2 true freshmen ‘will have definite roles’ in Week 1

As Week 1 arrives, it’s a good time to check in on the Wisconsin Badgers freshmen class, which had just 13 players in the lightest cycle yet under head coach Luke Fickell.

Instead, the Badgers harped on the transfer portal this offseason, adding over 30 players to the roster, with many expected to be a part of the two-deep or start in 2026. Still, there have been a couple of freshmen who have made their names known this offseason.

The most notable one is quarterback Ryan Hopkins, who has impressed in both the spring and the fall as he’s pushed transfer Deuce Adams for the No. 2 quarterback role. Still, playing behind Colton Joseph, there isn’t a clear immediate path to playing time for the freshman currently.

Over the past few years, the Badgers have had at least one freshman stand out and play some key reps as true freshmen. Last year’s class had quite a few, as Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, Eugene Hilton, Carter Smith, Cairo Skanes, and Nicolas Clayton all had roles as freshmen, be it on offense, defense, or special teams.

In 2024, Xavier Lucas, Kevin Heywood, Dillan Johnson, Darrion Dupree, and Dilin Jones got some playing time as the season went on.

Who could be those candidates in 2026? Head coach Luke Fickell revealed two players who will be playing as early as Week 1.

“It’s hard to remember some of these guys. They come in early, so it’s hard to say who’s even a true freshman,” Fickell chuckled. “I know this, that a guy that didn’t come in early, [cornerback] Donovan Dunmore, you’ll see out there a bit on some special teams. There’s no doubt [tight end] Jack Sievers is a guy that you’ll see out there on some special teams.

“I don’t want to leave out a bunch of others, and I can’t think sometimes off the top of my head all the guys that are true freshmen or came in in January. Those 2 guys, for sure, stand out to me that will have definite roles on September 6th. And there’s another one, right? I mean, like, you know, under the lights in Lambeau Field that an 18-year-old that’s going to be something we got to find out a lot about ourselves as well.”

Dunmore was not an early enrollee, so it’s a very good sign he’s already become a special teams option. Sievers was an athlete Wisconsin was very excited about in its 2026 class, and special teams is also a good way for him to get on the field.

Another true freshman that has impressed the staff this offseason is wide receiver Kash Brock. Brock was interestingly the lowest-rated commit for the Badgers in their 2026 class on 247Sports and was the last commit in the group.

But, in both the spring and the fall, he’s consistently played his way up the depth chart, and was earning some No. 2 reps throughout fall camp. Now, receiver is another position where Wisconsin does have a number of players fighting for No. 1 reps, so it might be hard for Brock to see the field. But that’s a good sign as well.