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

High school football heads into Week 2 of the regular season tonight in Wisconsin, meaning the next wave of college football hopefuls and commits have already begun their 2024 campaign.

Last weekend, college football began with a teaser "Week 0" slate of games. The season kicks into full gear this weekend.

The hype around the return of college football may the highest it has been in many years. Changes have come to the landscape of college football that have brought upon this sort of excitement. The transfer portal and NIL has turned the sport into a frenzy during the offseason. Conference realignment has shaken the makeup of college football completely, with teams like USC, Oregon, and UCLA now playing in the Big 10 (just one of many examples). Also, this season will be the first with the 12-team college football playoff, adding to the excitement.

Lastly, college football returned to the video game ranks this year, with EA College Football 25 releasing in July. To read a full breakdown of Wisconsin-born alumni in the game with their ratings, click here.

As in years past, hundreds of former Wisconsin high school football standouts will be taking the field for programs at all levels of college football. This article will preview those suiting up at the DI-FBS and FCS levels.

By my count, 147 alumni will be suiting up for 41 different FBS teams in 2024. Compared to last year, that number has declined by two from 149. At the FCS level, 110 more alumni will be playing at the DI level for 31 different programs, three more than last year's total of 107. Thousands more will be playing at the Division 2, Division 3, NAIA and JUCO levels as well.

This season, our weekly Football Alumni Round-Up will be your way to stay in touch with those former high school standouts from across the state and their careers at the next level.

A full list of FBS and FCS athletes can be found at the bottom of this article.

Badgers to Watch?

The obvious answer here is Hunter Wohler, a 2023 First Team All-Big 10 safety from Muskego. Wohler was a surefire draft pick in this past April's NFL draft, but chose to return to Wisconsin for his senior year. He has been named to many preseason award lists, and is one of the top safeties in all of college football.

Jack Nelson is the only other returning All-Big Ten selection alumni for the home state Badgers. The Stoughton grad has started 38 games on the offensive line already and will cap of his great career surpassing the 50-start mark barring injury. He's another one who is projected to play on Sundays come next year.

Others listed in the two-deep for Wisconsin's opening game against Western Michigan are:
- Riley Nowakowski, Marquette University - starting tight end
- Barrett Nelson, Stoughton - two-deep left tackle
- Joe Brunner, Whitefish Bay - starting left guard
- Kerry Kodanko, West De Pere - two-deep center
- JP Benzschawel, Grafton - two-deep right guard
- Ben Barten, Stratford - starting defensive lineman
- Cade McDonald, Hudson - two-deep defensive lineman
- Owen Arnett, Arrowhead - two-deep nickelback
- Gavin Meyers, Lourdes Academy - starting holder & two-deep punter
- Gavin Lahm, Kaukauna - kickoff specialist
- Duncan McKinley, Eau Claire Memorial - two-deep longsnapper

Nowakowski is a senior for the Badgers and comes into the season with just seven catches and a touchdown. The 2019 John Anderson award winner on WSN steps into a much bigger role this year and it will be interesting to see how the tight end room shapes up as the season progresses.

Verona's Jackson Acker has been a reliable option in the Badger backfield and though he's not listed on the two-deep, I'd expect the junior back to see his fair share of snaps and carries. Last season Acker rushed for 322 yards and two touchdowns and served as the primary backup back after the injury to Chez Mellusi.

Other Big Ten Players to Watch?

Addison Ostrenga, a Sun Prairie grad, may be in line for a bigger role at Iowa in his junior season. The tight end hauled in 31 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns and notched six starts last season. A former terror in the Big 8 conference, Ostrenga has the opportunity to perform at a high level for a program that has produced some of the best tight ends in the NFL.

Trey Wedig played 35 games on the offensive line at Wisconsin before transferring to Indiana this past offseason. The Kettle Moraine grad is a likely starter for the Hoosiers in his new home, as he looks to improve his draft stock.

Max Bredeson is in his senior season at Michigan and the Arrowhead alum comes into it with four career starts at fullback/tight end. The assumption is he'll take on that starting role again for the defending champions, lead blocking for an offense that runs at a high rate.

Dragan Kesich was the best kicker in the Big 10 and one of the best in the entire nation last year at Minnesota. The Oak Creek grad connected on 23 of 27 field goals and was named the Big 10 Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year. He returns for a final season before an assumed shot at the pros. Tyler Cooper of Saint Croix Falls also is a returning starter for the Gophers, having made eleven starts on the offensive line in 2023.

A few other offensive lineman will once again start for their respective teams come Big 10 season. Carson Hinzman, the second ranked player in the Class of 2022, will start for Ohio State. The Saint Croix Central grad started all twelve games last year for the powerhouse Buckeyes.

For Purdue, Marcus Mbow only started six games last season due to injury, but is one of, if not the, best lineman for the Boilermakers. The Wauwatosa East grad earned Big 10 Honorable Mention laurels last year and figures to take another jump.

Lastly, Gavin Meyer transferred into USC this past season after four years at Wyoming. With USC newly into the Big 10, the Franklin grad will be back playing closer to home. Meyer is battling for a starting spot on the defensive line and will get to prove himself against better competition here in 2024.

Other FBS Notes

Mory Bamba, a Menomonee Falls grad, has been battling for a starting spot in the BYU defensive backfield all spring and fall. The junior JUCO transfer tallied one start last year and had seven tackles and one pass deflection.

