clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Wisconsin Badgers news, 6/4: Russell Wilson, Josh Gasser garner off-field honors

A busy Hump Day edition of Badger Bits discusses great off-field work from Josh Gasser and Russell Wilson, basketball recruiting and Wisconsin's outlook for 2014.

Harry How

Josh Gasser is the man.

I knew the state of Wisconsin boasted several high-quality ballers, but I didn't realize it was this good: Diamond Stone and Henry Ellenson were listed Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, on ESPN's top-100 list for the class of 2015 (Insider). Realistically speaking, I think it's a heckuva lot more possible for Bo Ryan and his staff to snag the Rice Lake native than Stone, but anything is possible on the recruiting trail. Remember: As I mentioned in Monday's Badger Bits, Stone and Malik Newman have made it known they will be a package deal.

There are several players who will need to play integral roles if the Badgers are going to be successful next season, and Fox Sports Wisconsin's Jesse Temple continues his list with No. 14, punter Drew Meyer.

The campaign for Melvin Gordon to be a front runner for the Heisman Trophy is gaining more and more traction around the world wide web as each day passes. Not to mention, he's emerged as a possible candidate to break the streak of no running backs being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Sports Illustrated's Badger of Honor compiled links of where the experts think Gordon will land, presuming he declares.

Andrew looks at the recruiting needs for the class of 2015 by each position, and one of the top linebackers for the class of 2016 visited campus on Monday ($).

Former UW and current New York Rangers Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonaugh will join the long list of past Badgers who have played in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Wisconsin State Journal's Andy Baggot details the history. Speaking of which, Stepan and McDonaugh were both listed as 30/1 odds to take home MVP honors for the finals.

Something new to Badger Bits: every Tuesday, Russell Wilson visits Seattle's Children Hospital out of the goodness of his heart. Wilson was previously accompanied by his wife on the trips, but we all know what happen there, so various members of the Seahawks and even Macklemore have since joined in on spreading joy to ill children. Here are some Instagram pictures from this week's visit.

Quick Hitters

Technology, FTW! UW and AT&T have partnered to improve upon the less-than-desirable reception inside Camp Randall Stadium. Baggott reports the deal is worth $6.3 million.

WE WANT MORE BEER HEALTHY OPTIONS. Drew takes a look at Karben4 Brewing, one of Madison's newest craft breweries, in the return of Bucky's 5th Quarter Barrel.

None of Wisconsin's slate of games for the 2014 season are among the 25 most expensive tickets in college football.