a lot of mesh. And for good reason.

Mesh is one of the most versatile concepts in football. Whether it’s formation variation, motion, or protection adjustments, the answers are already built into the concept you’re just changing the presentation.

What makes it so effective is its simplicity underneath the surface. You’re stressing defenders horizontally, creating natural rubs, and all while keeping the quarterback’s read clean and repeatable.

Somewhere, Mike Leach is smiling.

“Y Cross H Follow out of a 3x1 bunch set”

Pucker up, sweater vests you’re not not going to like where this is going.

Building off the idea of using slot receivers to run intermediate crossing routes a great way to prevent defenders from jumping those routes is to use the “wake” of the crossing receiver to create space for a trailing route behind it.

An H follow concept does exactly that, using a switch release stem to create natural separation for the #3 receiver (the H) to trail the #2 receiver (the Y). By pushing his route deeper than the initial cross the H can also create a high low conflict for any potential flat defender forcing him to choose between underneath support and intermediate leverage.

Using a switch release with a Y cross has been a staple of the Phil Longo offense one he ran successfully everywhere...except Wisconsin. So there’s that.

“Another potential go to guy emerging is Tyrell Henry playing in the slot. Colton laid up a nice ball in between three defenders and hit Tyrell in the end zone. Dagger?”

So far, the new look passing game has been focusing heavily on getting the slots involved in the intermediate passing game, and the dagger concept builds toward and expands on that idea.

By running a player like Tyrell Henry on an inside release up the seam you immediately threaten the safety vertically. But since we’ve been working underneath him so much that safety can get a little flat footed, which opens up opportunities over the top.

By holding the safety inside and vertically you create a natural window for the Z receiver to run the dig route and occupy the vacated space. The result is both high low and inside out stress on the coverage. The dagger concept can be run from both a quick three step drop and off play action, and there are multiple variations you can build off the outside receivers beyond just the seam and dig combination.

It’s always fun to see passing concepts that create answers simply, efficiently, and with built in conflict at every level of the defense.

As a final disclaimer it is important to remember that everything discussed here is based on a handful of short practice clips, photos, media observations, and my own interpretation of what I think I am seeing. I am not sitting in offensive meetings or have access to the playbook. For all I know half of these concepts are one offs, drill work, or something completely different than what I have described. For me that’s part of the fun.

Football is a giant puzzle, and spring practice only gives us a few pieces. The challenge is taking those pieces and trying to imagine what the completed picture might look like. What stood out to me this spring wasn’t necessarily any individual play or route concept. It was the possibility of an offense becoming more interconnected with concepts that build off one another. The best offenses aren’t collections of plays they are collections of answers.

Whether Wisconsin is ultimately heading in the direction I’ve outlined remains to be seen. My conclusions could be completely different from what the coaching staff actually intends. But based on the limited information available, there appear to be signs of an offense continuing to grow, expand, and layer complementary concepts together. And for someone who can’t stop doodling football plays in notebooks, on scraps of paper, or in the notes app at two in the morning, that’s enough to keep the imagination running until kickoff.

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Physicality and reliability like the good old days, but we all know an offense can no longer just be asking for that. Explosiveness and creating space with vision matters just as much. It’s simple physis really, and it’s being efficient with power and movement. So instead of the position being shaped around one nostalgia fueled identity it’s being shaped around several that have to coexist. That’s why when Coach Everett spoke of the RB room to the media it sounded more like an engineer confirming design aspects instead of a coach establishing a pecking order. There were “really no surprises,” he said because what they’re seeing now is what they believed they were building.

The word he kept coming back to was complementary. I have been guilty of perhaps overusing the term when trying to describe what I want to see from the Badgers offense, but it’s not a vague football buzzword. One playing style forces a defensive adjustment while the next one punishes it. You can’t have thunder without lightning. Coach Everett pointed directly to it in how a solid rotation can function. A big back enters the game and the mindset of the defense shifts, the box tightens and safeties creep down. Then the contrast shows up when when a change of pace back enters behind him and suddenly those same defensive adjustments become liabilities instead of answers. That sequence isn’t accidental. That’s the structure they’re building toward and spring gave them a clean look how this completely rebuilt room can function as individuals and as an unit. And while it was by design circumstances also showed the necessity of that minset.