Easton Kilty started 36 games on the offensive line at North Dakota and was a 2023 All-MVC Honorable Mention selection. The Stratford grad and Ben Barten teammate is slotted to start at left tackle for the Wildcats in the season opener. He has an opportunity to prove himself at a higher level in 2024.

Billy Schrauth enters his junior season as the starting right guard for another powerhouse program, Notre Dame. The Saint Mary's Springs grad started three games last season for the Irish and is in line for a breakout year.

Chimere Dike had a great career for our hometown Wisconsin Badgers. The Waukesha North grad had 97 catches for 1,478 yards and 9 touchdowns in his career at Wisconsin. This season, he'll suit up for Florida with his former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz. After competing for snaps in a crowded receiver room at Wisconsin, Dike is listed as the WR1 for the Gators on the opening depth chart.

MACtion

MACtion is quite the thing come college football season. With games on almost every day of the week, it provides an opportunity to watch football on almost every night. Many alumni will suit up for these teams this season.

Davis Heinzen of Manitowoc Lincoln started every game for Central Michigan last year while Mickey Rewolinski of Union Grove did the same for Eastern Michigan.

John Champe (Brookfield East), JJ Lippe (Whitefish Bay), Evan Malcore (Sun Prairie), Evan Buss (Kimberly) and Logan Zschernitz (Spencer) are listed as the starting five on the offensive line for the Huskies with over 110 starts between them in their careers. Kenosha Bradford's Brock Lampe is the starting fullback for the Huskies. Defensively, Jalonnie Williams of Greenfield will start his first game this year. In the defensive backfield for the Huskies, Whitnall's Nate Valcarcel and Milwaukee King's JaVaughn Byrd are both returning All-MAC selections and two of the better defensive backs in the entire conference.

Transfer Notes

Myles Burkett was beloved at Wisconsin but chose to forego staying with the home state Badgers in pursuit of a starting opportunity. The Franklin grad and the 2021 Dave Krieg Award winner on WSN transferred to Albany and was just recently named the starting quarterback. With a fresh start, Burkett will have three years of eligibility to sling it.

Donald Austin played at the DII level last year at Southwest Minnesota State where he rushed for 965 yards and eight scores. He transferred into Idaho State for his final year. The SJNMA grad is battling for the top running back spot for the Bengals and should see time on the field regardless.

Trey Engram graduated from Verona and spent his freshman year redshirting at Kansas State. He transferred to Towson in the offseason and it will be interesting to see where he slates on the depth chart.

Nick Howard was an offensive weapon over the past three seasons at Dartmouth. This year the Green Bay Southwest will suit up for Butler. From his quarterback position, he passed for over 1,000 yards and rushed for nearly 2,000 and 34 scores for Dartmouth, making two All-Ivy League teams in three seasons.

Jonah O'Brien spent his first four years of college suiting up for Eastern Illinois and Colorado State. The Kaukauna grad transferred into Alabama State this year and is listed as the backup quarterback, though he's impressed in camp, pushing for reps behind center.

2023 All-Conference Selections

Julius Davis found a home at Montana State last year after transferring from Wisconsin. The Menomonee Falls grad rushed for 718 yards and eight touchdowns last season and was named a second team All-Big Sky honoree. Last week Davis was sidelined with an injury in the Bobcats Week 0 win, but should assume his starting spot once he returns.

Joey Giorgi is the second returning All-Ivy League selection from the state, serving as the top running back for Columbia. The Grafton graduate rushed for 628 yards and three scores last year en route to earning second team all-league honors.

Cole Wisniewski was a ball hawk for the North Dakota State football team last season. The Sparta grad had 92 tackles, thirteen pass break ups, eight interceptions and a touchdown for the Bison as he was named to the First Team All-MVC team while also being named an FCS All-American by six different outlets. He's one of the top defensive players in all of the FCS coming into this season.

Dylan Hendricks, a Pulaski alum, also earned First Team All-MVC honors for NDSU last year from his defensive end position. He tallied 40 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

The third Bison to earn All-MVC honors last year is River Falls grad Joe Stoffel who was an honorable mention selection. The tight end was a touchdown machine, hauling in six scores on 25 catches, amassing 293 yards.

Evan Beernsten has started 28 games on the offensive line over the past three years for South Dakota State. The Appleton North grad started all 15 games last season for the Jackrabbits and was an Honorable Mention All-MVC selection.

Langston Robinson started all 11 games for St. Thomas MN last year on the offensive line. The Marquette University grad was a Third Team All-Pioneer League selection last year as a junior.

Sam Hafner has been a forced on the defensive line for Valparaiso the past few seasons, earning First Team All-Pioneer League honors in 2023 and Second Team in 2022. The De Pere grad tallied 63 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks last season.

Brett Welsing is one of many former alumni serving as the starting longsnapper in the DI ranks. The West De Pere grad plays that position for Drake and was named a Second Team All-Pioneer League selection last season.

Shane Dunning is one of the better specialists in all of the FCS at Drake. The Muskego standout went 16 of 19 on field goals last year and averaged 38.2 yards per punt, handling double duties for the Bulldogs. Dunning was named a first team all-conference kicker and punter last season as well as being named the Pioneer League Special Teams Player of the Year.

There are many more players not highlighted here that will be throughout the season as the amount of football talent coming out the state continues to rise. Stay tuned each week as we keep you updated with some of the top performers during the 2024 college football season.