The Badgers tight end room has some clarity after spring ball.
The Wisconsin Badgers are fully in offseason mode, having completed spring ball last month, so let’s go position-by-position and break down every group.
We’re halfway through with the offense, going through quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. Now, let’s go to the tight end room.
Wisconsin’s tight end room wasn’t very strong in 2024. In reality, it hasn’t been up to expectations over the past few seasons. They lost Riley Nowakowski, their lead blocking tight end, to Indiana. Then, they brought in Tanner Koziol from the transfer portal, but he left shortly after in the spring, leading the Badgers to land Missouri State’s Lance Mason.
Let’s break down the full room and see what the projected depth chart should look like heading into the fall.
Who will be the starter?
After the spring, this room still has a lot of questions, starting with: who will be the starter?
Tucker Ashcraft has led the room for the entire spring, and he’s looked improved as a receiver, hauling in some deeper catches. He’s quickly built a connection with Billy Edwards, but, as we’ve seen the last few seasons, it’ll come down to whether that translates on game days.
Ashcraft and Tanner Koziol were expected to be the lead duo in offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’s offense, which frequently uses multiple tight ends. But, with Koziol’s departure, that could now be Lance Mason, a Missouri State transfer who caught 34 passes for 590 yards last year.
The adjustment to the Big Ten’s physicality will be something to watch in fall camp, but the Badgers needed top-end depth at tight end badly after their lack of production over the past few years.
It feels like one of the two will end up as Wisconsin’s starter, with Ashcraft having the early edge after being the leader in spring ball.
Group emerging behind the top duo
Wisconsin has really looked to recruit the tight end position in the last two cycles, landing a pair of players in both classes. Unfortunately, Rob Booker medically retired this spring, but there are still a few players to watch at tight end.
Grant Stec is the main candidate, as he’s already physically imposing and should be able to compete as a blocker in those two tight end sets. However, he’s still developing as a pass-catcher. There were quite a few drops this spring, which was a concern at times during last offseason as well.
Jackson Acker and J.T. Seagraves are the two others firmly in the mix, with Acker likely leading the bunch currently. His transition to tight end will help the unit’s blocking abilities, while he can potentially provide some mismatches as a pass-catcher.
Seagraves has always had the potential and the eye of the coaching staff, but consistency has held him back. That’s still developing.
With this group, the question is: how many players will Wisconsin be comfortable giving in-game reps to? All five listed above could end up seeing playing time in 2025. But, the Badgers need more production from the position, especially from a pass-catching perspective.
And currently, only Ashcraft and Mason seem equipped to handle that role at the Big Ten level.
This is a young group that is going to continue to develop. The bridge between development and current readiness will define the room in 2025.