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2024 Wisconsin Badgers Positional Review: Safeties

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2024 Wisconsin Badgers Positional Review: Safeties


2024 Wisconsin Badgers Positional Review: Safeties

Wisconsin football saw its season end without bowl practices for the first time since 2001. The Badgers hit a new low this century in year two of the Luke Fickell era, and will face a critical get-right year in 2025.

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will examine the 2024 Badgers position by position. Today, we’ll wrap up the series with the safeties, a unit that helped anchor a strong defensive backfield in 2024.

POSITIONAL REVIEWS: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Defensive Line | Outside Linebackers | Inside Linebackers | Cornerbacks

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2024 HIGH: Preston Zachman’s continued development

Redshirt senior Preston Zachman continued his development into a highly reliable safety in 2024, and even better news? He’s coming back next fall.

Zachman became somewhat of a surprise starter alongside Hunter Wohler last season, but he played well in the process, displaying his football IQ and a knack for being in the right place in the right time. He continued to take steps in a positive direction this season, posting a career-best stat-line of 58 total tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and four pass breakups.

The safety has a penchant for making routine plays routinely. He missed just six tackles on 753 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He also surrendered just one touchdown across 366 coverage snaps. But Zachman can also make the big play. His most impressive rep of the season was likely his interception in Los Angeles, pictured above. In coverage against dynamic slot weapon Zachariah Branch, a matchup most would deem a mismatch, he blanketed the receiver, bodied him at the catch point, reeled in the interception and talked smack in the star pass-catcher’s face after the whistle.

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The ball skills he displayed were impressive, but it was also a clinic in technique and positioning. Zachman is one of the most fundamentally sound players on Mike Tressel‘s defense, and his return for 2025 is massive for a secondary that figures to be relatively inexperienced and also just lost its best player in Wohler.

2024 LOW: Hunter Wohler vs. USC

Interestingly enough, one of Zachman’s best games (USC) was also one of Wohler’s worst. He gave up two touchdowns in the second half alone, helping the Trojans complete the comeback victory.

With time dwindling in the third quarter, USC faced a 3rd-and-7 from the Badgers eight yard-line. Wisconsin sent six pass-rushers after Trojans’ quarterback Miller Moss, leaving five one-on-ones in coverage against a five wide look. That included Wohler on the 6-foot-6 wideout Duce Robinson.

Robinson ran a skinny post and simply boxed Wohler out to reel in a touchdown, looking like a forward pulling down a rebound over a guard. It’s hard to blame Wohler for giving up four inches of height to the physical specimen of a wideout, but still, the safety was directly responsible for that touchdown.

Wohler gave up a touchdown on the very next drive as well. The Trojans marched down the field in nine plays but were faced with a 4th-and-1 on the Badgers’ seven yard line. Moss ran a read option, and kept the ball with outside linebacker Aaron Witt crashing off the strong side. Wohler read the play well, and came face-to-face with Moss in the open field. If he made the tackle, it would’ve been a turnover on downs. Instead, Moss hit him with a filthy spin move, breaking the safety’s ankles and scoring a touchdown. Another straight-up mano a mano that Wohler lost resulting in a touchdown, on consecutive drives no less.

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ONE STORYLINE TO FOLLOW BEFORE THE 2025 SEASON: Which transfer nabs a starting role?

With the return of Zachman and Austin Brown, Wisconsin is in a solid spot at safety. The Badgers have two experienced starters, in addition to a plethora of young players including four true freshmen. Zachman and Brown both figure to be starters given their experience and solid play in 2024. But if we’ve learned anything about Tressel’s defense over the course of two seasons, it’s that he deploys three safeties frequently. Especially given the fact that Wisconsin figures to be inexperienced at cornerback with just four corners currently on the roster, safeties can be expected to play plenty of snaps.

The Badgers have signed two transfers at safety at the time of writing: Matthew Traynor (FCS Richmond) and Matt Jung (D-III Bethel). Traynor is a versatile safety who can line up anywhere, while Jung absolutely stuffed the stat-sheet at the D-III level. Both figure to get plenty of run behind Zachman and Brown. But which player looks more dynamic? Who appears to be adjusting to Big Ten competition better? Where in the alignment does either player line up? These will be critical questions to answer this spring and into fall camp.

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Insider: Wisconsin Man Charged With Possession Of Virtual Child Pornography

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Insider: Wisconsin Man Charged With Possession Of Virtual Child Pornography


POLK COUNTY (DrydenWire) – An investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, into multiple cybertips from Google about suspected child sexual abuse materials has resulted in felony charges for a Wisconsin Man.

Cody Struemke, age 27, of Amery, WI, is facing nearly a dozen charges for possessing child pornography, including Felony Possession of Virtual Child Pornography.

The criminal complaint against him alleges that Struemke saved a photo from Facebook of juveniles known to him, and digitally edited the photo to make it appear they were nude.

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Wisconsin health professionals share tips to protect against respiratory illnesses

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Wisconsin health professionals share tips to protect against respiratory illnesses


MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -Respiratory illness season has begun in Wisconsin, with health professionals reporting increased flu cases and higher demand for medications and vaccines.

Over-the-counter medicines are flying off the shelves at Forward Pharmacy in McFarland, according to manager Tony Peterangelo.

