Breakout candidates for Wisconsin football 2024 spring practice

The spring practice period is the college football fan’s glimpse into the future at what the upcoming season may hold. That was the case for the 2023 Wisconsin Badgers, as a big spring from wide receiver Will Pauling translated into a productive fall, while a poor spring from the offensive line also foreshadowed what was to come.

That’s the importance of spring practice, and why the Badgers’ upcoming spring period will draw so much interest. Head coach Luke Fickell must improve the team from its 7-6 2023 campaign as the Big Ten expands and the road gets more challenging.

Related: Wisconsin football’s biggest questions entering spring practice

Year two is a time for progress forward. But that progress cannot come without breakout performances from young players on both sides of the football.

That is our focus as spring practice quickly approaches.

First, looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, it’s time to look at the breakout candidates entering Wisconsin’s 2024 spring practice:

QB Braedyn Locke

Here’s a curveball. Locke will not start the season under center, barring an injury to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. But he’s my pick to be the biggest breakout this spring.

First, he has more experience in Phil Longo’s offense than anyone else in the room.

Second, last year’s on-field reps should prove valuable as he looks to position himself to start in 2025.

Van Dyke’s presence should take pressure off Locke as he continues to develop. I’d bet a second year in the system and more confidence will do wonders for the young quarterback.

OLB John Pius

Wisconsin’s outside linebacker room was a dud in 2023. Darryl Peterson and C.J. Goetz led the team with 4.5 and 4.0 sacks respectively, and that’s it. ILB Jake Chaney, ILB Jordan Turner, ILB Maema Njongmeta and DE James Thompson Jr. had the next four highest sack totals.

Pius transfers to Wisconsin from William & Mary, where his 2022 and 2023 campaigns included a whopping 172 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 21 sacks, First-Team All-Conference honors in each season and the aforementioned All-American honor for 2023.

If any linebacker transfer will be the pass-rushing force the team needs, it’s Pius.

CB Amare Snowden

Snowden was a four-star recruit in the class of 2023, and enters college with the ideal size to play cornerback in a Luke Fickell defense.

The young cornerback is one of numerous Badgers to hit a top sprint speed of higher than 20 miles per hour. He projects to be a stellar cornerback. The question is more when, not if.

RB Nate White

Nate White was part of one of my main questions entering Wisconsin’s 2024 spring practice. With Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker entrenched atop the running back depth chart, the question is where the depth comes from.

Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli return with some experience. But nobody returns to the running back room with as much explosive capability as White. The young running back is Wisconsin’s third-fastest player, having hit a top sprint speed of 20.08 miles per hour.

Chez Mellusi should be brought along slowly this spring, giving White a big opportunity to break out.

WR Trech Kekahuna

Trech Kakahuna caught four passes for 64 yards in Wisconsin’s ReliaQuest Bowl loss to LSU — his only game action thus far.

Snaps will be available in the wide receiver room. Kekahuna is Wisconsin’s fastest player with a top sprint speed of 20.48 miles per hour. He’s one of the easier breakout candidates to guess entering 2024.

LG Joe Brunner

Wisconsin has a few offensive line spots up for grabs with Tanor Bortolini and Michael Furtney gone.

There has been internal noise surrounding Brunner since he arrived on campus as one of the highest-ranked offensive linemen in the class of 2022. Now that there is an opportunity, he should emerge as the clear starter at left guard and one of Wisconsin’s best players along the line.

WR Chris Brooks Jr.

Chris Brooks Jr. was one of 2023’s breakout players during the spring before an injury derailed his progress.

The young wide receiver stands 6-foot, 3-inches and could emerge as one of the team’s more valuable red zone threats. If Kekahuna projects to fill Pauling’s role, Brooks Jr. could become the next Bryson Green in this offense.

WR Quincy Burroughs

Quincy Burroughs was quiet in 2023 in a crowded wide receiver room, catching only four passes for 30 total yards.

There are more snaps and targets to go around with Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell now gone. That, and Burroughs is the fourth-fastest player on the team. He likely won’t become one of the team’s top two options, but he could break out as the clear 4/5 on the offense.

DE T.J. Bollers

Here’s some significant projection.

T.J. Bollers officially moved over to defensive end from outside linebacker this offseason after doing next to nothing in his first several college seasons. The four-star recruit in the class of 2021 has the athleticism and the talent, it’s more a matter of finding the right role and position.

Maybe the added weight and position change is what Bollers needs to become a key contributor on the defense.

ILB Jake Chaney

Does Jake Chaney count as a breakout candidate?

The athletic inside linebacker recorded 80 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in 2023, mostly operating as the No. 3 inside linebacker behind Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner.

He enters 2024 as one of the likely starters. A strong spring could make the veteran one of the best players on the defense.

S Braedyn Moore

Wisconsin’s secondary is scary talented, leading to one of my bigger questions entering spring practice.

Braedyn Moore is one of those players, joining the program as a four-star recruit and top-ranked athlete in the class of 2023.

The Badgers already have Hunter Wohler, Austin Brown and Kamo’i Latu at the position. But sometimes talent is too good to keep on the bench, which could be the case with Moore if he shows out this spring.

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