PRzWI Collegiate Update: Former Wisconsin Preps in 2021
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Time flies, and before I knew it I’m going on two years of covering high school football in the great state of Wisconsin for PrepRedzone. It’s been an awesome ride so far, and I’m hoping to check out more Badger…
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Continue ReadingTime flies, and before I knew it I’m going on two years of covering high school football in the great state of Wisconsin for PrepRedzone. It’s been an awesome ride so far, and I’m hoping to check out more Badger state games in person once I return to the Midwest after my better half gets her master’s degree down here in Gainesville. As I was hoping would happen, my enthusiasm for the high school recruiting scene in the state and my coverage with PRzWI has grown into a natural tendency to watch and follow former Wisconsin preps on Saturdays at all levels of college football. That means that I will tailor my game choices to whether there is a son of Wisconsin playing in the contest, and I also watch a ton of WIAC and Northern Sun matchups, of which both conferences recruit the state Badger State as a priority. With so much talent playing on Saturdays I wanted to give our awesome PrepRedzoneWI subscribers some quick updates on former Wisconsin preps who are having themselves a great 2021 and a successful college career as well. From P5 kids in the B1G, Big12, PAC12, and down to the FBS, FCS, DII, and DIII levels, find out which Wisco boys are balling out on Saturdays in 2021. Thanks for reading!
Power-5
Jake Ferguson (Madison Memorial -> University of Wisconsin) TE. 6’5, 245 lbs. Redshirt Senior.
What a career the Madison product has had in his five years as a Badger. As sure most of our readers know, Ferguson has been a mainstay in the UW offense since 2018, when he was a RS freshman and was the team’s second-leading receiver after he posted 36 catches for 456 yards and 4 TDs after playing in all 13 games with two starts at the TE position. He has since started 23 games going into the 2021 season and earned a First Team All-B1G nod as well an All-B1G honorable mention award and recorded six TDs over that period, and in 2021 he has tallied 20 catches for 179 yards. Although there’s been some trouble getting him the ball, Ferguson is still playing at a high level and is a definite NFL prospect who should be hearing his name called in the NFL Draft this upcoming April. When you look at his high school career it should come as no surprise that he is finding this success in the B1G conference, as he was a monster coming out of high school who was invited to the finals of Nike’s The Opening and regarded by some major recruiting outlets as the #2 ranked TE in the nation in his class and a 4-star recruit. He finished his prep career with 1,795 receiving yards and 15 TDs and added 314 tackles, 29 TFLs, 5 sacks, 5 interceptions, and 4 FFs defensively on the gridirons of south central Wisconsin and was an All-Region and multiple All-Conference honors for his efforts. He also helped lead Memorial to a D1 state semifinal appearance on the basketball court and an All-Conference Third Team as well as honorable mention nod throughout his time on the hardwood, and chose the Badgers over offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Northern Illinois. I can’t wait to watch him in the pros. Junior Highlights Sophomore Highlights
Will McDonald Will McDonald 6'5" | 235 lbs | DL Hudson | 2023 State WI IV (Waukesha North -> Iowa State) DE. 6’4, 245 lbs. Redshirt Junior.
McDonald IV was incredibly under-recruited out of high school and has developed into a First Team All-Big12 selection on the defensive line for the Iowa State Cyclones. Despite his high school accolades, which included a WFCA First Team All-State, two All-Region, and multiple All-Conference awards, he only was offered by Iowa State and New Mexico, but still came in as a true freshman for Iowa State and played in four games to record three tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. He was also able to still retain his redshirt that shirt, and came into the 2019 ready to eat, as he recorded 15 tackles and 6 sacks in his redshirt freshman campaign. This kid can get after the quarterback and showed the nation that he was a quarterback nightmare last season as he led the Big-12, was tied first nationally, and broke ISU’s single-season sack record with 10.5 in 12 games. He also posted 13.5 TFLs to go along with 33 tackles and two forced fumbles in his monster sophomore campaign in Ames. So far this year the now junior is off to a 14 tackle, 7 TFL, 5.5 sack, and 3 FF through six games, and as a draft eligible prospect he may have built up some pro stock by now. It’ll be interesting to see if he declares after the season, but I am still so impressed by his production after being recruited by only a few teams out of high school. You could see his explosiveness and potential in his high school stats, as he posted 61 tackles, 20 TFLs,12 sacks, and two FFs as a senior after building on a 69 tackle, 20.5, and 11.5 sack junior season. He also was a D1 state track & field discuss champion and finished third in the high jump as well. He’s a great one out of Waukesha North. Senior Highlights
Leo Chenal (Grantsburg -> University of Wisconsin) LB. 6’2, 250 lbs. Junior.
