Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Current Section

Home

Wisconsin high school players in the NFL for 2023 season

09/07/2023, 1:15pm CDT

By Travis Wilson

Tyler Biadasz of Amherst tackles Hunter Luepke of Spencer/Columbus Catholic in the 2015 WIAA Division 5 state title game; now they are teammates with the Dallas Cowboys

The state of Wisconsin continues to have a strong presence in the NFL, with 28 players on rosters or practice squads at the beginning of the 2023 season. While superstar J.J. Watt has retired, the list includes marquee names such as T.J. Watt, Ryan Ramczyk, and Kevin Zeitler, along with a host of young up-and-coming players.

Players who were on the list last year but are no longer in the NFL include Vince Biegel (Wisconsin Rapids), Daviyon Nixon (Kenosha Indian Trail), Jordan Steckler (Two Rivers), Derek Watt (Pewaukee), and J.J. Watt (Pewaukee).

Newcomers this season include four, first-year players: Keeanu Benton (Janesville Craig HS, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh), Jon Gaines (Marquette HS, UCLA, Arizona injured reserve), Hunter Luepke (Spencer/Columbus Catholic, North Dakota State, Dallas), Will McDonald (Waukesha North, Iowa State, New York Jets).

Former Janesville Craig and Wisconsin star Keeanu Benton is in his first year in the NFL

A full list of former Wisconsin high school players in the NFL is below. To see past seasons, please click here.

WISCONSIN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS IN THE NFL FOR 2023 SEASON

First Name	Last Name	High School	College	Pro Team	Year	Notes
Zack	Baun	Brown Deer	Wisconsin	New Orleans Saints	4
Nick	Bellore	Whitefish Bay	Central Michigan	Seattle Seahawks	13
Keeanu	Benton	Janesville Craig	Wisconsin	Pittsburgh Steelers	R
Tyler	Biadasz	Amherst	Wisconsin	Dallas Cowboys	4
Ben	Bredeson	Arrowhead	Michigan	New York Giants	4
Logan	Bruss	Kimberly	Wisconsin	Los Angeles Rams	2	Practice Squad
Mike	Caliendo	Brookfield East	Western Michigan	Kansas City Chiefs	2
Leo	Chenal	Grantsburg	Wisconsin	Kansas City Chiefs	2
Alex	Erickson	Darlington	Wisconsin	Los Angeles Chargers	8	Practice Squad
Jake	Ferguson	Madison Memorial	Wisconsin	Dallas Cowboys	2
Daurice	Fountain	Madison Memorial	Northern Iowa	Detroit Lions	5	Practice Squad
Jon	Gaines	Marquette University	UCLA	Arizona Cardinals	R	IR
Luke	Goedeke	Valders	Central Michigan	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2
Melvin	Gordon III	Kenosha Bradford	Wisconsin	Baltimore Ravens	9	Practice Squad
Shelby	Harris	Homestead	Illinois State	Cleveland Browns	9
Matt	Henningsen	Menomonee Falls	Wisconsin	Denver Broncos	2
Alec	Ingold	Bay Port	Wisconsin	Miami Dolphins	5
Hunter	Luepke	Spencer	North Dakota State	Dallas Cowboys	R
Will	McDonald IV	Waukesha North	Iowa State	New York Jets	R
Quinn	Meinerz	Hartford	UW-Whitewater	Denver Broncos	3
Eric	Murray	Milwaukee Riverside	Minnesota	Houston Texans	8
Dare	Ogunbowale	Marquette University	Wisconsin	Houston Texans	5
Ryan	Ramczyk	Stevens Point	Wisconsin	New Orleans Saints	7
Max	Scharping	Green Bay Southwest	Northern Illinois	Cincinnatti Bengals	5
Cole	Van Lanen	Bay Port	Wisconsin	Jacksonville Jaguars	3
TJ	Watt	Pewaukee	Wisconsin	Pittsburgh Steelers	7
Kristian	Welch	Iola-Scandinavia	Iowa	Green Bay Packers	4	Practice Squad
Kevin	Zeitler	Wisconsin Lutheran	Wisconsin	Baltimore Ravens	12

About the Author

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.