Wisconsin has a number of players stepping into bigger roles this season. Who will break out?
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The Wisconsin Badgers offense will look quite different in 2025 after the team saw a number of changes in the offseason, both adding and losing players via the transfer portal.
On the offensive side of the ball, Wisconsin has a new starting quarterback, running back, two wide receivers, tight end (?), and two offensive linemen to pair with a new offensive coordinator.
Some of those additions, such as Billy Edwards, Jayden Ballard, and Lance Mason, are via the transfer portal. Others, such as Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree, and Trech Kekahuna, are players stepping into bigger roles.
With that said, who is Wisconsin’s breakout candidates on offense this season? I identified four intriguing players: Jones, Dupree, Kekahuna, and Ballard.
The argument for Jones and Dupree is simple: they’re the lead backs in the new offense after serving as reserves last year (Dupree was the No. 2, while Jones wasn’t in the rotation).
Now, the question becomes: which of the two will be the feature back? Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes will definitely have both see the field, given their contrasting skillsets, but one will take on the lead back role come the fall. At the moment, that seems like Jones, who had a strong spring and took over when Dupree dealt with a lower-body injury.
At wide receiver, Trech Kekahuna feels like a breakout waiting to happen. We saw the glimpses last year as Kekahuna shined while Will Pauling was injured, catching six passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns against Purdue.
Now, taking over for Pauling as the lead slot receiver, Kekahuna has a big opportunity to become a leader in the offense. But, he’ll have to be more technically refined and on his keys, which was an issue with the coaching staff at times last year.
Then, there’s Jayden Ballard, who caught just two passes for 18 yards over the last two seasons. In his four years at Ohio State, he caught just 11 passes. But, the former four-star recruit was buried on a deep depth chart with the Buckeyes, and immediately shined in his first spring in Madison.
Ballard is the leader to start opposite Vinny Anthony on the boundary, giving the Badgers two deep threats that have great speed and fit within Jeff Grimes’s vertical attack. He’s already started to develop the chemistry with Billy Edwards and is an underrated player to watch come the fall.
Wisconsin has quite a few new faces stepping into bigger roles. Who could be the team’s breakout player in 2025?