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Biggest Winners and Losers from Wisconsin Football's Fall Camp
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- Biggest Winners and Losers from Wisconsin Football's Fall Camp
Wisconsin WRs Eugene Hilton Jr (13) and Shamar Rigby (7). | Christian Borman.
Under the scorching Midwest August sun, Wisconsin football 's fall camp has come and gone .
After 15 practices across 18 days, we know a lot more about the 2026 Badgers while some key questions remain unanswered.
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With Wisconsin 's attention now fully turned to No. 4 Notre Dame on Sept. 6, who are the biggest risers and fallers from fall camp?
Biggest Winners
Wisconsin CB Eric Fletcher. | Christian Borman.
CB Eric Fletcher
Fletcher secured a role for himself on the outside with a stellar fall camp. Battling fast-rising - and highly praised - second-year cornerback Jai'mier Scott, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy more than held his own and arguably had a more impressive camp than Scott. Whoever the technical "starter" at that spot is remains to be seen, but regardless, Fletcher should play plenty this season.
WR Eugene Hilton Jr
While Wisconsin remains without a true top option/primary vertical threat at wideout, which gives me pause about the room as a whole, Hilton was one of the more consistent players throughout fall camp. He already had an elite football and IQ and feel for the game that comes with having a former NFL wide receiver for a father, but now he's coupled with with improved strength and more nuanced route-running. With excellent hands to boot, Hilton looks like one of the Badgers ' more complete receivers and he should get every opportunity to develop into Wisconsin's true X receiver this fall.
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QB Colton Joseph
There were ups and downs along the way; it was far from a perfect camp from the Old Dominion transfer who's clearly still growing and developing in this offense. But when I watched practice live, Joseph showed me two crucial things: his ability to create a spectacular play out of absolutely nothing, as well as his budding leadership and maturity. The passing game isn't always going to be humming this fall, but Joseph proved to me he has the requisite intangibles when I watched him in August.
RB Nate Palmer
The TCU transfer has been an afterthought this season, supposedly buried on the depth chart in a deep and talented running back room for Wisconsin. But considering the Badgers are dealing with injuries to Bryan Jackson and Juju Pope two weeks out from the season, Palmer's chance could come sooner rather than later. He flashed in limited action this fall, and could start the season as the RB3 if Jackson and Pope can't go.
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WR Shamar Rigby
Rigby was held out of team drills for the first half of fall camp, but he made quite the impression upon his return. The 6-4 Oklahoma State transfer is the most experienced Power Four wideout the Badgers have, and he looked like it in the back half of fall camp. His frame and speed makes him a handful for defensive backs, and he pairs that with strong hands and a good feel for space and getting open. Rigby is certainly a sleeper in this wide receiver room.
OT PJ Wilkins
Wilkins was tentatively penciled in as the starting left tackle heading into fall camp, but a battle was expected between him and Lucas Simmons-Johansson. With the latter forced to slide into the starting right tackle spot due to Kevin Heywood 's injury, Wilkins ran un-opposed for the starting left tackle gig, and that's where he'll be come Week 1.
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OG Stylz Blackmon
Blackmon muscled his way up the depth chart, especially in the latter half of fall camp. The D-II transfer rotated with Blake Cherry for the Badgers' starting right guard spot in the absence of Emerson Mandell . Initially considered nothing more than a depth piece, there's a very real world in which he's a Week 1 starter.
LBs Thomas Heiberger, Jon Jon Kamara
Both players stood out in different capacities, of course, but the point here is that the Badgers' depth at inside linebacker appears to be in good hands. Kamara is a fascinating athlete at the STAR position in Mike Tressel's defense, while Heiberger can play all three linebacker spots and looked proficient at each.
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Biggest Losers
Ryan Hopkins throws on the run during Wisconsin's fall camp practice on August 6. | Christian Borman.
QB Ryan Hopkins
Here's the thing: it's not like Hopkins had a bad fall camp. Far from it. But he's still a loser here because following his breakout spring, he looked to have the inside track for the backup quarterback gig over Louisville transfer Deuce Adams. Through 15 fall practices, that race has evened out and the pair appear to be neck-and-neck. So while Hopkins didn't have a bad camp by any means, he didn't separate himself from Adams like many thought he would.
OT Kevin Heywood, OG Emerson Mandell
It's hard to call these two fall camp losers simply on the basis of injury, but the injuries alone aren't what make Heywood and Mandell losers of Badgers fall camp. Both players needed the reps, as they're both playing different positions than they were a year ago. Heywood went through a full spring while Mandell missed the end of spring, but they both did almost nothing in fall camp. Now, their status for Week 1 is up in the air and they've taken almost no reps since April.
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C Ryan Cory
Cory is still having some trouble snapping the ball, a sentence that might activate trauma in some Badgers fans still scarred by his performance against Maryland last fall. Cory changed his grip on the football to more of a swinging motion in an effort to tighten up his snaps, but he still looks like a big drop off from starter Austin Kawecki.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Biggest Winners and Losers from Wisconsin Football's Fall Camp .