One of my favorite highlight tapes of all time out of Wisconsin comes from the Badgers thumper of an ILB in former Grantsburg monster Leo Chenal. Just a massive and athletic two-way prospect who looked like one of the hardest and least-fun RBs to attempt to tackle I’ve ever watched, the younger Chenal won a boatload of awards as high schooler that included the 2018 Wisconsin Gatorade POY, a MaxPreps First Team small school All-American, a WFCA First Team All-State nod at both RB and LB, and an AP Second Team All-State (all schools) pick on both offense and defense. He also was named Wisconsin’s small school Offensive and Defensive POY, and was an All-State pick at LB as a junior to boot. Additionally, he was a 4x All-Conference winner who finished his career with 385 tackles, 55 TFLs, 7 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3,706 total yards and 68 TDs, and was always destined to play big time P5 football. Coming into this season with the Badgers he’s already earned a B1G HM nod and has played in 18 games with 7 starts and has totaled 66 tackles, 8 TFLs, 4 sacks, a FF, an INT and a fumble recovery. Through four games in 2021 he’s recorded 42 tackles 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and 2 FFs. Keep it up, Leo! Top-5 2018
Logan Bruss (Kimberly -> University of Wisconsin) OL. 6’5, 300 lbs. Senior.
Yet another Wisconsin offensive lineman with NFL potential, the Papermaker product was a First Team All-State senior lineman in the class of 2017 and was also a First Team All-Stater as a junior. He was the Fox Valley OL of the Year as a junior and season and All-Conference his two years an upperclassman as well. The bruiser had an impressive list of offers as a senior from the likes of Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Colorado State, Buffalo, NDSU, and Illinois State before committing to the Badgers, and has had an experienced and lengthy career in Madison that has included 25 starts going into the year and four so far this season, and in 2020 he was a All-B1G Third Team selection. He’s also a 3x All-B1G Academic selection and coming into the fall of 2021 he was named to the Senior Bowl and Outland Trophy watchlist. Boy, do they make em good in Wisconsin. Junior SZN
Tyler Beach (Port Washington -> University of Wisconsin) OL. 6’6, 300 lbs. Senior.
Complimenting a steady presence of Wisconsin lineman in the four-star ranks of respected high school recruiting services, the Grafton product and Port Washington standout was a First Team AP and WFCA All-State honoree who did not allow a sack in three seasons as an OT and was his conference’s player of the year as a lineman. He also was a 2x All-Conference pick and All-State HM as a junior and a two-year captain who held offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and Oregon State among a host of other suits before ultimately committing to the homestate Badgers. After redshirting in 2017 he played in all 13 games of the 2018 season and followed it up in 2020 with 14 appearances and two starts. He was named All-B1G HM by the coaches for his play in 2020, and is the starter at tackle through the middle of this 2021 season. Senior Offensive Highlights
Cody Ince (Unity -> University of Iowa) OL. 6’4, 280 lbs. Junior.
