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The Russell Wilson Story Continues On

Think the Russell Wilson story will quiet down at some point? I don't either.

Now that Russell is officially a Badger we're learning more about his recruitment. Tom Mulhern writes that it was an unsual process for the UW coaching staff. NCAA rules prevented Bielema, who wanted to go to one of Wilson's minor league games, from visiting Wilson or his family.

Mike Lucas shares some of the conversation that Barry had with Wilson during his recruiting trip to Madison earlier this summer. Alvarez compares Wilson to Jordan Taylor. That's quite a compliment.

Scott Tolzien could play a big part in getting Wilson up to speed with the playbook. Tolzien has volunteered to tutor Wilson and Bielema is checking to see if that's fine with the NCAA. Andy Baggot talked to Tolzien about how the current QBs are taking the news and how he thinks Wilson will fit in.

The Badger Herald and B5Q have more highlights from Bielema's press conference. I get the "increased competition" angle but unless he's injured there's no way Wilson isn't starting this year.

Adam Mertz at the Cap Times writes that Wilson's transfer boost's UW's brand reputation as much it does UW's on-field outlook this season. This AP article also discusses how a stud QB picking UW over other schools helps UW's reputation.

If you want to know more about Wilson from a NC State fan's perspective, you can listen to what the NC State student paper sports editor has to say about UW's new QB. Wilson's best attributes on the field are his decision making and guts.

Heisman Pundit discusses Wilson impact on the Heisman race. They don't expect Wilson to be a serious contender for the Heisman but his presence could open up an opportunity for James White or Montee Ball, who won't have to run into 8-man fronts all game.

Elliot Hughes at the Badger Herald cautions Badger fans to not get too carried away and start thinking national championship. I get what Elliot is saying, but Badger fans should enjoy having a national title be a legitimate possibility.

Still want some more stories? Adam Mertz has a plethora of links at Madison.com. Check it out here.

In non-Wilson news, the ESPN Big Ten blog ranks Peter Konz the 3rd best center, Ricky Wagner the 5th best tackle, and Kevin Zeitler the 2nd best guard in the Big Ten.

Inside the Numbers: RUSSELL WILSON

 In case you missed INSIDE THE NUMBERS  last month....Badger fans-  here’s a look at what our next QB  has done over his career:

• 10th in the country last season in total offense per game at 308 yards per game…which ranked ahead of  2010 NCAA all-americans Cam Newton (1st team), Andrew Luck (2nd team), and Kellen Moore (3rd team).
• In 2009, Wilson ranked 19th in the country in total offense at 272 yards per game—which ranked ahead of 2009 Heisman Trophy finalists Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.
• Wilson has ran or passed for 93 TD’s in 36 career games- ranking him 2nd in the NCAA among active players.
• Wilson’s 76 TD passes in just 3 seasons is the 3rd highest mark in ACC History behind only Phillip Rivers and Chris Weinke.
• Wilson has rushed for 1,083  yards in his career.
• Wilson has thrown for over 300 yards in a game 12 times in his career- including 8 times last season.
• Wilson has a career touchdown to interception ratio of 3.6 to 1. 
•  In 2009, Wilson set an NCAA record by attempting 379 consecutive passes without throwing an interception.

All the Russell Wilson to Wisconsin News You Ever Want, and More

In case you haven't heard, some Russell dude is transferring to Wisconsin and is expected to be UW's starting QB this year. It sure is nice to hear national title contender and Wisconsin legitimately mentioned in the same sentence.

There has been a ton of coverage all over the web so let's get to it.

At the Journal Sentinel, Dave Heller did a lot of the work already. Check out the JS Badgers blog for links to what people in the national media are saying about Wilson to Wisconsin. Jeff Potrykus writes that Wilson gives UW much needed experience at QB while Michael Hunt provides some perspective for Badger fans.

At the State Journal, Tom Mulhern talked to pundits Stewart Mandel at SI.com and Ivan Maisel at ESPN about the Wilson move, which brings up comparison to Cam Newton and Jerermiah Masoli, while Tom Oates gives us five reasons UW is poised for a special season.

