Capitol Connection: In-depth election analysis on key races in Wisconsin

Published

1 year ago

April 2, 2023

Capitol Connection: In-depth election analysis on key races in Wisconsin

Posted: Apr 1, 2023 10:00 PM CDT

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) — On this week’s Capitol Connection, CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon and WisPolitics Editor JR Ross break down the large races of this month’s election.

Contributions to this story additionally made by: Emilee Fannon

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Pat Kelsey has his PG in Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn

Published

39 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Press Room

Pat Kelsey has his PG in Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn

Balloon Glow Magic(TM) reached unprecedented heights on Thursday with the commitment of Wisconsin transfer point guard Chucky Hepburn.

For me, this is the addition that takes me from “there are some really nice pieces and this could be a surprisingly fun year” to “I am daydreaming in the middle of a late April Thursday about what this team might be capable of accomplishing next winter.”

Hepburn is a three-year starter at point guard for Wisconsin, where he was one of the biggest recruiting wins in program history. After three stellar seasons withe the Badgers, he’ll arrive in Louisville and instantly provide the Cardinals with an enormous boost on both ends of the floor.

Defensively, it’s simple: Hepburn is one of the best on-ball defenders in all of college basketball, and he has been for three years. Pat Kelsey loves to pressure the ball at the point of attack, a technique which only works if you have an absolute dog at the top of your defense. That’s precisely what Hepburn is.

Offensively, Hepburn is one of the best floor generals in the sport. He can score if need be, but he’s also an elite facilitator — posting an average of 3.9 assists against just 1.2 turnovers per game this past season.

Louisville had elite playmakers before the addition of Hepburn. What they didn’t have was a guy who, when things have gotten a little bit dicey and the opposing team has upped its pressure in the closing minutes of a game, a guy the Cards could hand the ball to in the backcourt and say, “ok everyone else get out of the way.”

Hepburn doesn’t rattle, and he has the skills to go hand-in-hand with that mindset.

This is a big, big addition for Kelsey and everyone who is desperate to see Louisville basketball back to looking like Louisville basketball as soon as humanly possible.

Let’s go.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin football secures commitment from offensive tackle Cam Clark for 2025 class

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Press Room

Wisconsin football secures commitment from offensive tackle Cam Clark for 2025 class

MADISON — Wisconsin offensive line coach AJ Blazek has been busy rebuilding his unit’s depth.

Cam Clark, an offensive tackle from Dexter, Michigan, on Thursday announced he has committed to UW for the 2025 class.

Clark’s commitment comes one day after Joey Okla, a graduate of Arrowhead High School, announced he is transferring to UW from Illinois; and three days after Leyton Nelson announced he plans to transfer from Vanderbilt.

Clark, 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, is the second offensive lineman and the ninth player overall in UW’s 2025 class.

He reportedly held offers from Kentucky, Kansas, Minnesota, Cincinnati and others.

More: Christian Alliegro shows his speed at Wisconsin spring practice

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Wisconsin

Meet Leyton Nelson, the Badgers’ first spring transfer commit

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Press Room

Meet Leyton Nelson, the Badgers’ first spring transfer commit

Jake Kocorowski | Wisconsin State Journal

Leyton Nelson experienced the wide-ranging emotions of entering the transfer portal this month, but he quickly found relief in Madison.

Nelson, who played at Vanderbilt the past two seasons, made the decision to move on from the SEC program and look for a new collegiate home.

“Definitely stressful prior to entering the portal, because a big thing is you don’t want to be the one to almost be like, I guess, selfish in that moment,” Nelson said. “But once you enter that portal and you get a lot of followers, you hear from directors of player personnel, all the scouting and coaches, it’s a little bit of a sigh of relief, I guess.

“But also at the same time in the moments, there’s a lot going on. Like who do I focus on? How would I be able to shorten this list down to be the most beneficial to myself?”

His stay in the transfer portal was relatively brief. Nelson announced his commitment to Wisconsin on Monday.

Here are five things to know about him upon his impending arrival to Madison.