Another All-B1G performer from the Great State of Wisconsin, Ince was voted All-B1G honorable mention by league coaches and media as well as a Fourth Team All-B1G pick by Phil Steele after his 2020 performance that saw him start the last six games of the season. He came into 2021 as a Preseason Second Team All-B1G nominee but seems to be injured and did not suit up for the Hawkeyes game against the Purdue Boilermakers last week, but was playing in every game up until that point and has appeared in over 20 games for Iowa over his career so far. I’ll be interested to see what’s going on with him going forward, but it’s hard to deny his talent, as he was a former First Team All-State offensive lineman and All-State HM defensive lineman as a senior and earned two-way All-Conference awards as a junior and senior as well. Also was an All-Region DE as a junior who recorded 332 tackles in his career as well as 41 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in his career. He also lettered in basketball and baseball, and earned offers from Minnesota, Central Michigan, UCF, Virginia, Maryland, New Mexico, Purdue, NIU, NDSU, SDSU, South Dakota, Indiana State, Illinois State, Dartmouth, and Western Illinois, but has joined in on a decent pipeline of Cheeseheads to head to Iowa to play college ball. Signing Day
Noah Harvey (Arrowhead -> Michigan State University) LB. 6’4, 235 lbs. Redshirt Senior.
Continuing a long line of Arrowhead High School defensive standouts to find a ton of success at the next level, Harvey has turned into a stalwart defensive presence for the Michigan State Spartans who has played in 32 games with 12 career starts coming into the 2021 season with 105 tackles, 10 TFLs, 3 sacks, a FF, and five PBUs in that time. Coming into this season he was a Phil Steele Preseason Third Team selection and has seven tackles, a TFL, and a sack through five games in 2021. As a prep he was a WFCA All-State First Team LB and an AP All-State Second Team selection, as well as a multiple time All-Conference recipient. Coming out of Arrowhead he earned offers from Bowling Green State, Buffalo, and Michigan State and ultimately committed to the Spartans in East Lansing, and as a former prospect who rated just above two stars, I think he’s done quite well for himself. Senior SZN
Jon Gaines II (Marquette University -> UCLA) OL. 6’4, 300 lbs. Redshirt Junior.
A product of Wauwatosa, Gaines II has been steadily improving year after year with the UCLA Bruins and has now firmly cemented himself as a starter on the OL of the PAC12 competitor. The former All-State HM and Greater Milwaukee All-Metro selection and was a hard commit to the Bruins who didn’t have any reported offers despite some strong tape and great size for the OL, and in 2018 he saw action in one game with UCLA at OG against Stanford. In 2019 he started one game against Cincinnati and played in all 12, and followed it up with four starts in 2020 against Arizona, Arizona State, USC, and Stanford. He’s got a lot of football ahead of him still! Senior Midseason
Jack Plumb (Bay Port -> University of Iowa) OL. 6’7, 295 lbs. Junior.
The former All-Conference, All-Region, and honorable mention All-State TE from Green Bay has developed into a B1G offensive tackle for the streaking Hawkeyes, who hit a blunder in their 2021 campaign last week against Purdue. Plumb has been contributing to the OL of Iowa since 2018 and has seen action in 20 games with two starts going into 2021, and has been rotating in as RT this season for the now #11 ranked Hawkeyes. He had a tough assignment with blocking Purdue’s monster DE last week, but it’s fun to see him contribute on such a successful B1G team and there is a lot of snaps ahead of him the rest of this year. Coming out of high school the massive TE held offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona State, Michigan State, NIU, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Western Illinois, but chose the Hawkeyes and has been enjoying Iowa City ever since. Good luck, Jack!
Derek LeCaptain (Southern Door -> University of Minnesota) LB. 6’2, 235 lbs. Redshirt Sophomore.
An exciting story out of Gardner, the Southern Door product originally committed to the Minnesota Gophers as a PWO but was put on scholarship in August going into this season in a cool surprise by head coach PJ Fleck. The 2x All-State LB had some monster success in high school and was named the 2019 Wisconsin High School Male Athlete of the Year after recording the most yards from scrimmage in WI high school football history. He totaled 5,199 career rushing yards and 100 TDs (!) to go along with 400 tackles and 10 career interceptions! He held an offer from South Dakota and PWOs from Minnesota and Wisconsin, but committed to the Gophers and has appeared in 16 games going into the season and a consistent and physical presence on every special team unit and has played in all six games so far this season. Gotta love walk-ons, man. Career Highlights
Braelon Allen Braelon Allen 6'2" | 230 lbs | DB Fond du Lac | 2021 State WI (Fond du Lac -> University of Wisconsin) RB. 6’2, 230 lbs. True Freshman.