Badger fans aren't the only ones with high expectations for this season. Mike Lucas tells us Wilson has high expectations of himself. The article also has a link to a video of Lucas and Lepay discussing Wilson.

Adam Hoge writes that this is a bold, rare move for the Badgers that comes with some risks, like team chemistry.

According to Yahoo! Sports blog Dr. Saturday UW's initial reaction was probably relief that it has an experienced QB on the team. That feeling of relief was immediately followed by boundless optimism.

So now that Wilson is officially a Badger, what does it mean for UW? Ben Worgull writes that Wilson makes the Badgers the clear favorites in their Big Ten division and Ryan at the Daily Cardinal writes that that the addition of Wilson could make this a special season for the Badgers.

Fox Sports Wisconsin looks at the primary Badger QBs over the past decade. UW had some solid college QBs but no one nearly as exciting as Wilson.

Tom Melton, some NFL draft dude, thinks Wilson is poised for a big year because he'll have a much better running game supporting him. He points out that UW has average almost 1.5 yards more per carry than NC State over the last 3 years.

Not everyone is impressed with Wilson. Take this douche, for example.

It's somewhat fitting that Zach Brown announced he's transferring to Pitt on the same day the Wilson news broke. Often overshadowed at UW, Brown, like Wilson, is eligible to pay right away. Best of luck to you Zach.

Hockey

In the "nothing to see here" category, Mike Eaves shot down the rumors that he's going to leave UW for a head coaching gig in the NHL. It sure was a good news day for the Badgers Monday.

Russell Wilson is a Badger!

After months of speculation, it's official.  UW officially announced that Wilison is leaving minor league baseball (at least temporarily) and transferring to Wisconsin.  You can read the official release from UWBadgers.com here.

Obviously, this news is creating a lot of Buzz in Badger Nation and across college football.  You can read what the Twitterverse is saying about it here and read Badger fans' reactions at Buckyville and BadgerNation.

Here are a couple of highlight videos to get you even more excited about football season.

 

Russell Wilson Suspense to End This Week

We're just over 9 weeks from UW kicking off its football season against UNLV. Some of the questions about who UW's QB will be that day could be answered this week.

Football

After several weeks of rumors and occasional factual updates, the Russell Wilson speculation should come to an end this week. Wilson told an Asheville, NC nespaper that he'll announce by Friday if he's going to play football this fall and, if so, at what school.

Wilson indicated he'll play at either UW or Auburn if he does play football. You can read coverage of the Wilson situation from the Auburn perspective here and here.

The Badgers are at the point where they simply reload along the offensive line. Despite losing 2 All-Americans in Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt, Wisconsin is still has the best OL in the Big Ten according to ESPN.

The top Badger countdown continues on at BadgerBlitz with Kevin Zeitler at #13.

Hockey

UW could lose Mike Eaves to the NHL. Eaves is being linked to the head coach opening for the New Jersey Devils. Chuck at B5Q writes that it's very likely Eaves could leave because of his connections to the Devils organization and that it's flattering for the UW program that Eaves is held in such high regard withing the NHL.

Speaking of the NHL, 4 Badger skaters were selected in this weekend's NHL draft, including 3 incoming freshman -- Joseph LaBate (4th), Patrick Daly (7th), and Brad Navin (7th) -- and one current player, sophomore forward Michael Mersch (4th).  Andy Baggot writes that Daly's pick was a surprise.

While the Big Ten hockey conference means UW fans will be able to see more live games on the BTN, Tom Oates writes that conference is going to create huge issues for the rest of college hockey.

Hoops

Mike Lucas talked to Jon Leuer after he was drafted by the Bucks last Thursday. Leuer feels the Bucks are a good fit and is looking forward to proving he's more than just a spot up shooter. Who did Leuer call first after being drafted? Bo.

Etc

You may or may not have heard about Barry's upcoming cameo on Entourage. Mike Lucas talked to Alvarez about his film experience and discusses how the opportunity came about.

