Wisconsin WR Skyler Bell earns Freshman All-American honors
In general, Wisconsin's offense was inconsistent during the regular season.
The football team averaged under 30 points per game and ranked outside the top 75 in points per contest. However, one of the top bright spots during the year was the emergence of freshman wide receiver Skyler Bell.
After redshirting for Wisconsin in 2021, Bell stepped up this past season and as a result, earned honorable mention Freshman All-American honors from College Football News on Tuesday.
Starting all 12 games in 2022, Bell finished the regular season with 29 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns as a pass-catcher. He finished second on the team in all three categories behind junior wide receiver Chimere Dike and helped create a formidable 1-2 punch for the Badgers.
Bell had a knack for making big plays this past year for Wisconsin. In addition to recording a long reception of 49 yards against New Mexico State, Bell was used sporadically on jet sweeps and finished the season with 116 rushing yards on just 12 attempts. His longest run of the year came against Maryland, going 36 yards to set up an early score for Wisconsin.
His best game of the year came against New Mexico State in his third career start. The freshman wide-out had 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the contest, becoming just the third wide receiver since 2000 to notch a 100-yard game and the first since 2007. His five touchdowns are the most of any Big Ten freshman wide receiver in the conference.
Originally from The Bronx (New York), Bell broke out for the Badgers in spring practice, standing out as a playmaker with Wisconsin looking to replace their top three targets from a year ago. Before redshirting as a true freshman, Bell was a consensus three-star recruit at The Taft School in Connecticut, where he was unable to play his senior year because of the pandemic. With no senior film, Bell somewhat flew under the radar as a recruit but ultimately chose Wisconsin over Power 5 offers from Buffalo, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Northwestern, UMass, Rutgers, Temple, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.
Despite a coaching change and wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted likely moving on after the season, Bell is expected to return for his sophomore campaign with the Badgers. With Luke Fickell preferring an offense that gets the ball out to receivers on the perimeter a bit more, Bell could have an even bigger role in 2023, and his skills should only improve over the off-season given his work ethic.
Congratulations to Skyler Bell on being named an honorable mention All-American by College Football News.
Related links:
- Wisconsin football to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
- Three upperclassmen enter the transfer portal for the Badgers
- Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard moving on from UW after the bowl game
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