There is no shortage of media acclaim for the 17-year old sensational true freshman RB out of Fondy, so I’ll keep this short, but it’s almost unbelievable to me that the weight room freak should be playing his senior season of high school ball but is instead looking like the most talented RB on the Badgers roster on a team that is known for producing NFL caliber ’backs. We thought this kid would be a 2022 LB! It’s just nuts! After reclassifying to the 2021 class and recording 71 carries for 1,039 yards and 23 TDs in the spring of ’21, he’s averaging 6.26 yards per play in his inaugural season in Madtown and has tallied 46 rushes for 288 yards and 3 TDs so far. What a fricken’ stud! Year3
Max Bredeson Max Bredeson 6'2" | 225 lbs | ATH Arrowhead | 2021 State WI (Arrowhead -> University of Michigan) TE. 6’2, 222 lbs. True Freshman.
The true freshman young buck is making some waves on the Michigan Wolverines roster and made his varsity debut against Northern Illinois in September and was also awarded Scout Team Special Teams POTW for his efforts in preparing the team for the Nebraska game. The former All-State honorable mention QB took a PWO opportunity at Michigan and if he can keep up this work ethic he may see himself on scholarship sooner rather than later. In six games of the abbreviated 2020 season went 56-109 passing for 822 yards and five TDs and rushed 93 times for 711 yards and nine TDs, and has been moved to the TE spot in Ann Arbor. Big things coming for Bredeson.
FBS/FCS
Isaac Klarkowski (Green Bay Southwest -> Rice University) OL. 6’2, 300 lbs. Redshirt Freshman.
An excellent recruiting find by the Rice Owls, Klarkowski is a bruising interior offensive lineman who originally walked onto the Owls for the 2019 season but found himself as a starter with two games left his true freshman season. After that point, he has started 668 consecutive snaps for the Owls OL before seeing that streak snapped this season against Texas Southern. According to the Rice athletic roster, the Green Bay native “had been working with the scout team all fall, but promoted to the travel squad the day before the North Texas game after starting center Shea Baker became ill.” He then stepped in as the starter for that game and took every offensive snap as Rice finished the season on a three-game winning streak. He then started all five games and all 355 snaps in the 2020 season and was looking good before that Texas Southern injury this year. As a prep, Klarkowski was a two-way stud and earned All-Conference and All-Region honors on both sides of the ball and helped lead Southwest to a D2 semifinal appearance in 2017 and in his career he only allowed 15 pressures in 1,013 snaps while putting up 121 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 7.5 sacks on defense. He also was a beast on the wrestling mat who finished with over 100 career wins and a third place finish at the state wrestling meet. Word is, he was set to walk on to the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling team but changed his mind and decided to play football in college. It looks like it was the right choice! Keep your eyes and ears open for the Green Bay native! Senior SZN
Austin Ertl (Wauwatosa West -> Miami of Ohio) DL. 6’2, 290 lbs. Sophomore.
The four-year starter had a distinguished prep career that included First Team All-Conference awards at both OL and DL, WFCA All-State picks at OL, and his conference’s OL of the Year as a junior, when he also was named WFCA, AP, and USAToday All-State OL. At the conclusion of his high school career he had a solid list of offers that included Air Force, Central Michigan, Buffalo, Columbia, Darthmouth, Eastern Michigan, Fordham, Kent State, Navy, Northern Illinois, Ohio, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Texas State, Western Illinois, and Yale, but he committed to the Redhawks, was moved to DL, and played in all 13 games with two starts as a true freshman. He then started and played in all three games of the abbreviated 2020 season, and through seven games of 2021 he’s recorded 22 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks. He’ll finish his career with a ton of football having been played in a few years, and I’m excited to see it. Additionally, Austin’s younger brother Logan was a 2021 signee with the Northern State Wolves at the DII level, but isn’t listed on their 2021 roster. Senior Year
Cole Godbout (Hudson -> University of Wyoming) DT. 6’4, 275 lbs. Junior.