Are You Employed Sir? Jon Leuer Is

Well, there sure is a lot of buzz on the interwebs about the Badgers these days. This should keep you busy on a summer Friday.

Hoops

Jon Leuer may be staying close to Madison for his first job out of college as the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the 2nd round of the NBA draft with the 40th overall pick. Congrats Jon. I hope your career is more along the lines of Devin Harris than Alando Tucker. You can read more about Leuer and his future employer at the Sports Bank, Badger of Honor, and Madison.com.

It's not nearly as exciting as Maui, or even Orlando, but the Badgers will be playing in an early season tournament in Chicago over Thanksgiving. The field will include BYU, Bradley, Nevada, Wofford, Missouri-Kansas City, Longwood, and Prarie View A&M. UW better win that tourney.

Football

It would be a football news update without a Russell Wilson mention. Wilson will reportedly decide by July 1st whether or not to play college football this year and where that will be. You can read more about that decision here and here.

The UW coaching staff had a successful recruiting week as it picked up three more verbal commitments, bringing the total for this year's class to 8. The newest Badgers are Florida DB Hugs Etienne (sweet name) and a couple of dudes from Pittsburgh -- DB Reggie Mitchell and DT Arthur Goldberg. I love this quote from Goldberg: "I'm probably one of the meanest S.O.B.'s you'll ever meet. If I hit you, you're going to go down. I just like to hit. That's my thing."

Tom Mulhern takes a closer look at UW's hot start to this years recruiting class. Imagine how good the Badgers could be with "more talented" players -- at least according to the recruiting experts.

The ESPN Big Ten blog continues its preseason position rankings. UW has the 6th best WR/TE combination in the league with Jake Byrne the 9th best TE and Nick Toon the 9th best WR.

I'd put Jacob Pederson on the TE list and much higher up. I'm sure Tom Lea would agree as he has Pederson as the 14th most important Badger player this season.

Ben Worgull writes that Jake Keefer, one of the most heralded incoming freshmen, was the first of 19 scholarship frosh to commit to the Badgers and he's excited about being a Badger. You can read Worgull's interview with Keefer here.

UW has one of the lowest ticket prices in the Big Ten; although Minnesota only charges more with the help of visiting teams. I think that means we'll see prices go up in the near future.

Did you know Aaron Henry has watched the Rose Bowl over 70 times? I only saw it once and that was enough for me.

Midwest Sports Fan gives James White and Montee Ball 80 to 1 odds to win the Heisman this year. Denard Robinson has the best odds in the Big Ten at 15/2.

More Reasons for Badger Fans to Think Roy Williams is a Douche

Before we get to the links a big welcome to the new editorial team at Badger of Honor. Jack Moore, who created the Brewers blog Disciples of Uecker, is the new lead editor. You can read more about the new team here.

One of the reasons we started BadgerFans.com one year ago is because there weren't a whole lot of Badger blogs out there. We're looking forward to seeing Badger of Honor rejuvenated.

Hoops

Roy Williams gave Wisconsin fans more reason to hate him this week. After Pat Richter ripped Williams for being too scared to play in Madison Williams commented this week that Richter apparently doesn't have enough to do and provided a short lecture on UW and UNC's history in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Phil at B5Q has a recruiting update on 2013 prospect Kyle Washington, who has a scholarship offer from UW. Washington is a 6'8" forward from Minnesota who is transferring to a prep school in Connecticut and is being reclassified from a 2012 to a 2013 recruit. Bo always seems to discover high potential players early on.

Dan at Badger of Honor shares writes that Jon Leuer's stock is on the rise as the NBA draft approaches. I don't follow the NBA so you'll have to click here to read more.

Football

Jack at Badger of Honor writes that Russell Wilson has no future in baseball based on his horrific stats so far in low A ball. I agree, but having to give up a good chunk of the $250K signing bonus the Rockies gave him isn't an easy decision.

At the ESPN Big Ten blog Adam Rittenberg puts Wisconsin 11th in his Big Ten QB position rankings, noting that UW would move up the list if Russell Wilson transfers to UW. He also shares his thoughts on the football-related BTN awards, in which Michigan was involved in three of them. WTF?

