How do the Badgers shape up at tight end for 2024 and beyond?
The Wisconsin Badgers saw their tight end room go through some production struggles a season ago, as the team transitioned after losing a good portion of their depth.
Now, fielding an extremely young group, the Badgers have six scholarship tight ends in one of the more open groups on the roster.
How do the Badgers line up for the 2024 season, and beyond, at the tight end position?
2024
Sophomore Tucker Ashcraft leads the returning group after catching eight passes for 86 yards as a true freshman.
At the top, the Badgers have three main options: Ashcraft, redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski, and LSU transfer Jackson McGohan.
Ashcraft seems like the best all-around option, while Nowakowski is more of a blocker, and McGohan is best as a flexed-out tight end.
Behind the top three, Wisconsin has redshirt sophomore J.T. Seagraves, who has shown flashes of his potential in each of the last two offseason, while earning some first-team reps this past spring. For him, it’s about putting it all together in order to earn actual reps come the fall.
The Badgers did pick up two tight ends in the 2024 class: four-star Grant Stec and three-star Robert Booker. Both had their ups and downs in the spring, and are seen as more developmental pieces for the future.
Playing time could be dependent on what the Badgers want to do at the position, as a player like McGohan could see more reps if the offense is trying to get more vertical, while Nowakowski could see more action in a run-heavy approach.
Production will be the big question with this group as the Badgers did not see much during the first year of the Phil Longo era, which may lead to less usage at the position and more attention towards the wide receivers.
2025
While the tight end room doesn’t have as much proven talent, the Badgers have a ton of youth in the group, and are expected to return everyone but Nowakowski next season.
With the tight ends, the hope is that there’s a constant growth from the younger players so that the group has a solidified role heading into the 2025 season.
I’d expect Wisconsin to target one tight end in the 2025 cycle after landing two in the 2024 class, as the Badgers aren’t losing much due to eligibility next offseason.
From there, it’ll be a lot of the similar faces in the group, with Ashcraft and McGohan returning, while Stec and Booker will look to take a jump forward and find their way into the rotation for playing time.
Tight end is more of a projection position for the Badgers with the amount of younger talent, but there is some intrigue with the group, and Wisconsin seems to be changing more to find players that they want for Phil Longo’s scheme.