Player Previews: TE Jacob Harris Deserves More Hype Ahead of 2026

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with the Badgers' projected top tight end, Bowling Green transfer Jacob Harris.

2025 Stats

19 catches (30 targets), 182 yards, five touchdowns

Overview

Harris has two years of eligibility in Madison after he spent the first three seasons of his career at Bowling Green. After a redshirt freshman year and a quiet 2024, Harris made a name for himself last fall. Despite not even surpassing 200 yards receiving, he reeled in five scores as a big-time red zone threat for the Falcons, displaying strong hands and extremely fluid movement for his size (6-foot-6, 270 pounds).

He's immediately the most productive tight end at the FBS level in position coach Nate Letton's room, and he's also the biggest. That all point to Harris holding down a starting role this fall, and as long as he can hold his own as a blocker, he should be a regular contributor for the Badgers.

“If you look at him, you think he’s just there to run some power and block that up. He’s been great. He’s got really fluid body movements and is just really good at just making plays and catches where you normally wouldn’t see a guy like him make them," quarterback Colton Joseph said this spring.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin tight end Jacob Harris. | Christian Borman.

Harris is part of a tight end room that also features another transfer in former FCS Southern Illinois tight end Ryan Schwendeman as well as home-grown talents Grant Stec and Emmett Bork. Still, in offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes' scheme, there's no shortage of tight end usage and oftentimes, multiple are on the field simultaneously in 12 personnel.

A best-case scenario season for Harris involves the former Falcon immediately clicking as a blocker at the Big Ten level, which is by no means a guarantee. But if he does, he should be an every-down player in this offense, giving him a legitimate chance to improve upon his numbers from last season.

In this scenario, Harris becomes one of Joseph's favorite targets due to his size and extremely reliable hands. He becomes a matchup problem in the Big Ten, too big for defensive backs and too nimble for linebackers. With how frequently he makes himself available for Joseph when the play breaks down, he becomes one of Wisconsin's leading receivers. That's not out of the realm of possibility.

“An underlooked gift that people have is catching the football," tight ends coach Nate Letton said this spring. "He’s been blessed with that probably more than anybody I’ve been around. He’s got a knack for the football. He has a really good feel, really good spatial awareness and how to get himself open. And then when you have those gifts and you have those skills, and you’re 265 pounds and you move pretty well at that size."

"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.”

Worst-Case Scenario

If things go awry for Harris this season, it likely won't be due to lack of opportunity. As mentioned, he's the biggest and most productive tight end in the room — it's hard to see him getting usurped from his starting role.

If Harris' worst-case scenario unfolds, the Badgers' offense simply cannot sustain a productive tight end. Considering that even when they boasted the worst passing offense in the Power Four last season, tight end Lance Mason was still the leading receiver, it's hard to fathom that Harris won't have at least a solid season if he can maintain his starting role.

Prediction

I think the floor for a player like Harris is pretty high in this offense. That's not to say he's got 600 yards and eight touchdowns on tap this fall, but I do see him surpassing his yardage total from 2025 at Bowling Green. It'll be tougher to match the touchdown count in the Big Ten, but again, he's one of the Badgers' most intriguing pass-catching options with his soft hands and massive frame.

I'd expect a season somewhat similar to what Mason (30 catches, 398 yards, four touchdowns) provided in Madison last fall.

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