Also at ESPN, Brian Bennett writes that senior safety Aaron Henry is ready to take on more of a leadership role now that Jay Valai has graduated.

Jared Abbrederis checks in at #15 in Tom Lea's top 25 Badger rankings. Abbrederis seems like the next in line to be one of UW's great walk-on stories.

Hockey

Chuck at B5Q has an in-depth hockey recruiting update. Next year's incoming class will be smaller than normal because UW isn't expected to lose many players after the 2011-2012 season. The Badgers will have one senior, but are expected to lose talented juniors Justin Schultz and Craig Smith.

UW went 1 for 6 at the BTN awards on Monday night. Mike Lucas writes that the BTN got it right when it named Mark Johnson the Big Ten women's coach of the year. Johnson's women's hockey team didn't lose a game after Thanksgiving. Congrats Mark.

Andy Baggot writes that Mike Eaves used some internal competition to help the hockey team achieve its highest team GPA in school history.

All Quiet on the Russell Wilson Front

It was a quiet on the Russell Wilson news this weekend so here are some other news links to keep you "productive" in the office.

Football

Fox Sports Wisconsin writes that JJ Watt is working his ass off to make sure he's ready to hit the ground running when the NFL labor situation is resolved. Watt's working out at a gym in Waukesha with several other NFL players.

Adam Rittenberg ranks what he believes are the best RBs in the Big Ten. James White is #1 and Montee Ball is #3. That's an impressive backfield.

Adam at B5Q reports UW commit Vince Biegel reaffirmed his committment to the Badgers despite planning a recruiting trip to BYU this fall; however, Vince doesn't sound overly convincing.

Former Badger DB Jim Leonhard is rehabbing from a broken leg in Madison because the NFL lockout prevents him from doing so at the Jets team facilities. BadgerBlitz has some comments from Leonhard on his rehab, UW's outlook for next fall, and his younger brother who will be walk on freshman this year.

Mike Lucas shares his list of the fastest players in UW football history. Former RB Michael Bennett tops his list.

Tom Lea continues his countdown of the top 25 players heading into this season. Offensive lineman Travis Frederick checks in at #16 while defensive end David Gilbert is 17th.

Hoops

The Big Ten announced the single play teams on UW's schedule next year. Phil at B5Q reports that UW will play Indiana and Northwestern at home,  Michigan and Purdue on the road, and every other school twice. I sure wish the home and away teams were flip-flopped.

Hockey

Chuck at B5Q takes a look at UW's chances of having another Hobey Baker winner. He thinks junior defenseman Justin Schultz and junior forward Craig Smith both have a good shot at the award.

Etc

UW is represented in 8 of the 11 categories in the BTN awards show that will air tonight at 6:30pm CDT on the BTN. The football team is up for best men's team while the women's hockey team is one of 3 finalists for the best women's team award.

Andy Baggot explains why it's highly unlikely UW will reinstate the baseball program. Ultimately it comes down to gender equity and money.

The Badgers Land Another High Profile Recruit

Football

Coach Bielema continues to reap the rewards of making the Rose Bowl last year through recruiting.  As Dave Heller points out, the Badgers landed a huge score in Kyle Dodson who is a 4-star recruit out of Ohio.  He turned down the hometown Buckeye’s for WI, so I am sure he has been paying attention to the great success UW linemen have had in the NFL.  There is a video included in the post and it looks like this is a can’t miss recruit. 

Adam Hoge from Bucky’s 5^th Quarter wrote a post regarding UW commit Vince Biegel from Wisconsin Rapids.  Vince gave UW a verbal commitment, but seems to be wavering a bit between UW and BYU.  No disrespect to Vince’s dad who played there, but this really shouldn’t even be an argument. 

Joe Schad points out that Russell Wilson seems to be struggling with his decision of whether to play another year of football, or to stick it out with baseball.  It doesn’t look like UW can expect an answer anytime this week.  We didn’t need any more confirmation, but Rivals.com listed Russell as the 73^rd best college player in their Top 100 list according to Tom Mulhern.

