2043 Wisconsin State Preview
The departure of graduate transfer
Michael Hyatt leaves zero doubt -
Calvin Upshaw is the starter in 2043 and 2044 (should he return for his senior season). While Hyatt's departure was expected, the loss of rising sophomore
Marquez Glover to Eastern Michigan was somewhat surprising. Glover likely had a leg up in the back-up QB race before transferring, but now-a-days kids want to start right away, since the advent of the transfer portal, this type of thing is becoming more and more common, especially with quarterbacks.
Glover's departure is good news for Redshirt Freshman
Brendon Lewis, who will assume the backup role.
Eli Stowers will take a redshirt - and his future with the program
is murky. He doesn't fit the typical James Brutus mold of ultra-athletic quarterback, but is a fairly polished passer for a true freshman. Stowers was a very late addition to the class, particularly for a quarterback, only being offered a spot once it became clear that Hyatt would likely transfer - so he may not have exactly been the ideal prospect, but coach Brutus & Co. needed another body in the QB room.
Speaking of bodies in the QB room, backup safety
Tyreke Johnson will be the emergency QB in order to preserve Stowers' redshirt. The junior hasn't taken a snap under center in over three years since high school, but does at least have experience at the position at that level. Should Upshaw and Lewis miss any extended amount of time, expect for Stowers to burn the 'shirt - but in a one or two game situation, you would likely see Johnson at quarterback.
I've mentioned it before, but I can't wait for
Eric Capps,
TJ Pledger, and true freshman
Chris Phillips to all be on the field at the same time. New offensive coordinator
Doug Ruse will have his fingerprints all over a tweaked offensive scheme that will convert the flexbone concepts he used as Nevada's OC into the pistol formation at Wisconsin State - including getting these three speed demons all on the field at once.
In addition to being used in the backfield, Phillips will likely see a number of snaps from the slot this season, as his pass-catching skills are elite for a true freshman running back. He will be a true all-purpose player like Rondale Moore at Purdue or Wan'Dale Robinson at Nebraska.
Tank Bigsby and
CJ Beasley haven't seemed to find their place in the offense yet. Both are more powerful runners, and could see a short-yardage or goal line role in the future, but with Capps' versatility, I don't see that happening in 2043.
Mike O'Neal is about as good of a WR as anyone could ask for. He's versatile enough to play both inside and outside, and his 99 catch rating to go along with 94 speed makes him a threat no matter where he lines up. Him and junior 6'5" junior
Nick Marder may never leave the field this year for the Porcupines - expect Marder to play more on the outside this year, and O'Neal in the slot at times.
After the top two, there four other receivers who will see plenty of snaps. Leading the way out of that group is true freshman
Jaden Bradley. Bradley was the number one priority recruit in the 2043 recruiting class, and now we can see why. He's 6'5" with 93 speed, 89 catching, 93 route running, and 93 jumping. That's unheard of, especially for a freshman. I myself couldn't figure out how he was only a 76 overall until I realized his spectacular catch and catch in traffic are both in the 60s...and that's OK with me. He's going to have the most formations behind O'Neal and Marder.
Sophomore
Josh Fleeks and true freshman
Brian Thomas, Jr. have very similar skill sets, and will both see plenty of snaps and targets this season. Their blend of speed and "soft skills" make them pretty interchangeable in the offense, which is good for depth.
Kam'Ron Mays-Hunt is more of a possession receiver, and will be used as such. He may not be on the field as much as the other guys, but will be crucial in the redzone and short-yardage situations when the Porcs want to throw. True freshman
Justin Franklin is another possession type guy, but due to Mays-Hunt filling that role this season, Franklin will redshirt.
Wooby Theork has been passed up by a huge influx of young talent, as discussed above. The highly touted
Lewis Bond, the nation's #4 overall recruit in the class of 2043 does not appear to be living up to the hype - at least not yet - as Bond will be taking a redshirt this season.
It's old faithful for Wisconsin State at tight end this year. The top three tight ends from 2042 return for 2043.
Darrell Fields was finally utilized in the passing game the way he should be last year, catching 30 balls. We expect that number may not tick up this year due to the talent at WR, but he will get his fair share.
Chase Brown holds down the number two spot, while 2041 starter
William Johnson will likely be used in a reserve role again. True freshman
Jaggar Hebeisen has quite the impressive skill set as a receiver, but due to the depth in front of him will redshirt in 2043.
The offensive line this season is certainly talented, but it is certainly
not deep. There are seven guys that the coaches feel comfortable putting into a game - so let's hope the injury bug doesn't hit the OL.
