[Trending News] 2025 Spring Football Roster Takeaways: TE movement, weight gains, more

The Badgers dropped their 2025 spring football roster on Monday afternoon as spring practice is set to kick off later this week on Thursday, March 13.

The updated spring roster always brings plenty of intrigue with football in Madison right around the corner.

Without further ado, BadgerBlitz.com breaks down the key takeaways from Wisconsin’s roster release:

One of the most notable developments from the spring roster release is the absence of tight end Rob Booker, who would’ve been a redshirt freshman next fall. BadgerBlitz.com can confirm that he’s medically retired. One of two tight ends Wisconsin signed in the 2024 cycle along with Grant Stec, Booker was going to be buried on the depth chart regardless this season. Still, he presented an exciting pass-catching option for the future.

Jackson Acker, who has bounced around from fullback to tight end and back to halfback is now listed as a tight end once again. The Verona native, who has 210 career receiving yards and 360 career rushing yards, could potentially be used as an H-back type of player in new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes‘ scheme. Acker has the size and athleticism to be a run-blocking staple in Grimes’ ground game-heavy offense.

Booker, as mentioned is no longer with the team. Three other players join him as absent from the roster:

– RB Zach Glouderman

– OLB Tamer Dalloul

– S Jackson Trudgeon

We count four players who changed their number from last season:

ILB Christian Alliegro: #28 to #0

RB Darrion Dupree: #13 to #6

RB Gideon Ituka: #31 to #10

Tucker Ashcraft: #38 to #11

Here are the numbers assigned to the incoming transfers:

QB Billy Edwards Jr: #9

QB Danny O’Neil: #18

TE Tanner Koziol : #17

WR Jayden Ballard: #4

WR Mark Hamper: #15

DL Charles Perkins: #30

DL Parker Petersen: #99

DL Jay’Viar Suggs: #31

OLB Tyreese Fearbry: #7

OLB Michael Garner: #51

OLB Mason Reiger: #22

OLB Corey Walker: #92

ILB Antarron Turner: #28

CB D’Yoni Hill: #5

CB Geimere Latimer: #21

S Matt Jung: #29

S Matthew Traynor: #13

And here are the early enrollee freshman numbers:

QB Carter Smith: #3

TE Emmett Bork: #82

WR Eugene Hilton: #13

OL Nolan Davenport: #60

OL Michael Roeske: #58

OL Hardy Watts: #52

DL Torin Pettaway: #98

DL Xavier Ukponu: #94

OLB Nick Clayton: #12

ILB Cooper Catalano: #44

CB Jaimier Scott: #24

CB Cairo Skanes: #25

S Grant Dean: #16

S Luke Emmerich: #20

S Remington Moss: #32

Several of Wisconsin’s newcomers could’ve feasibly played in multiple spots, but the spring roster ends that speculation by assigning firm positions:

– Freshman Jaimier Scott (safety, cornerback) is listed at CB

– Transfer Corey Walker (D-line, outside backer) is listed at OLB

– Transfer Michael Garner (D-line, outside backer) is listed as an OLB

– Freshman Remington Moss (safety, cornerback) is listed as at Safety

– Thomas Heiberger is listed as an ILB after playing on the edge last season.

Wisconsin strength coach Brady Collins is touted as one of the best in the business. The Badgers make sure to promote their strength program plenty during the offseason. Here are some notable weights from the updated roster.

– We knew the quarterback O’Neil was small, but at a listed 6-feet, 196 pounds, he’s the same height as Braedyn Locke and almost 10 pounds lighter. This isn’t the Mountain West anymore.

– The tailback Dupree put on seven pounds to get to 212, while his fellow ball-carrier Ituka dropped five pounds to 227.

– At tight end, Acker (250) and Ashcraft (260) both tacked on five pounds. Expect plenty of tight ends in the ground game this fall.

– The freshman wideout Hilton already has nice size at 6-feet, 201 pounds. For context, that’s the same size as Vinny Anthony but 11 pounds heavier.

– Redshirt sophomore walk-on Peyton Lange is easily the heaviest offensive lineman, adding 17 pounds to get to 372.

– Center Jake Renfro has added 11 pounds. Considering his ineffectiveness in moving bodies in the ground game last fall, that could be big for Wisconsin’s offensive line.

– Rising sophomore defensive lineman Dillan Johnson added a whopping 19 pounds to his frame, currently scaling in at 313 pounds. Ben Barten added 15 pounds to get to 323.

– Outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks added 10 pounds (241), while Darryl Peterson added 12 (260). Aaron Witt dropped two pounds and now checks in at 245.

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