Wisconsin Football Stock Report: Who's Up and Who's Down After Blowout Loss to Notre Dame

Sunday’s 41-13 loss to Notre Dame provided an early look at where Wisconsin stands entering a crucial 2026 campaign. Here are three Badgers whose stock is rising and three whose stock is falling after Week 1.

Stock Up

Malachi Coleman

Entering the season opener, there were plenty of questions about who would emerge from a crowded and unproven wide receiver room. Based on Sunday’s showing, the early answer is Coleman, who hauled in four passes for 76 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. His 75.4 PFF grade ranked first among Badgers offensive players, summing up an impressive team debut.

It marked Coleman’s first game with more than two catches in his collegiate career, as he saw limited action across his first three seasons with Nebraska and Minnesota. The Lincoln, Nebraska, native was a well-regarded recruit, though, ranked No. 67 overall and the No. 11 wide receiver in the class of 2023 per the 247Sports composite rankings.

Coleman has the physical tools at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds to create mismatches against opposing defensive backs, but it was his downfield route running that stood out in his successful showing at Lambeau Field. With FCS Western Illinois and Group of Six Eastern Michigan next up on the schedule, Coleman will have a chance to build on his breakout performance and enter Big Ten play with serious momentum and confidence.

Sebastian Cheeks

Cheeks made his presence felt early, recording a strip-sack of CJ Carr to force a three-and-out on Notre Dame’s first drive. In the end, the edge rusher finished with two tackles (both solo), a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass deflection, but those marks don’t fully capture the impact he had. The fifth-year senior earned Wisconsin’s highest PFF grade at 85.5, including an 89.3 pass-rush grade, while generating three pressures across 43 snaps.

Cheeks saw a good chunk of action in 2025, logging 25 tackles (17 solo), three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss while starting three of 12 games. With Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson III gone, Wisconsin needs someone to step up as a consistent pass-rushing threat, and Cheeks looks capable of answering the call. Lesser opponents in Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan over the next two weeks could give him a chance to build on the strong start and rack up some counting stats.

Sean West

West sent the Lambeau Field crowd into a frenzy with his booming 70-yard punt that trickled down inside the one-yard line early in the second quarter. The junior had a solid night overall, with five punts going for 225 yards (45.0 average) and two downed inside the 20-yard line. That number could’ve been three had the gunner properly corralled West’s third punt of the night, which instead went for a touchback.

A bit of a fan favorite after pulling off a 24-yard pass in Wisconsin’s upset win over Washington and a 20-yard run against Ohio State last year, West delivered a much-needed positive season debut after closing 2025 by mustering just a 29.3-yard average on four punts in a loss at Minnesota. While 70-yard snipes won’t be the norm, having a consistently productive punter would be a valuable asset for the Badgers.

Stock Down

PJ Wilkins

Wilkins, along with the rest of the Wisconsin offensive line, was handed a tough assignment against a strong Notre Dame front seven. Unfortunately, the Ole Miss transfer wasn’t up for the task and struggled at left tackle. He finished with a 49.3 PFF grade, second-worst on the offense, performing poorly in both pass protection and run blocking.

Wilkins played the majority of the game, logging 53 snaps, but Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons-Johansson did see eight snaps after competing for a starting offensive tackle job during the offseason. Wilkins is a fourth-year player, but he’s never held down a full-time role, starting two games and logging 186 total snaps last year for the Rebels. Those reps also came at offensive guard, and while Wilkins has the frame at 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds to succeed on the outside, it remains to be seen if he’s the answer at left tackle for the Badgers.

Jon Jon Kamara

With Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano leading the way at linebacker, Kamara entered the season as a versatile piece who could mix and match with the standout duo. His debut left plenty to be desired, though, as the Kansas transfer played 18 snaps without recording a statistic and looked out of sorts on Nolan James Jr.’s receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kamara ultimately finished with a 53.7 PFF grade.

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound junior is freakishly athletic, but he has yet to prove himself as a consistent in-game contributor after totaling 13 tackles (five solo), 0.5 sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in 2025. Kamara wasn’t one of Wisconsin’s high-profile transfers with expectations of challenging Posa or Catalano for a starting role, so the stakes of his stock falling aren’t particularly high. Still, his spot as the third linebacker isn’t necessarily secure, and Thomas Heiberger could surpass Kamara in the pecking order if he doesn’t show more promise in the coming weeks.

Coaching Staff

Wisconsin's Luke Fickell — Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There’s no doubt that 2026 is a pivotal season for head coach Luke Fickell and his coaching staff, and while few expected Wisconsin to pull off the upset or were surprised by the lopsided result, certain parts of the game felt like the “same old Badgers” of the last few seasons. Fickell’s timeout usage continues to be puzzling, particularly his decision to burn one in the second quarter on fourth-and-10 only to ultimately punt from the Notre Dame 36-yard line.

There was also a concerning lack of urgency to close the first half and after falling behind 27-10 in the third quarter, with Wisconsin at times appearing content to simply hang around rather than aggressively fight its way back into the game.

Scheming up success against the vaunted Fighting Irish defense was always going to be challenging for offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, and I liked some of the quick concepts he deployed early. Still, the lack of play-calling aggression as the deficit mounted was disappointing. Mike Tressel’s defense played its tail off in the first half, particularly in stifling the run, but his over-reliance on soft zone coverage allowed CJ Carr to find a rhythm and jump-start the Notre Dame offense after halftime.

The players ultimately have to make the plays, and decisions such as Fickell’s timeout usage weren’t the difference in a 41-13 loss. Still, it was a disappointing showing from a coaching staff with tons to prove this season. Those shortcomings from the sideline may not have decided Sunday’s game, but they could prove much more costly in evenly matched contests once Wisconsin enters Big Ten play.

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