Abu Sama missed time with a minor hamstring issue before spring break, and therefore the reps and workload had to be redistributed. Everett actually framed that stretch as a benefit, not a setback. The “next man up” idea wasn’t just a slogan during that period it became the structure of practice so when Sama returned he returned to a room that had already been stress tested without him. That’s complementary football.

“This is the Big Ten!”

It wasn’t said for effect. It was said as a reminder that aggression isn’t optional if you want to be on the field in meaningful situations. Strike on the rise with violent hands and disciplined eyes. Don’t catch contact but find and deliver it. Doesn’t get much harder then that it’s just physical, and immediate. And that’s where roles still get decided in this room. The most often overlooked aspect of playing running back is pass protection, but to coaches it starts there. No block no rock. There was a returning player that if you have listened to my content in the past you know I have critical about his lack of willingness to be physical in pass protection and that his playing time would be directly tied into him changing that mindset. Clearly Coach Everett and Darrion Dupree got the message...that or they are far better qualified than yours truly to address and overcome the situation.

Coach Everett didn’t hesitate when asked about it, because in his eyes Darrion was the most consistent pass protector through spring. He was a willing blocker who initiated contact and read pressure without hesitation. It’s a relatively simple task to understand but harder to execute and if the coaching staff is happy with his progression that says a lot about the commitment of the room as a whole to improve, but more importantly to Darrion’s character. It warms my heart, but it also should light a fire under the rest of the room because now less reps will probably be available. How has the rest respond?

As previously mentioned Abu Sama started out recovering from an injury, but after spring break he took off. What I loved about his film was his explosive change of direction. While he might not have elite straight line speed he makes up for it with how quickly he converts movement into advantage. He can stress a defense horizontally for half a beat and turn that same space into vertical displacement before pursuit fully triggers. That’s what I like to call lateral acceleration and a back with good vision can turn it into a deadly weapon which is important for this offense. The whole concept of the wide zone is not just to run wide but to make the defense think that’s what you’re doing. It’s an outside run that hits A gap to A gap, and it fits Abu Sama’s running style perfectly as several media reported long runs can attest for. We all know how nagging lower body injuries can be (ask Braelon Allen) so it’s exciting to think what we saw from Abu this spring was never fully him at 100%.

To complement Sama’s lateral acceleration there is USC transfer Bryan Jackson. For Wisconsin nostalgists he is a sight for sore eyes. A big frame who wants to get downhill intent and finish with brute force, but the back who showed up on film this spring may have complicated that label. Where backs like Sama and Dupree use lateral movement to create space Jackson uses it to create even more momentum, and what you’re left with is a 240lb bowling ball that can fit through 18 inches of daylight...not without expanding it a little of course. Coach Everett emphasized developing a skill set that matched his frame so they can work together. They’re what determine whether Jackson role can grow beyond being a short yardage back into a more well rounded depth piece.

And if we can get that type of player out of Jackson we could have a formidable three headed monster of a tailback rotation. Can three backs survive together? They can if their unique player profiles can complement and overlap each other allowing them to play their game and put defenses in conflict all while not being overworked.

This is how players can feel productive and still have a need to improve which has been Coach Everett’s tone throughout spring. Both when talking to the media and in practice clips he consistently circles back to improvement rather than labeling. That even shows up in how he talks about the depth players. They’re treated like functional parts of the room’s ecosystem that helped maintain structure, and there’s a level of readiness that’s expected from everyone and you saw it with how everyone performed when given the opportunity.

By the time spring ended the shape of the room was easier to see. The roles are not finalized, but the talent is recognizable. There’s no fixed workload structure beyond a bellcow because the game dictates usage. And while there may not be the next great Wisconsin running back right now there is enough skill overlap and versatility that we should not be surprised when the rushing attack actually works this year.

“Understand who we are for this university. Who we are for this team.”

