Nate Letton Talks His 'Fun Little Toy', Revamped TE Room

The tight end position had been deathly quiet in Madison after the departure of now-Dallas Cowboy Jake Ferguson.

Last fall, the Badgers experienced their worst football season this century. But there was an ember in the ashes of the tight end room by the name of Lance Mason.

Mason, who transferred to Wisconsin from Montana State, and he put up 30 catches for 398 yards and four touchdowns as the Badgers' leading receiver in 2025.

Of course, the fact that a modestly productive tight end was Wisconsin's top receiver is a whole different story entirely, but it was still a crucial step towards getting the position back up to snuff. Finally, position coach Nate Letton has some receiving precedent in his room.

The Badgers brought in two transfer tight ends this offseason — Jacob Harris (Bowling Green) and Ryan Schwendeman (FCS Southern Illinois) — to revamp the room. But returnee and de-facto elder statesman Grant Stec appears well on his way to a breakout year as well.

Here's what Nate Letton had to say about a few key members of his tight end room, meeting with reporters for the first time this spring:

Jacob Harris

This offseason, Harris was the presumed starter after catching 19 passes for 182 yards and five touchdowns with Bowling Green last fall. His natural receiving ability and fluid movement for his size made him an intriguing add. According to Letton, that innate ability as a pass-catcher stood out immediately.

“An under-looked gift that people have is catching the football," he said. "He’s been blessed with that probably more than anybody I’ve been around."

Harris' strong hands are evident on tape, and it's clear that his receiving ability coupled with his size has the gears inside Letton's head turning.

"He just kinda has this blend of being really big and athletic but also kind of just the natural feeling of space and catching the football, which is a fun little toy that we like to play with.”

Harris could very feasibly be Wisconsin's top receiving threat at tight end this fall.

Grant Stec

Again, Stec is the elder statesman in the room even though he's just 20 years of age and has just five career catches for 52 yards. He's proved to be a capable — and still developing — in-line blocker, but his receiving chops appear to have taken a step in the right direction.

"You’re starting to see him move, come in and out of breaks at the top of his route, become a more viable option for us in the passing game on a wider route tree," Letton said.

That's exciting for Wisconsin's offense, because Stec has always been something of a sleeping giant in Madison. The former consensus four-star prospect was a devastating blocker and a good receiver in high school; he finally appears to be putting it all together in year three.

Emmett Bork

The redshirt freshman Bork has drawn plenty of praise this spring for his big personality and the serious strides he appears to have taken, from his teammates and coaches alike.

“You just look at his body type, he’s a well put-together kid. He’s done a great job of working incredibly hard. That’s one of the things I’m most impressed about with Bork is, he has a really high work capacity. He rarely fatigues, gets tired or hits a wall, and that’s a skill. That’s a gift," Letton said.

Don't expect a massive role from Bork this season; he's still likely behind Harris, Stec and potentially Schwendemen in the pecking order. But he figures to at least get his feet in the water this fall, and depending on how he plays, he could gradually become more and more of a factor.

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