Wisconsin football fall camp preview: Wide receiver
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It is mid-July, which means we are just weeks away from Big Ten Media Days and the beginning of fall camp for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.
The Badgers enter the 2022 season looking to improve upon their 9-4 record from a year ago and aim to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game after missing out on a Big Ten West title in 2021.
After a busy off-season filled with coaching changes, recruiting news, and transfer additions, football is nearly back. With that in mind, it is time to preview each position group leading up to the start of fall camp.
Other position previews:
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Fullback
- Tight end
- Interior offensive line
- Offensive tackles
- Defensive line
- Inside linebacker
After covering each of the three primary positions in the Wisconsin backfield, we now turn our attention to the wide receivers.
Wisconsin added Keontez Lewis from UCLA this off-season via the transfer portal.
Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Roster breakdown
Coaches:
- Alvis Whitted (wide receivers coach)
Returning players:
- Mike Gregoire (RS SR) 5-foot-10, 186 lbs.
- Jordan DiBenedetto (SR) 6-foot, 195 lbs.
- Stephan Bracey (RS JR) 5-foot-10, 182 lbs.
- Chimere Dike (JR) 6-foot-1, 194 lbs.
- Haakon Anderson (RS SO) 6-foot-1, 209 lbs.
- Skyler Bell (RS FR) 6-foot, 190 lbs.
- Markus Allen (RS FR) 6-foot-1, 211 lbs.
- Alex Moeller (RS FR) 5-foot-11, 174 lbs.
Newcomers:
- Dean Engram (RS JR) 5-foot-9, 169 lbs. (played cornerback in 2021)
- Keontez Lewis (SO) 6-foot-2, 194 lbs. (transfer from UCLA)
- Vinny Anthony (FR) 6-foot-, 167 lbs.
- Tommy McIntosh (FR) 6-foot-5, 210 lbs.
- Chris Brooks Jr. (FR) 6-foot-2, 200 lbs.
- Cole Toennis (FR) 6-foot-2, 180 lbs.
- Cam Fane (FR) 6-foot-2, 180 lbs.
Projected depth chart
Starters: Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell
Backups: Dean Engram and Koentez Lewis or Markus Allen
Returning career production
- Chimere Dike - 20 games (7 starts), 31 receptions for 461 yards and two TDs
- Dean Engram - 20 games (5 starts at DB), 24 punt returns for 90 yards
- Keontez Lewis - played in 11 games for UCLA with one start
- Jordan DiBendetto - played in eight games
- Haakon Anderson - played in seven games
- Stephan Bracey - five games, 12 kickoff returns for 307 yards and one TD
- Markus Allen - played in three games last season, with 65 receiving yards
- Skyler Bell - played in one game last season, and finished with 15 receiving yards
Position overview
Outside of Chimere Dike, Wisconsin's wide receiver room will look completely different this fall. With Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor, and Jack Dunn exhausting their eligibility, the Badgers will rely on several younger players to help improve the passing offense in 2022.
Overall, this is a group that I thought stood out this spring, with Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell leading the way. Both players were phenomenal in the practices I saw, and I believe Dike is ready for a big season, assuming he stays healthy. He was playing with greater confidence this spring, and he enters fall camp as arguably the second-best skill player on the offense behind Braelon Allen. I was really impressed with Dike's ability to create separation and win 1-on-1 battles in spring ball, and I think Bobby Engram will find ways to scheme Dike open this season. He is not the same type of wide receiver as Quintez Cephus, but I could see a scenario where he stands out as a true No. 1 receiver as we saw with Cephus in 2019. The Badgers lined him up in the slot frequently, and he took advantage of mismatches in the spring. I would expect that to continue this fall.
As mentioned above, Skyler Bell also flashed. His quickness and abilities after the catch really stood in practice. I think he is best positioned to be the No. 2 receiver this fall, and I think his skill set should allow the Badgers to use him in multiple ways. In the spring, he ran several jet sweeps and did a great job of beating man-to-man coverage over the middle. I think he will fill a similar role to Kendric Pryor but potentially has more upside as a player over the course of his career.
Behind those two, I think the Badgers have three or four other players who will see action this season. I thought Dean Engram handled the transition from defensive back to wide receiver well, and he should see snaps in the slot in 2022. His ability to change direction and settle down in-between zones should make him a nice weapon on short to intermediate routes. UCLA transfer Keontez Lewis and Markus Allen will also factor into the rotation, and I think their size makes them red zone threats and excellent blockers. Both had moments in the spring, and I think the two second-year players could open the season anywhere between No. 3 on the depth chart to No. 5 in my eyes. Lewis and Allen each had some long touchdown catches in the spring, and they were used frequently on posts and dig-routes down the field.
Outside of those top five, I think Stephan Bracey should earn playing time as a kick returner, and he could see the field situationally on offense as well.
The Badgers also added three freshmen to the roster in the 2022 recruiting class. While I think it is a long shot that Vinny Anthony, Chris Brooks Jr., or Tommy McIntosh see the field, I think it will be interesting to see what they can do in fall camp. All three are very different players, and I believe they have the talent to become contributors down the road. Of the three, Tommy McIntosh's size at 6-foot-5 makes him someone to keep an eye on. He reportedly ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and was a highly productive wide receiver at the prep level.
Redshirt freshmen Markus Allen averaged almost 22 yards per reception last season in limited opportunities.
Young player to watch
This year is unique for the wide receiver room because most of the players are young. Chimere Dike is the most experienced returner, and he is only in his third season with the Badgers after playing immediately as a true freshman in the shortened COVID season.
However, the player I am most excited to watch in fall camp is Markus Allen. Skyler Bell and Chimere Dike stole the show in the spring, but after a slow start, I thought Allen really started to come on over the last week of spring practice. In the final scrimmage alone, he had two touchdowns catches, one where he beat the defense over the top for a long gain, and the other in the red zone on a back-shoulder catch where he made a tremendous individual effort.
Allen also finished the 2021 season strong with some big catches against Rutgers and in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State, so he has the talent to be a significant contributor this year. I think finding a level of consistency will be key for him this fall, but if he does, I would not be shocked to see him jump up and be one of the top three receivers in the opener against Illinois State.
Biggest question
The Wisconsin Badgers were not good at creating chunk plays in the passing game last year, and the blame for that falls on the entire offense. However, the offensive line is under new leadership, Bobby Engram comes in as the new offensive coordinator, and the wide receiver room is almost completely turned over.
So can all off-season changes allow the passing game to take a significant step forward?
Overall, I think this wide receiver group has the potential to be better than it was a season ago. However, they will need to prove it.
Wisconsin needs the wide receivers to create more separation and make plays after the catch. Graham Mertz showed a willingness to throw down the field more this spring, but the receivers need to win on some 50-50 balls and help the quarterback out this season.
Outside of Danny Davis' 72-yard touchdown against Rutgers, the Badgers were unable to generate big plays threw the air, and that will be an area of emphasis entering the fall.
If the new-look receiver room can be more dynamic in 2022, it would go a long way in helping the offense take the next step.
Related links:
- Wisconsin signs seven walk-ons as part of 2022 class
- Eight redshirt freshmen who could contribute next season
- Assistant coach profile: Wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted
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