Wisconsin football: redshirt watch

Since it’s the bye week we’ve got some time to kill. The NCAA announced a new, and good, rule last year that stated a player could play in up to four games and still retain his eligibility to redshirt for that season. The NCAA doesn’t do much right so it is important to praise them when they do. GOOD WORK, IDIOTS!

Anyways, this is a very useful tool for coaches to get a look at their younger players in real game situations instead of the sanitized practice situations they’re used to. It is also nice for the players to know that their first year on campus will not just be learning the playbook and lifting weights. There is an actual opportunity for playing time!

Throughout the season we will check in on how many games each member of the freshman class of 2019 has played and speculate wildly on whether or not they’ll play more than four games or not. Here, after the season’s first two games, is our updated list.

Scholarship players, ordered by 247Sports ranking

• Logan Brown, OT: zero games played
• Graham Mertz, QB: one game played, 4-for-5, 35 yards
• Joe Tippmann, OT: zero games played
• Spencer Lytle, OLB: zero games played
• Rodas Johnson, DT: zero games played
• Hayden Rucci, TE: zero games played
• Titus Toler, S: zero games played
• Maema Njongmeta, OLB: zero games played
• Julius Davis, RB: zero games played
• Leo Chenal, ILB: two games played, nine total tackles
• Semar Melvin, CB: one game played, one tackle
• Gio Paez, DT: zero games played
• Dean Engram, CB: zero games played
• Skyler Meyers, OLB: zero games played
• Clay Cundiff, TE: one game played, no stats
• Stephan Bracey, WR: zero games played
• James Williams, CB: zero games played
• Keeanu Benton, DT: two games played, three total tackles, two tackles for loss
• Quan Easterling, FB: zero games played

Walk-ons

• Jordan DiBenedetto, WR: zero games played
• Cooper Nelson, WR: zero games played
• Blake Wilcox, K: zero games played
• Jackson Kollath, ILB: zero games played
• Tatum Grass, ILB: zero games played
• Logan O’Brien, OL: zero games played
• Peter Bowden, LS: zero games played

As far as players we already know are going to redshirt, Mertz has gone on record saying that he’ll only be playing four games this year.

And since Davis has been struggling with this injury since his senior year of high school, it is highly likely that he’ll redshirt as well.