“We’ve had to increase like how much of some of that stuff we’ve kept on hand,” Peterangelo said. “We had to make some special orders to really bulk up on some of it too.”

Forward Pharmacy manager Tony Peterangelo filling prescriptions as the respiratory illness season begins.(WMTV/Camberyn Kelley)

Upland Hills physician Benjamin Hecht said the respiratory illness season typically begins after Thanksgiving.

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“As of right now, we are just starting in the last week or two to see some Influenza A. Last year was a pretty tough flu year for us, influenza in Wisconsin. It’s still to be seen how severe of a year this is going to be in 2025-26,” he said.

Respiratory viruses are hard to avoid according to the Upland Hills physician.

“You can wear masks and wash your hands a ton, but you’re going to get exposed to these viruses at some point,” Dr. Hecht said.

RSV poses concern for young children

Dr. Hecht said another concern this season is RSV, particularly for young children with developing immune systems.

“The kids that get this, especially the really young kids, that don’t have a mature immune system, they can get pretty sick from RSV. That’s a particularly scary one. If you’re in a position where you qualify to get that vaccination or perhaps your kids do, please consider that,” Dr. Hecht said.

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Forward Pharmacy is meeting demand for vaccines, which Peterangelo said can help protect against viruses.

“All of that stuff reduces the need to scramble on the back end to get antibiotics and cough suppressants. It doesn’t completely reduce your risk, but it reduces it enough that your likelihood of getting that is down,” Peterangelo said.

Forward Pharmacy is meeting demand for vaccines, which Peterangelo said can help protect...
Forward Pharmacy is meeting demand for vaccines, which Peterangelo said can help protect against viruses.(WMTV/Camberyn Kelley)

The pharmacy has given out dozens of flu and covid shots in a day.

“I would say maybe in the 60 to 80 range,” Peterangelo said.

Dr. Hecht said influenza B will come later in the season. He recommends people with severe respiratory symptoms like breathing troubles to see a doctor.

“The big thing is just living a healthy lifestyle, staying well hydrated, getting good sleep, doing what you can with physical activity and exercise to make sure your immune system is in tip top shape,” Dr. Hecht said.

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According to new CDC data, doctor visits for flu-like symptoms rose to more than 3% in the last two weeks. The majority of flu cases are caused by a mutated strain that causes more severe illness, particularly among older adults.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.



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Former Trump aides appear in Wisconsin court over 2020 election fraud charges

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Former Trump aides appear in Wisconsin court over 2020 election fraud charges


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two attorneys and an aide who all worked on President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign appeared in court Monday for a preliminary hearing in Wisconsin on felony forgery charges related to a fake elector scheme.

The Wisconsin case is moving forward even as others in the battleground states of Michigan and Georgia have faltered. A special prosecutor last year dropped a federal case alleging Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Another case in Nevada is still alive.

The Wisconsin case was filed a year ago but has been tied up as the Trump aides have fought, unsuccessfully so far, to have the charges dismissed.

The hearing on Monday comes a week after Trump attorney Jim Troupis, one of the three who were charged, tried unsuccessfully to get the judge to step down in the case and have it moved to another county. Troupis, who the other two defendants joined in his motion, alleged that the judge did not write a previous order issued in August declining to dismiss the case. Instead, he accused the father of the judge’s law clerk, a retired judge, of actually writing the opinion.

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Troupis, who served one year as a judge in the same county where he was charged, also alleged that all of the judges in Dane County are biased against him and he can’t get a fair trial.

Dane County Circuit Judge John Hyland said he and a staff attorney alone wrote the order. Hyland also said Troupis presented no evidence to back up his claims of bias and refused to step down or delay the hearing.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the allegations.

The same judge will determine at Monday’s hearing whether there’s enough evidence to proceed with the charges against the three.

The former Trump aides face 11 felony charges each related to their roles in the 2020 fake elector scheme. In addition to Troupis, the other defendants are Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who advised Trump’s campaign, and Mike Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020.

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The Wisconsin Department of Justice, headed by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, brought the felony forgery charges in 2024, alleging that the three defrauded the 10 Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump in 2020.

Prosecutors contend the three lied to the Republicans about how the certificate they signed would be used as part of a plan to submit paperwork to then-Vice President Mike Pence, falsely claiming that Trump had won the battleground state that year.

The complaint said a majority of the 10 Republicans told investigators that they were needed to sign the elector certificate indicating Trump had won only to preserve his legal options if a court changed the outcome of the election in Wisconsin.

A majority of the electors told investigators that they did not believe their signatures on the elector certificate would be submitted to Congress without a court ruling, the complaint said. Also, a majority said they did not consent to having their signatures presented as if Trump had won without such a court ruling, the complaint said.

Federal prosecutors who investigated Trump’s conduct related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot said the fake electors scheme originated in Wisconsin.

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The Trump associates have argued that no crime took place. But the judge in August rejected their arguments in allowing the case to proceed to Monday’s preliminary hearing.

Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 but fought to have the defeat overturned. He won the state in both 2016 and 2024.

The state charges against the Trump attorneys and aide are the only ones in Wisconsin. None of the electors have been charged. The 10 Wisconsin electors, Chesebro and Troupis all settled a lawsuit that was brought against them seeking damages.

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This story has been corrected to show that the attorneys who are charged formerly worked on Trump’s campaign, but are still practicing attorneys.

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