The kickoff of the Northern Illinois game at Soldier Field has been scheduled for 2:30 and will be streamed live at ESPN3.com.  I expect more Badger fans than Huskie fans at this “away” game.

It looks like Pittsburgh is in the running or the services of former Badger Zach Brown.  Hopefully he can get some carries and we wish him nothing but the best.

Mike Lucas catches up with two of the biggest athletic stars on campus from last year, Scott Tolzien and Jordan Taylor.  Scott is obviously waiting for the lockout to end so he can start training camp, which he will be entering as an undrafted rookie.  Taylor, meanwhile, got invited to the prestigious CP3 Elite Guard Camp, which is a who’s who of top high school and college guards. 

Basketball

As you have read on this website, Sophmore Duje Dukan was invited to try out for the Croatian National Team and is overseas trying to make the final cut of 12.  He has been keeping a blog of his experience and this is his first post.  You have to think that spending the summer playing against professional players will only make him better, so we wish Duje the best.

Keaton Nankivil has been busy with tryouts during the offseason and he recently had one with the Bucks.  We would have no problem with keeping Keaton in the state.    

Congrats to Bo Ryan who will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame later this year, as Rob Shultz points out. 

The Badgers will be welcomed in a highly rated recruit on Tuesday in Semi Ojeleye.  Apparently, academics is as important as the basketball program, which should help UW.

Hockey

Chuck from Bucky’s 5^th Quarter posted that Mike Eaves named his captains for next season.  Congratulations to Craig Smith and John Ramage.  Both are juniors, which really speaks to the talented youth of this team.

Andy Baggot points out that Coach Eaves did not get his preference in terms of the conference postseason playoff format, but he is ok with it.  Regardless of the format, there is going to be a lot of excitement because of  the major differences between facilities of the schools.  Let’s hope it is at the Kohl Center.

UW Commits a Violation in Wilson Recruitment, Jon Leuer About to Fullfill a Dream

I hope you had a good weekend. Here are some Badger links to get your week started.

Football

There weren't any updates over the weekend on possibility of QB Russell Wilson joining the Badgers but UW did commit a minor recruiting violation during the recruiting process when WR Nick Toon talked to a TV reporter about Wilson during the WIAA state tennis tournament. Obviously this is really minor but a bet Nick is going to have a fun talk with Bielema about it.

Summer conditioning started last week for the UW football team and Mike Lucas writes that strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert made sure the guys hit the ground running. It doesn't seem like anyone in the program is letting up after last year's Rose Bowl run.

Plaxico Burress's release from prison last week prompted Lucas to look back at how Jamar Fletcher shut Burress down in 1999 game between Michigan State and Wisconsin. I'm sure Drew Brees can relate.

Redshirt sophomore DL Jodan Kohout checks in at #20 and sophomore TE Manasseh Garner #19 on BadgerBlitz's key Badger countdown.

Hoops

Jeff Potyrkus writes that Jon Leuer will likely take a big step toward fullfilling a lifelong dream of playing in the NBA this week. Leuer is expected to be a late 1st round or early 2nd round pick in the draft.

ESPN has a lengthy draft profile on Leuer including stats and expert opinions on Leuer and where he's projected to be picked in the draft.

If you're worried about Bo retiring you can relax. He told the press at Badger Days in Green Bay that he hasn't even thought of retirement. Bo also commented on the Badgers being picked to finish 2nd in the Big Ten this year. It looks like the pundits are starting to realize Bo has a good team every year.

Hockey

The Big Ten announced the playoff format for the new Big Ten hockey conference. The lowest four seeds will play a best of 3 series at the higher seeds place with the winners advancing to play the top 2 seeds at the #1 seed's home. If that sounds a little confusing, read this and it'll make more sense.

Etc

Andy Baggot writes about what it's like to ride a bus full of UW head coaches. It's a jovial ride that involves headlocks and lots of conversation.