Wisconsin
Why Wisconsin’s Jake Chaney changed his jersey number, other highlights from Big Ten media day
An inside look at Wisconsin football’s Squat Fest 2024
After the Badgers wrapped up their conditioning Friday, director of strength and conditoning Brady Collins explained the value of Squat Fest.
INDIANAPOLIS – Wisconsin players Hunter Wohler, Jake Chaney and Jack Nelson met with reporters at Big Ten football media day Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here are some of the highlights from their 30-minute sessions:
A new number for Jake Chaney
This year Jake Chaney will literally be at the top of your program.
The senior linebacker switched his jersey number. He’ll wear No. 1 this season. He was No. 36 previously.
Chaney wasn’t looking to make a switch but did so at the urging of director of football strength and conditioning Brady Collins. The No. 1 is often worn by a team’s best player. At UW, Chaney will share the number with running back Chez Mellusi.
The change was made easier because Chaney had no sentimental attachment to No. 36.
“I believe anything that man says,” Chaney said of Collins. “He says it’s going to make me play better and I truly believe it is, so we’re making the switch to 1 and hopefully I can make it look good this year.”
College football video game is a hit with Wohler, Chaney but a mystery to Nelson
EA Sports’ reboot of its college football game has been a big hit with college players, most of whom opted to have their name included in the game.
Of the three Badgers on hand Tuesday, Wohler sounded like he has played it the most – “it’s a good time,” he said – followed by Chaney. Nelson hasn’t played it.
“I’m not a video game guy,” he said.
Chaney believes the game will help bring young fans to college football.
“Kids grow up nowadays playing Madden, but NCAA is a whole different feel because that feels closer to the kid,” Chaney said. “That feels attainable. That feels like you can truly get there one day. If you work hard enough, you can get there, right? Madden, you hear all the statistics about the NFL. You’ve got to do the combine. You’ve got to make it in college first. But NCAA felt like you could say one day I’m going to be in there.”
Wohler’s 90 overall rating in the game is second on the team to cornerback Ricardo Hallman.
“It’s cool just because all the guys here (at Big Ten media day) played that game religiously and then for it to go away for so long you wonder if it was ever going to be back,” Wohler said, “and then for it to come back and we get to play in the game and our avatar is in the game is pretty cool. It’s a surreal feeling.”
Whitefish Bay native Joe Brunner poised for breakout season?
Who will be the Badgers’ breakout performer for ’24? Redshirt freshman receiver Trech Kekahuna and linebacker Jaheim Thomas got support. Former Whitefish Bay star Joe Brunner did, too.
Brunner, a redshirt sophomore, worked next to Nelson at left guard during spring practice.
More: Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell says leadership is No. 1 thing he will stress to his team
More: Where do Big Ten writers predict Wisconsin football will finish in the conference?
Nelson praised Brunner’s acumen and practice habits while also noting the edge with which he plays.
“He’s just a mean, mean nasty guy in the best way possible,” Nelson said. “It really comes out on the football field. Playing next to him at tackle is really something I value.”
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
-
Michigan5 minutes agoFlood warnings continue around Cheboygan as river level stays high
-
Massachusetts11 minutes agoNew Bedford MS-13 Member, Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Role in Brutal Murders In Massachusetts, Virginia
-
Minnesota17 minutes agoVikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
-
Mississippi23 minutes agoMississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time
-
Missouri29 minutes agoIt’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT
-
Montana35 minutes agoRural Highway Stalker In White Pickup With Dark Windows Terrifying Montana Women
-
Nebraska41 minutes agoScouting Future Saints: Nebraska Cornhuskers RB Emmett Johnson
-
Nevada47 minutes agoNevada high school football head coach steps down