Thursday’s practice had a lot of fireworks with pass-catchers leading the way.
The Wisconsin Badgers finished their sixth practice of the spring on Thursday, which included some highlight-reel plays on both sides as the team got after it with intensity.
It was the second practice since players returned from spring break, although I wasn’t present for the first one.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s sixth practice of the spring.
Playmakers start to emerge
It was the day of the pass-catchers on Thursday, as receivers flashed, both in 1-on-1s and 11-on-11s. Let’s break it down.
Eugene Hilton was a player who stood out through most of the day, as he’s starting to stack multiple consistent practices in his spring ball.
He won both of his 1-on-1 reps that I charted, beating Cairo Skanes on one before beating Jai’mier Scott on another, gaining good separation on an out-route while having a solid catch on the latter pass.
In 11-on-11s, Hilton had multiple catches working with different quarterbacks, hauling in a good volume as he found different ways to separate. Then, he made one of the biggest plays of the day, making a great catch near the sideline by high-pointing the ball over a defender and keeping control as he was tackled, even with his helmet getting ripped off in the process.
Elsewhere, Tucker Ashcraft had a highlight-reel one-handed catch up the seam for a nice gain from Billy Edwards to start off one of the 11-on-11 periods.
Tyrell Henry had a great snag in 1-on-1s over Owen Arnett on the sidelines, getting up for the ball, but it was unclear whether he got one foot in bounds while making the play.
Vinny Anthony bounced back from a drop with a nice double move over Jay Harper for a deep touchdown catch in 1-on-1s.
Lastly, Kyan Berry-Johnson had a solid catch on a pass behind him, initially separating but having to make a contested play in 1-on-1s against Geimere Latimer in the slot.
Now, as a disclaimer, 1-on-1s are usually more beneficial for the wide receivers, but there were several impressive catches on the day, including a few in 11-on-11s.
But, the action wasn’t limited to the offensive skill players only, as the defense got their hands on a few passes as well on Thursday.
Austin Brown had an impressive interception near the end of practice, jumping over a defender to take away a pass from Billy Edwards that was behind his intended target.
Omillio Agard also had an interception of walk-on quarterback Milos Spasojevic on an errant pass where the intended target wasn’t clear.
Overall, it was the day of the pass-catchers on Thursday.
Bigger up front
The front seven was where Wisconsin made its biggest changes this offseason, as they added several players via the transfer portal with the hope of getting bigger to better defend the run.
Well, that was seen on Thursday, as the Badgers deployed a defensive line that included Charles Perkins (6’2, 316 pounds) and Parker Petersen (6’4, 315 pounds) in the middle, with Corey Walker (6’5, 297 pounds) and Darryl Peterson (6’1, 260 pounds) on the edges.
The Badgers have used their outside linebackers in a variety of roles, which has allowed for more defensive linemen to get on the field, but the run game struggled against the front seven on Thursday, marking an improvement up front defensively.
That bigger front included with the second wave of players as Wisconsin lined up Micheal Garner (6’6, 300 pounds), Dillan Johnson (6’2, 293 pounds), Brandon Lane (6’3, 320 pounds), and Tyrese Fearbry (6’4, 249 pounds) together against the second-team offense.
Now, the returns come the regular season will matter the most. But, Wisconsin is looking bigger up front, which should help them more against the run this season.
RB Rotation
The running back position was one of the more intriguing positions entering the offseason as Wisconsin didn’t make any additions to the room, only losing Tawee Walker to the transfer portal and moving Jackson Acker to tight end.
As a result, the top three backs entering the year are Darrion Dupree, Dilin Jones, and Cade Yacamelli, who have all rotated during spring ball. Yacamelli got the first reps in 11-on-11s on Thursday, with Dupree and Jones mixing in behind him.
Yacamelli had a nice run to the edge early, but there wasn’t much success for the running backs on Thursday.
One of the lowlights of the day was a fumble from Darrion Dupree, who dropped a pitch to the backfield. Dupree had a fumble on Tuesday and now had another on Thursday, which will be an issue to monitor for the rest of spring.
While it wasn’t a big day for him, I continue to be intrigued by the upside of Dilin Jones, who has both speed and power as a runner, while providing upside as a pass-catcher as well.
Under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, the running back position will be key in 2025. There seem to be three key players at the position this year, but the rotation is still getting figured out.