A two-sport standout for the Hudson Raiders, Godbout was a beast on the DL who earned WFCA All-State honors as a senior and All-State honorable mention as a junior. He also won two All-Region picks in that time, and accumulated 79 tackles, 19 TFLs, and 13 sacks as well as two defensive TDs as a senior. As a junior, he recorded 91 tackles, 24 TFLs, and 7 sacks for some gaudy statistics, and he also was a beast on the wrestling mat who was recruited by B1G wrestling programs. After redshirting in 2018 the Wisconsin native exploded onto the Wyoming DL rotation and played in all 13 games with 5 starts to post 34 tackles, six TFLs, and two sacks for a strong freshman season, and built on it with a five start 2020 where he posted 30 tackles, 4 TFLs, and a sack in the shortened 2020 season. Through six games of 2021 he’s posted 19 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks and had a big game against Northern Illinois. Highlights
Hunter Luepke (Spencer -> North Dakota State) RB/FB. 6’1, 235 lbs. Junior.
Had one of the best seasons of any back at the D1 level in the FCS’ spring season after rushing 84 times for 458 yards and 6 TDs which helped him earn FCS All-American honors from Stats Perform and Phil Steele as well as First Team All-MVFC honors and a spot on the Hero Sports Sophomore All-America team. It shouldn’t come as any surprise, as the 2018 of Spencer High School was a four-year and two-year captain who earned three All-Conference nods in his illustrious career that totaled 5,770 AP yards, 95 TDs, and 171 tackles and 10 sacks. He also won the Conference OPOY award in ’15 and ’17, his region’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2017, and an All-Region nod as a linebacker as a junior as well. The four-sport standout was also a 4x conference champ on 3x state qualifier on the wrestling mat who became Spencer’s first state champion after winning the 195 lb. title in 2017 and the 2018 title at 220 lbs after going 49-0. He also was a 3x All-Conference center fielder on the baseball team and won his conference’s 100M dash championship as well. He brought this balanced skill set and unreal production to Fargo, and after redshirting in 2018 he played in 14 games with two starts at fullback in 2019 and was an All-MVFC HM pick after rushing 5 times for 43 yards and a TD and catching 11 passes for 96 yards and a TD. Man, is this kid fun to watch. Junior Highlights
Division II/Division III
Nate Pearson (Northwestern -> Minnesota-Duluth) LB. 6’2, 225 lbs. Redshirt Senior.
The Lake Nebagamon native is in his last year as a UMD Bulldog and is currently second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in sacks with 6.5 through seven games! In 2018 he was a All-NSIC First Team pick at linebacker and has totaled 100 tackles, 29.5 TFLs, 18 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, a blocked kick, and 2 PBUs coming into the season. A four-year starter at Northwestern, Pearson holds the record for career rushing yards at the school with 4,157 and also set the single-season rushing record with 1,657. He was named All-Heart O’North twice and was an All-State HM at LB and P in 2015. I hope he can continue to finish this season out strong! Highlights
Peyton Buckley (Rice Lake -> St. Cloud State -> Augustana University) DB. 6’1, 200 lbs. Sophomore.
I am very happy to see the Rice Lake product finding success in Sioux Falls, as he was an unfortunate product of the St. Cloud State Huskies program shuttering it’s doors a couple of year ago that left a ton of good football players without a spot to play at. It ended a lot of their careers sadly, but Peyton and his brother Parker transferred to play for the heralded Coach OJ and the Vikings of the Northern Sun. Currently, Buckley is tied for second in the NSIC with four interceptions, and has also posted 34 tackles in his first season of college football. Keep it up, young man! Senior Highlights
Armani Carmickle (Indian Trail -> Northwest Missouri State -> Minnesota-Duluth) WR. 6’1, 200 lbs. Senior.
