Notebook: Observations from Wisconsin football's final scrimmage
Everything I noticed from the Badgers' final scrimmage before the start of the 2025 season.
The Wisconsin football team held one final practice open to the media, a scrimmage, before the team kicks off its 2025 campaign against Miami (OH) on Thursday, August 28th at 8:00 PM at Camp Randall.
For the most part, coaches know who the starters and key players are going to be heading into the season. The scrimmage today gave players near the bottom of the depth chart a chance to show coaches they should move up and/or earn a spot on the Badgers’ travel roster this season.
Coach Luke Fickell met with the media after practice and mentioned that this practice was really the only time all camp they went live.
Here is what I noticed in the Badgers’ final fall camp practice.
Initial thoughts and observations
The Don, Barry Alvarez, was present for practice today.
The first and second team defenses did a good job of shutting down their offensive counterparts. The third team offense, led by Carter Smith, did a pretty good job of moving the ball down the field, scoring two out of three possessions.
Running backs Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones didn’t get a ton of reps in the scrimmage. Cade Yacamelli got a few snaps with the ones. Fourth-string running back Gideon Ituka got a lot of carries. Ituka found the end zone, but also had a pair of fumbles. Harrison Bortolotti and Mason Lane got reps with the third team.
This team has a lot of young playmakers. Eugene Hilton Jr., Mason Posa, Nicolas Clayton, and Cooper Catalano all flashed today. If they all stay and continue to develop, they could make a solid core for the program over the next two to three years.
Starting center Jake Renfro was back in a limited capacity. He did some individual drill work but did not play in the scrimmage. I didn’t see backup center Kerry Kodanko play either. That left redshirt freshman Ryan Corry as the center with the ones and the twos. Redshirt freshman Colin Cubberly played center with the threes. As you could imagine, there were some shaky snaps today, particularly with the second and third teams. I think I counted three fumbled snaps today.
Left tackle Davis Heinzen held up. I had some concerns with him taking over at left tackle in place of the injured Kevin Heywood, but I didn’t really notice Heinzen once during the scrimmage, and when you don’t notice an offensive lineman during live reps, that’s usually a good thing.
During spring practices, Billy Edward Jr. and Jayden Ballard had a nice connection, especially throwing it deep. Edwards Jr. tried multiple times to connect with Ballard and Vinny Anthony deep today, but never really gave the receivers a chance. The ball was either underthrown or thrown into some solid coverage. Not sure if his knee is still not 100 percent, but his deep ball just didn’t look great today.
Something some Wisconsin football purists will enjoy: the Badgers had a fullback in the backfield. In fact, in short yardage situations, they had two running backs in the backfield at once with an H-back. No more running from the shotgun on 3rd and 4th and short.
Tight ends Lance Mason and Grant Stec both looked pretty good today with Ashcraft on the sideline. Ashcraft was in street clothes and on a scooter. Fickell told reporters they are still waiting to get some more info on him before they know how long he’ll be out.
Quarterback Carter Smith shed his black ‘no contact’ jersey that the quarterbacks wear during the scrimmage. While he was in with the third team, there were plenty of option reads where he pulled the ball and ran, and defenders got to tackle him. I thought he looked good with the ball in his hands, but again, that was against the third team defense.
Cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean continues to get reps with the ones despite his uncertain status for the season.
Rico Hallman continued to sit out most of practice with an ankle injury, per Luke Fickell.
Who stood out
Eugene Hilton Jr.
I feel like a broken record, and if you’ve been following any Wisconsin football reporter, you’ll know that true freshman Eugene Hilton Jr. has been standing out. Today, he was again a standout at practice. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes mentioned how he was always open and never drops the ball. There was more of that today.
He ran primarily with the second team, but he was always the go-to target for quarterbacks Danny O’Neil and Hunter Simmons, who are battling for the backup quarterback job. Hilton Jr. had multiple receptions during the scrimmage, including a touchdown from O’Neil. Get ready to see No. 13 on offense.
Mason Posa
Another true freshman making plays was inside linebacker Mason Posa. Like Hilton Jr., Posa ran with the twos with fellow true freshman Cooper Catalano. Posa made multiple plays during the scrimmage, slicing through the offensive line and stopping the ball carrier for little to no gain.
One play in particular really impressed me. Speedy wide receiver Dekel Crowdus got a handoff on an end-around, and Posa showed his sideline-to-sideline speed, chasing Crowdus down at the sideline, keeping him from even gaining a yard.
But speed isn’t all Posa has. He shot up the middle and met running back Gideon Ituka in the backfield for a loss. After the play, he let Ituka know about it too. Saw a lot of fire and enthusiasm from Mason Posa today.
Things that may only interest me
Three players changed numbers this week.
Cornerback Gemiere Latimer changed from #21 to #1 on defense.
Wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. changed from #84 to #1 on offense.
Wide receiver Tyrell Henry changed from #14 to #5 on offense.
Ethan McIntosh, a 2027 offensive line target for the Badgers from Verona, was at practice today with his dad, Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh.
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