Wisconsin
James Thompson Jr., other Wisconsin Badgers quibble with their ratings on EA College Football 25
Wisconsin LB says EA College Football 25 game is ‘essential’ for sport
The Badgers senior spoke to reporters Tuesday at Big Ten media days in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.
MADISON − No one can stop talking about this video game.
On July 19, game developer Electronic Arts released EA College Football 25, a continuation of the beloved NCAA Football video game franchise.
The last installment, NCAA 14, came out 11 years ago. Now, with student-athletes able to profit off their name, image and likeness, the game makes a triumphant return.
In just a couple of weeks, College Football 25 became one of the most popular games in the world. On July 30, EA published a news release claiming five million people picked up the game within the first week of release.
At Wisconsin’s football media day, every player lit up when they talked about seeing themselves in College Football 25. They can’t seem to put the game down.
“The game is great,” said strong safety Hunter Wohler, who at 90 overall is the Badgers’ second-highest rated player. “I grew up playing it all the time. It’s been gone way too long. I’ve played it probably more than I need to.
“Just being in the game overall is pretty surreal. To see myself on the field making some plays, it’s definitely a cool feeling.”
Before it officially released, EA posted a list of the top 100 players in the game. Wohler slid in at No. 84 as the third best strong safety behind Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. and Virginia’s Jonas Sanker.
Cornerback Ricardo Hallman is the highest-rated Badger. He’s the 62nd-best player in the game and the seventh-best corner at 91 overall.
“It’s really cool to be on a video game,” Hallman said. “For it to come back around and for us to be on the game and play the game that you grew up on as a little kid was really cool. I’ve been grinding it out every day, honestly.”
Both Hallman and Wohler had light-hearted gripes about their ratings, despite being the two highest on the team.
“I love my rating. I think they did a great job. If I could, I would’ve given myself 99 speed,” said the 93-speed Hallman.
Said Wohler, “Rating’s great, obviously you want it to be higher, but I’m not complaining.”
Defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. wasn’t nearly as pleased.
“I do not like my rating,” Thompson said. “It’s a 78; that’s too low for me. I felt like, ‘Damn, it’s a 78? No offense to Curt (Neal) but I had a little bit more stats than that. I didn’t know I was that bad.’”
Thompson, categorized as a run-stopping right end, plays opposite of the power-rushing left end Neal. Both linemen have a 78 overall.
To Thompson’s point, though, he did have more stats than Neal. Last season, the redshirt senior recorded 29 tackles (19 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass deflections.
Neal had 13 tackles (six solo) and 1.5 tackles for loss.
“(My rating) is going to go up during the season though, I’m not too worried about it,” Thompson admitted in a more serious tone. “It’s just a video game. But it’s cool seeing myself in a video game that I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”
Badgers fans can expect a career year from Thompson, if only to best Neal and get his rating into the 80s.
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – 211 Wisconsin has launched a statewide anti-human trafficking awareness poster contest, inviting Wisconsin residents ages 18 and older to use their creativity to raise awareness about human trafficking and promote prevention, support and available resources.
The contest is funded by the State of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
The contest runs May 11 through Aug. 15, and encourages artists to submit an original poster — digital or hand-drawn — that sparks conversation and increases understanding of human trafficking in Wisconsin communities.
Participants must use one of the provided template options to create their poster.
Karen Michaels, spokesperson for 211 Wisconsin, said human trafficking is a difficult but critical issue, and awareness can save lives.
“This contest gives artists the opportunity to educate others, promote hope, and highlight resources available through 211 Wisconsin to individuals and families who may be affected,” Michaels said.
Contest details
The contest is open to Wisconsin residents and students ages 18 and older. The submission period runs through Aug. 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Artwork must be an original design, either digital or hand-drawn, to complement an awareness campaign.
First place receives $750 and statewide poster distribution. Second place receives $250. Submissions are accepted online or by mail.
Winning posters will be displayed in public and educational spaces across Wisconsin, helping to expand awareness, prevention messaging and visibility of support resources.
Artists will be evaluated using a grading rubric focused on creativity, clarity of message and community impact. Submissions must include an artist statement and a completed release form.
For full contest guidelines, submission instructions and downloadable materials, visit here.
211 Wisconsin is a free, confidential service available 24/7 statewide. Trained specialists connect people with health and human services through a statewide database.
Click here to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app.
Click here to submit a news tip or story idea.
Copyright 2026 WSAW. All rights reserved.
(WFRV) – Authorities in northern Wisconsin are investigating after suspected human bones may have been found by a forester.
According to a release from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, a forester marking trees on Friday, May 8, notified officials that he may have found human bones.
Rusk County deputies, DNR officials, and officials with the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigations responded to the scene and were led through the woods and recovered the suspected human bones.
Authorities say they are working with the Rusk County Medical Examiner’s office and a forensic anthropologist to confirm the identity.
Positive identification has not yet been made, but officials say a positive identification is expected to be made based off of medical records.
No other information is available at this time.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 4-5-6
Evening: 6-9-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 3-8-0-8
Evening: 5-0-5-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 07-08-09-11-12-15-16-17-20-21-22
Evening: 02-05-06-07-11-13-17-18-19-20-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 10 drawing
17-19-23-28-29
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from May 10 drawing
05-09-10-14-33-39, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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