4 observations from Wisconsin football’s 11th spring practice

Nelson’s initial recruiting process took him to the SEC

Nelson was a high three-star recruit in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports composite rankings, whose algorithm computes ratings from the four major recruitng outlets, lists him as the No. 45 offensive tackle during that cycle.

As a high school recruit, Nelson announced notable offers from Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Southern Cal and Tennessee, among others, before signing with Vanderbilt.

What led Nelson to move on from Vanderbilt

Nelson participated in 12 games for the Commodores with the Badgers’ new offensive line coach, A.J. Blazek, as his position coach. The vast majority of that playing time came last season (11), and Vanderbilt’s profile of the Orlando native states he played 60 snaps in 2023.

Nelson said he told the Vanderbilt staff about his intentions the Friday before the opening of the spring transfer portal window, which runs from April 16 through April 30.

“The big thing was just a level of trust between coaching,” Nelson said. “It’s a whole new offensive staff, and I didn’t really get that relationship piece from all of them. And the OC, I didn’t really have that many words with. I think that’s a huge thing for me, is the idea of relationships.”

Why he committed to Wisconsin

Wisconsin director of recruiting Pat Lambert reached out, according to Nelson. The two had a prior connection when Lambert was part of Cincinnati’s staff that offered Nelson under Fickell. Contact from Blazek, his former position coach, soon followed.

Nelson and his mother were quickly in Madison for an official visit that started last Wednesday. He watched the April 18 spring practice and left that evening.

The offensive line room, unsurprisingly, stood out the most during his visit.

“They know that they need help in the O-line room, and I think that’s a big one for me,” Nelson said. “And just getting to hang out with all the guys, young and old, I think was a good part to it, to see there’s some gaps to be filled with age also in the O-line room.”

It took less than a week for Nelson to announce his intentions to transfer to Wisconsin.

“Coming to a program that the expectation of more than just winning, getting to a bowl game and just getting to those championship games is huge for me,” Nelson said. “Also, where O-line is a priority for the whole program, not just the offense itself. Like that’s known there, it’s not just talked about. That’s two big things … and then also just knowing coach Blaz as a prior relationship.”

How he was used at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt listed Nelson at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds on last season’s roster. He played a unique role within the’ offense where PFF gave him a 71.9 grade in run blocking.

“I played strong tackle at Vandy,” Nelson said. “That’s where we go to the strength of the formation, so I played left and right basically. It’s like an average of 50% both ways.”

Where could Nelson fit within Wisconsin’s offensive line?

The Badgers’ offensive line received some hits in its depth during the offsesaon. Tanor Bortolini, who versatility shined at Wisconsin, moved on to professional aspirations and now awaits where he could land in the 2024 NFL Draft later this week.

Three players — Trey Wedig (Indiana), Dylan Barrett (Iowa State) and Nolan Rucci (Penn State) — entered the transfer portal and found new homes at Power Four schools. Barrett Nelson has suited up but not participated in any of the 11 spring practices through Tuesday.

The lack of depth in this position group has affected Wisconsin during the spring. Blazek has given second-team reps to true freshmen early enrollees Kevin Heywood and Colin Cubberly. Cubberly has needed to play both within the interior and out at right tackle.

Leyton Nelson, along with 2024 signees Ryan Cory, Derek Jensen and Emerson Mandell, should provide more scholarship bodies to the position group overall once they arrive later this year.

“And then over at Wisconsin, coach Blaz said, ‘You just got to come in and basically fight for any spot, whatever we’re going through, and I’m not gonna guarantee you anything,’” Nelson said. “And I said, ‘Just be upfront with me. I’m going to come in ready to work swinging basically,’ because I don’t want to settle for second string at all. That’s not me.

“It could be anywhere. I can play interior, exterior (offensive line). Doesn’t matter to me.”

Photos: Wisconsin football 11th spring practice

Wisconsin Badgers running back Jackson Acker (34) runs the ball during spring practice at the McClain Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. SAMANTHA MADAR,STATE JOURNAL

SAMANTHA MADAR