That phrase echoed across Camp Randall as new Badgers WR Coach Ari Confesor bounced between drills coaching with the kind of energy that immediately grabs your attention. Another rep later it became “Throw’em out the club, we’re security guards baby!” after demanding more physicality he was correcting footwork, leverage, and hip positioning on the fly. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I love watching coaches coach and the Wired episode featuring Coach Confesor and his receivers was a real treat.

The receiver room looked different this spring due to a large number of new players but also because the position itself appears to be changing within the structure of the offense. For the first time in a while the Badgers receivers look like a group positioned to expand the offense rather than just operate within it. To the untrained eye this was not noticeable early on because they entered spring with a lot of new faces and little production returning even by Wisconsin standards. The receiver room needed to be rebuilt with the hope that that the environment would make every rep felt competitive. With so many new faces every rep is earned 100% by effort

Early on during spring there was no clear WR1 taking the majority targets. Not a surprise, nor a point of concern. Instead throughout the practices different players would flash potential playmaking ability depending on the situation or concept being ran. That makes sense once you watch how the offense is being built because early practices spent far more time emphasizing pure progression concepts and timing adjustments instead of highlighting individuals. During routes on air periods quarterbacks cycled through the same concepts repeatedly while receivers worked route timing over and over again. From the outside those drills probably looked repetitive and uneventful, but they perhaps gave a glimpse at something important about where the offense could be headed philosophically. That changes how the receiver position functions because the responsibility no longer stops at simply getting open individually.

To my eyes it appears that the offensive coaching staff may be trying to branch out and take what traditionally makes Wisconsin Wisconsin and merge it with a more passing friendly (though not pass heavy by any teams) system. The offense still wants toughness and reliability, but it also wants flexibility, spacing, and explosive play potential. Instead of abandoning the traditional identity of the program the staff appears to be adapting it to the realities of modern football. That philosophical shift also showed up schematically throughout spring practice where we saw better use of layered spacing concepts, and alignment variation designed to manipulate manipulate coverage instead of relying on isolated matchups. It might be just practice but hopefully this means the end of the screen or chuck n’ duck passing offense.

Having a good idea that’s easy, but adapting a whole structure that is where practice became messy. In passing offenses built around pure progression timing mistakes happen because every route is connected. If any route is off schedule then the entire progression can be off. Conversely once that timing is established and the quarterbacks are in rhythm with the receivers then reads can be accelerated because it removes a lot of the thinking involved with throwing the ball. Very Air Raid sounding I know, but that’s the way football is moving...just look at the NFL. Anyways I’m getting off topic. Wisconsin is asking this receiver room to process football differently than previous groups were asked to process it. Physicality and effort still matters, but it is now all coupled with a greater sense of urgency.

At the same time the staff clearly has no interest in losing the edge traditionally associated with Wisconsin football. Catchphrases aside having an attitude and having the power to back it up became one of the defining coaching points this spring as willingness to give contact is a gateway to more opportunities. As spring progressed that mentality became visible during team periods as the receivers played more aggressively on the perimeter. In a heavy run based offense this is key because if you can’t block you don’t get the rock, but also with the defensive adjustment to play more press man vs. a run heavy team means our receiver need to get off of press more often.

Another interesting development for the receivers is adapting to the new approach toward the quarterback position. With quarterbacks who are willing to run it is important that you work on the connection that is needed when the play gets off schedule and off platform. The offense also devoted more time to scramble drill work with receivers finding predictable landmarks once the initial structure of the play broke down. Previous versions of Wisconsin’s passing game often felt rigid once protection deteriorated or the quarterback left the pocket whether it be too few receivers in the pattern to have viable options on the run or simply the route structure didn’t take it into account. This spring the offense appeared far more comfortable embracing second reaction football without completely losing route integrity.

Eventually the timing began catching up to the structure. One play that stood out for me came when Colton Joseph worked through a progression before having to escape the pocket, and finding Tyrell Henry crossing over the middle for a touchdown. It wasn’t how it was drawn up in the playbook but nothing about the play looked chaotic or improvised. The spacing remained clean, the progression stayed intact, and Henry arrived precisely where Joseph expected him to be. As an offensive play designer you can’t take into account every possible outcome, but in a system where where you put the onus on the receiver to be where he is supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there you take the guess work out of it.