Kyle Montgomery and
Greg Sims are two senior leaders who are All-Conference to All-American type players who are clearly to top two players on the line. True Freshman
Aaryn Parks will start at the other guard spot - something that's incredibly tough for a true freshman to do in the Big Ten. His spot will certainly be one to watch going forward.
Josh Headlee will be a first-time starter at right tackle, and
Michael Remondet will slide inside to center, marking the second season in a row that a natural tackle will start at center for the Porcs.
Thomas Davis and
Austin Collins will essentially back up every spot - and lets pray we don't have to go further down the depth chart than that this year.
Carson Briggs, Joseph Amos, Connor Colby, Mao Glynn, George Miki-Han and
Ivan Shultz may be solid players down the line, but none of them are ready to play at this level yet - especialliy not in the physically demanding Big Ten.
Everett Johnson was a project from the time he entered the program, and doesn't appear to be panning out at this point.
Much like the offensive line, the defensive line has two senior leaders that are likely to take home all-conference honors this season in
Terrell Richardson and
Terrance Stephens. Stephens was over-shadowed a bit the past couple of years by
Ted Bryant, but now that Bryant as graduated, the D-Line spotlight is all his.
Shannon Carswell starts at the other end spot, and
Emeka Jilliani has won the other tackle job.
Unlike some other spots, quality depth abounds on the D-Line with
Brandon Nettles and
David Nwaogwugwu providing solid options at DE, and
Michael Reese and ture freshman
Tylon Dunlap doing the same at DT. Expect those four to see plenty of playing time.
Robert Wooten, Jeremiah Pittman, and
Carson Bruno still need time to develop - and the latter two will take redshirts to help them get there.
Xavier Small returns as the leader of this linebacker group.
Jeremy Brown had a great season in 2042, but a knee injury during spring practice appears to have set him back a bit - which is disappointing. Having said that, it does appear that he's still locked up the other starting linebacker spot. The transfer of
Tirek Austin-Cave to Kansas State leaves a little to be desired depth-wise on the outside, but
Jaydon Williams and
Damien Sellers will have to do - although the hope is that both will get another year to develop before being forced into an extended playing time.
Evan Tattersall is another project guy who hasn't developed into a Big Ten caliber player yet.
In the middle,
Jacob Mitchell leads the way. Mitchell was forced into a starting role for about half the season last year when
Kyle McCauley was sidelined with an injury. Mitchell really shined as a true freshman, and has huge expectations in 2043 as the full time starter. His speed makes him a huge asset at LB.
Devonte Smith and
Alec Mock are capable back-ups, though
Stefon Thompson still needs time to develop.
In the secondary,
Jaden Williams has been the talk of spring ball and fall camp. The redshirt freshman has made huge strides, and from all reports is on the verge of breaking out as a super star - before he's even played one college snap.
Mario Chambers suffered a shoulder injury in the spring, and Williams took full advantage, cementing his spot in the starting lineup, and pushing Chambers down to the nickel role. We'll see if the hype on Williams is real.
Chris Merriman will be the other starting CB.
True freshman
Jalen Cheek will be asked to be the dime cornerback this year - so expect him to be on the field plenty.
Dabari Hawkins will be the firth corner, and the hope is that
Kalen King and
Rishad Hence will be able to redshirt.
All-American
Kyle Carlson appears to be 100% recovered from the injury that forced him to miss time towards the end of 2042 - he's ready to go for a senior campaign. To be quite honest, if not for the injury causing concerns with NFL front offices, he may already be playing on Sundays. While
Tyreke Johnson isn't in the QB room preparing for an emergency, he'll be the backup free safety.
Junior
Clint Outlaw makes it 2/2 on returning starters at the safety spots. Freshmen
Xamarion Gordon and
Keshawn Lawrence provide depth here, but both may lack the speed to ever see significant playing time in the secondary - time will tell.
True freshman
Mitch Jeter will have some....interesting....shoes to fill in 2043. On one hand,
Jonathan Luke won the Groza award in 2041. On the other hand, Luke's struggles down the stretch in 2042 were a big reason the Porcs didn't play for a Big Ten title. Let's hope that Jeter is more consistent.
Jarrod Graham returns as the punter. He's solid.
*Little note here, I'm switching to Tuscaloosa's kicking system for this season. I've messed around with it in practice, and like how it brings skill back into kicking and brings variability to the kicking game. Big shout out to Young for that one!