One Big Sleeper at Each Position on Wisconsin Football's Offense

There'll be plenty of new faces in the Cardinal and White when Wisconsin football runs out of the tunnel at Lambeau Field for the season opener against Notre Dame.

With a sprawling transfer class of over 30 signees, plus four new position coaches, the Badgers have undergone a significant re-tooling ahead of an absolutely critical season for the direction of the program.

Newcomers should contribute significantly at virtually every position. Still, there's plenty of sleepers on the Badgers offense that may have a shot to make an impact despite being further down the depth chart. Badgers On SI takes a look below:

Quarterback — Deuce Adams

Most of the chatter about the Badgers' quarterback room this offseason has centered on true freshman early enrollee Ryan Hopkins, who was the talk of spring camp. The Mater Dei alum looked mature beyond his years and eventually split reps with the second-team offense, soaring up the depth chart immediately.

That might make it easy to forget that the man he's currently battling for the QB2 gig, Louisville transfer Deuce Adams, is no slouch himself. The Austin, Texas native with an extremely laid back vibe and a promising combination of mobility and arm talent already has experience starting at the Power Four level, and if Wisconsin's horrible run of injury luck at quarterback continues, Adams has some traits to get excited about.

Running Back — Darrion Dupree

Wisconsin running backs Bryan Jackson (left) and Darrion Dupree (right). | Christian Borman.

Iowa State transfer Abu Sama, who's wracked up over 2,000 career all-purpose yards, figures to be the bell cow. He's a unique runner in that he's a powerful back with a low center of gravity, but he also has a knack for slipping tackles in the open field with an impressive array of hurdles and spin moves.

But don't forget about the former blue-chip recruit Dupree. He should be the RB2, and while Sama is more experienced and productive, Dupree is the more explosive back. Sama can certainly break big runs, but he doesn't have the same high-end explosiveness as Dupree. What's more, Dupree looks like the third down back given his receiving chops and budding pass-blocking ability. The tailback has suffered through some putrid offenses, but he could burst onto the scene in 2026.

Wide Receiver — Shamar Rigby

When Wisconsin landed former Oklahoma State Cowboy Shamar Rigby out of the transfer portal, I instantly penciled him in as a starter.

He immediately becomes one of the most productive receivers in new position coach Ari Confessor's room, with 36 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown across the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 196-pound wideout's tape was also impressive, but he too suffered through some abysmal offenses in his first two years of college ball. During spring practice in Madison, he didn't consistently have a starting role.

Still, Rigby has a great frame, strong hands and a knack for getting open. He has yet to do it at a high level consistently, but he's one of the few receivers in the room I'm convinced is actually a Power Four-caliber wideout.

Tight End — Emmett Bork

Bork likely won't be any higher than TE3 in his redshirt freshman season, and he could very well be the TE4. Still, he drew a lot of praise this spring from teammates and coaches alike.

“I don’t wanna get too far ahead of myself with Emmett, but he’s a guy we have high expectations for, even in his second year. A guy who competes his butt off. He's the size, the physicality, everything you want at the tight end position," head coach Luke Fickell said. "He’s a guy that has the ability to do it all."

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound tight end certainly has an excellent frame, especially if he's shown flashes as a receiver. The Oconomowoc native is one of the more intriguing athletes on the team, and it'll be fascinating to see if he carves out a role this fall.

Offensive Line — Lucas Simmons-Johansson

Former FSU offensive lineman Lucas Simmons-Johansson. | Ehsan Kassim / Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida State transfer begun to rep with the starters at tackle towards the end of the spring, and the former blue-chip recruit is still dripping with potential. I'd still pencil in Kevin Heywood and PJ Wilkins as the starting tackles, but I have a sneaking suspicion Simmons-Johansson will play this fall, whether it be due to injury or otherwise.

Standing at 6-foot-7, 308 pounds, the former Seminole obviously has an excellent frame to play blindside tackle. If one of the Badgers' two starting tackles underperforms, I don't see it taking long for new offensive line coach Eric Mateos to give Simmons-Johansson a shot.

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