That sequence also reflected why Tyrell Henry quietly became one of the steadier players in the room throughout spring. Experience matters and having a knack for getting open sure helped as he in sync with the quarterbacks particularly on intermediate spacing concepts requiring spatial awareness and knowing when each window opened up. In this style of offense that kind of reliability matters just as much as raw measureables. This is all a perfect segue into talking about the players who made a mark on spring football and could be looked at to have a role once we get into fall camp and into Week 1 vs. Notre Dame

Let’s start with probably the biggest add of the transfer portal and that was the return of Eugene Hilton Jr. I have to be honest for all the maturity at the position he had as a true freshman I often complained about his lack of speed as a vertical threat last season. However based on the evidence presented the spring he has added a completely different dynamic to the offense with his versatility. The Badgers moved him around a lot using him vertically, underneath, in motion, and even in the run game. He looked comfortable operating in space and continued to show a strong understanding of how to get open. He’s noticeably quicker, and if he continues to display outside/inside versatility then he could be in position for a lot of reps especially in multiple tight end sets where being able to play in the slot is important.

It took a while but as the spring wore on Southeastern Louisiana transfer Jaylon Domingeaux became one of the more reliable receivers working with the first team offense. His size and strength brought the grit that the offense now requires while his ability to separate and have a large catch radius lead to multiple big plays down the field. The only question with Jaylon is he going to be able to take the top consistently off of B1G defense, but if he can then the sky is the limit because he has the physical skills to be exactly the type of receiver this offense needs.

Another receiver who made a name for himself with his speed and big play ability was Oklahoma transfer Zion Kearney. The 6’3 junior’s number was called on a lot to take the top off of defense, something this offense has lacked...forever, and he seemed to do so on a regular basis. It is so refreshing to have a true big wide receiver with downfield speed. At Wisconsin we have traditional had receivers with speed but they were 5’9 and 170 soaking wet, or 6’1 running 4.7 40s. Zion has the size and speed to have a huge catch radius and as long as he shows the ability get off the line quickly he could be a welcomed downfield target for Colton Joseph.

Let’s talk about Chris Brooks Jr. He’s a Wisconsin guy through and through. He battled through injuries and multiple attempts to replace him via the portal and high school recruiting but he is still here and could quite possibly be a starter this season. Does he have the receiving ability to be a starter? He’s shown it for going on five years now so yeah I think so. But this is a difference between being a starter and being called upon to be a major contributor in the passing game. If the Badgers plan to be run heavy in early downs you need a receiver who can do everything you need in the run game and enough pass catching ability for play action, split flow, etc. Chris Brooks Jr. can and should provide that. Third and long and we’re in 10 personnel looking to go 4 verts? I think I can think of 5 players I’d put ahead of him but that’s what I like about this room this year. there are situational pieces that flash enough all around ability that the offense won’t be too predictable based solely off of personnel.

To bring it all together there still is not a clearly defined WR1 and maybe that is the point. The offense increasingly looks designed around progression reads that rely on execution as a whole rather than funneling targets toward one player. For those of you who are still worried remember spring has never really about identifying stars and game planning for them. For the receivers it was about building a receiver room capable of supporting a more flexible and aggressive version of Wisconsin’s offense, learning how to do it, and getting the reps to make it repeatable. The timing still needs refinement, and chemistry still needs more reps. But for the first time in quite a while Wisconsin’s receiver room looked like a group capable of changing the ceiling of the offense rather than simply fitting inside its limitations.

When you have a bad season it can be difficult to find something good to talk about. Boy did I struggle with that last season, but if there was a slight ray of sunshine in 2025 it was the play of Lance Mason. The spring transfer portal addition came in to replace the highly touted transfer departure Tanner Koziol, and the expectations were low. Coming in from a lower level with less production what type of weapon were we getting. Well we got a reliable one. And while his stats do not jump off the page (30 catches, 398 yards, 4 TDs) they were enough to garner 2nd Team All-B1G recognition. Losing Mason to his eligibility running out, and also three year contributor Tucker Ashcraft to the portal the question is now can the Badgers the production? Is there enough depth to find more production? And could there finally be a difference maker at the position?