The product of Kenosha is sitting at third in the NSIC in receiving statistics and has caught 36 passes for 803 yards and 7 TDs through seven games of this 2021 season. The NW Missouri State transfer only posted three catches for 28 yards in five games with the Bearcats and was an All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State honorable mention pick as a prep football player. He also won the Wisconsin indoor state championship in the long and triple jump, and has taken that talent to the Bulldogs T&F team and placed third in the NSIC indoor meet in the long and triple last season. Glad to see things working out for him up in Duluth. Go ’Dogs, Armani! Senior Year
Ryan Wisniewski (Sparta -> UW-Whitewater) WR. 6’5, 210 lbs. Senior.
Continuing what will hopefully be a long and consistent trend of Warhawks to receive NFL Draft consideration and noteworthiness, Wisniewski is on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watchlist who is very athletic at his size and is also having a productive college career that has seen him win an All-WIAC First Team award, and All-WIAC Second Team nod, and a couple CoSIDA Academic All-American selections. Coming into this 2021 season he has rushed 52 times for 455 yards and 5 TDs and added 93 catches for 1,391 yards and 13 TDs. So far in 2021 he’s put up 26 catches for 478 yards and 6 TDs and also returned a kickoff for 60 yards against Platteville. Keep your eye out for the WIAC standout once NFL Draft season starts rolling around! highlights
SMALL-SCHOOL SATURDAY VOL. 6:
💎WI-Whitewater WR Ryan Wisniewski gets endorsement from Quinn Meinerz
💎Furman RB Devin Wynn is getting draftable buzz
💎JMU DE Mike Greene was Buck Buchanan finalist
💎Norfolk State EDGE De’Shaan Dixon has intriguing tools#TheDraftStartsInMobile pic.twitter.com/HNkEFuUvhW— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) July 10, 2021
Austin Belot (Neenah -> UW-Eau Claire) RB. 5’11, 190 lbs. Senior.
The senior Blugold is going OFF in 2021 and is the WIAC’s leader in rushing with 132 attempts for 927 yards and 7 TDs with a 154 rushing YPG average. Was a First Team All-Conference pick in both football and baseball at Neenah, and has developed into a four-year contributor who tallied 164 rushes for 958 yards and 8 TDs in 2019 and earned Second Team All-WIAC honors for his efforts. Neenah puts out really productive college players no matter what level they go to, and UWEC got a good one in Mr. Belot. Senior Year Highlights
Sean Borgerding (Spring Valley -> UW-Stout) QB. 6’2, 200 lbs. Junior.
Is currently second in the WIAC in passing and has gone 114-177 so far in 2021 for 1,597 yards and 13 TDs through six games of action. The former 3x All-Conference pick and WFCA All-Star selection started as a freshman for the Blue Devils and earned All-WIAC honorable mention honors after starting nine games and completing 149 passes off 279 attempts for 2,086 yards and 14 TDs. He followed it up with another All-WIAC HM performance in 2019 and started 10 games to finish fourth in the WIAC in passing, total offense, and pass efficiency. He completed 180 passes off 353 attempts for 2,446 yards and 24 TDs. He also led the team in rushing with 307 yards. Keep it up, sir! Top QB plays at Stout
Ryan Daines (Westby -> UW-La Crosse) LB. 6’2, 230 lbs. Sophomore.
The sophomore is leading the WIAC in TFLs with 10 through six games. Senior Highlights
Michael Johnson (West Allis Hale -> Carroll University) QB. 6’3, 220 lbs. Senior.
Is sitting at second in the CCIW conference in passing statistics as he’s gone 135-218 for 1,637 and 15 TDs to just four interceptions. He was a First Team All-Conference QB in high school who holds school records in passing yards, total yards, TDs, and completion percentage, and came into Carroll and started as a freshman in all 10 games and finished with 142 completions for 1,787 yards and 11 TDs.
Damon Loker Damon Loker 5'11" | 195 lbs | LB Kimberly | 2021 State WI (Kimberly -> Carroll University) LB. 5’10, 195 lbs. Freshman.
The first-year LB for the Pios is fourth in the CCIW in tackles with 53 and also has recorded two sacks to begin his college football career. Senior Year