Happy Thursday everyone. One more Badger has earned a shot to prove himself worthy of playing in the National Football League. That Badger is linebacker Blake Sorensen, who yesterday signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He will see a familiar face there in offensive guard John Moffitt, who was taken by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Sorensen played sparingly in his first three years at Wisconsin but received his chance to shine following the season ending injury to Chris Borland early in the 2010 season.
Once Sorensen got on the field, he immediately made a positive impact. He ended up leading the Badgers in tackles and finishing second in interceptions, an impressive feat for a linebacker. He had an especially notable performance against Ohio State; the guy was all over the place that night. He had 10 tackles and most were the kind that made fans say "we needed that" or "great tackle Blake." Plus, he had the game-sealing interception that sent Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressel out of Camp Randall Stadium for the final time. Northern Illinois head coach and former UW defensive coordinator Dave Doeren noted that Sorensen's versatility was one of his best traits.
Meanwhile, we've reached another oasis in this college football desert best known as summer. The Big Ten Media Days kick off today in Chicago and Bret Bielema will be at the podium at 10:15 a.m. CT, so make sure to tune in to the Big Ten Network to catch his remarks. Also, our own Adam Hoge will have all day coverage at the Media Days so keep it here for updates from Chicago. You have to assume that Russell Wilson will be one of the major topics of discussion. Follow the jump for more Russell Wilson and Big Ten Network news.
Russell Wilson has officially selected the number 16 for his jersey at Wisconsin. This is excellent news for anyone who already has a Tolzien jersey as Scott also wore 16 for the cardinal and white. Looks like senior wideout Chukwuma Offor will have to find a new number...
Big Ten Network has announced a new service called BTN2Go. As far as I can tell, this will be modeled after ESPN3.com as it will be an online feed of the same programming airing on the BTN. This could prove helpful for Badger fans in other Big Ten states if another Big Ten game is shown over the Badgers, as all Big Ten broadcasts are slated to be placed online.
Wisconsin's linebackers beefed up this offseason. One of those linebackers, Chris Borland, is the 25th best player in the Big Ten according to the ESPN Big Ten blog.
Patrick Butrym was given a taste of what's to come at the Media Days by Mike Lucas. He sounds ready.
SBNation Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries gives us a double dip of Wisconsin coverage. They first take a look at the state of Wisconsin football as of the summer of 2011. They also take a look at some random facts about the University of Wisconsin.
The heaviest player on the roster is Rob Havenstein, and as of right now he is number one on the depth chart at right tackle.
One final note about Sorensen I forgot to mention earlier- he received Academic All-Big Ten for three straight years. Impressive. Good luck to you in the NFL.