By the end of spring the outlook might have changed entirely. Wisconsin may not have found one replacement for Mason, but potentially four different players capable of expanding what the offense can be by creating production in the aggregate. Like with any other position having the depth at the tight end position to have role players that can be used where they are most valuable is key to building an offense that can place any defense in conflict of assignment.

If an offense has one dangerous tight end defenses can usually adjust by bracketed him or rotating safety help toward him. But when multiple tight ends bring completely different skill sets onto the field defensive structure becomes much harder to diagnose before the snap. And with 13 personnel football becoming the new en vogue style to run the wide zone/vertical passing “NFL style” offense it is a benefit to have the players to match the incoming trend.

It starts at the top with your every down tight end who needs to be a player who can function in most if not all offensive situations. He needs the size and strength to be reliable inline as a blocker especially in early downs while being an asset in the passing game that complements it (up the seams, in the flat, split flow, etc). And if you have an athlete can can create a matchup problem with size, strength and athletic ability? All the better.

I have been effusive (that’s right I know fancy words) in my praise of Jacob Harris. At 6’6 270lbs, the Bowling Green transfer has the frame and strength to be that traditional every down tight end. But what separates him from the crowd is that in a few short weeks of spring practice he has made himself a go to target by what he does when the ball is in the air. He knows how to get open. He knows where the soft spots are in the defense so he can be the reliable safety valve for the quarterbacks, and he makes the tough catches that makes offensive coordinators smile. He’s just a dude at the tight end position, and his value extends beyond his own potential statistics. Wisconsin’s passing game relies on layered spacing concepts that influence leverage and positioning and having a tight end like Harris changes spacing even when he does not touch the football.

While Harris generated most of the public attention, from me anyways, Emmett Bork may have quietly had one of the best springs and the redshirt freshman and as we head toward fall camp it is becoming increasingly obvious that he could be ready to be a contributor already. Tight end is one of the hardest positions in football to develop because players are essentially being asked to combine offensive line responsibilities with receiver movement skills. Younger players can struggle somewhere in that process, but Bork looked increasingly comfortable balancing both demands throughout spring. His receiving upside may actually be the highest in the room. He has reliable hands and is a smooth route runner. If he continues to grow as a blocker he is going to force his way up the depth chart.

Grant Stec might be the most difficult player in the room to evaluate because he sits in the gray area between experienced and unfinished project. He has been in the program long enough that people recognize the name, but early injuries and depth chart competition have prevented him from fully establishing himself so far. This spring he looked more comfortable functioning as an actual offensive contributor within the passing game. The coaching staff does not need Stec to become a star. Instead it needs is a dependable all-around tight end capable of functioning competently in every situation while occasionally forcing defenses to respect him as a receiving option. If he becomes that player consistently his value grows significantly in an offense that wants to run multiple tight end sets.

Ryan Schwendeman is a Wisconsin type of tight end. He may never generate the same headlines as the others, but every offense still needs someone willing to handle the ugly work and he appears to be the player most naturally suited for that role. As the blocking tight end he gives the Badgers to move Harris, etc around the formation more creatively without sacrificing physical credibility near the line of scrimmage.

Ultimately the defining takeaway from Wisconsin’s tight end room coming out of spring practice is that to this coach it no longer feels like a room searching the next great Badger TE. Instead Wisconsin appears to have assembled an ecosystem at the position. It’s easy to stop one guy, but it’s hard to stop a room that functions as one. And it is that potential flexibility may end up becoming one of the offense’s biggest strengths in 2026. Spring revealed the upside of the room. Fall camp will determine trust, role definition, and separation. But coming out of spring, tight end no longer looks like one of Wisconsin’s biggest concerns. It might quietly be one of the deepest and most strategically important rooms on the entire roster.