Wisconsin
Northwestern’s David Braun impressed by Wisconsin’s ‘scary passing attack’
David Braun began his tenure as Northwestern’s head coach unceremoniously, receiving the interim tag after Pat Fitzgerald was fired before last season. Despite remarkably low expectations, Braun led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record and he’s now on a 5-year contract as the program’s full-time head coach.
Heading into this week’s matchup with the Badgers, Braun has been impressed with Wisconsin’s improved passing attack and offensive performance with quarterback Braedyn Locke, who took over for injured starter Tyler Van Dyke.
“They’re certainly a group that have found their groove. Well-coached, scary passing attack. They’re finding ways to run the ball really effectively right now, playing good defense, very sound on special teams,” Braun said this week. “You know, our group understands that we got a great challenge in front of us, but we’re excited for that challenge and excited to be at home.”
Wisconsin’s offense has averaged 47 points and 569 total yards per game in their last two games, which were blowout wins over Purdue and Rutgers. A big reason for the improved success has been Locke’s performance. He looks like he has found his confidence as the team’s full-time starter.
“I think the quarterback play continues to trend in the right direction for them. (Braedyn Locke) came in against Alabama. That’s a tough situation to be thrust into. But you can tell that he continues to play with more and more confidence,” Braun said. “You know, the O-line play is something that has certainly stood out and been impressive. The backs are running hard, running well. They’re creating some explosive opportunities in the run game.”
Over the last two weeks, Locke has completed 65.5 percent of his passes and averaged 299.5 passing yards per game with five total touchdowns and three interceptions.
The emergence of wide receivers Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kakahuna as legitimate deep threats has given Wisconsin fans a glimpse at the potential passing offense they were promised by offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Braun and the 3-3 Wildcats sound prepared for the Badgers’ best on Saturday.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin a ‘school to watch’ for SEC transfer wide receiver
Wisconsin is an ‘early school to watch’ for Oklahoma transfer wide receiver Jayden Gibson, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. The Badgers were given that designation along with South Carolina.
Gibson will officially enter the portal when it opens on Jan. 2. The former four-star recruit left the Oklahoma program in October. He was then officially reported to be entering the portal earlier this month.
Gibson joined the Sooners as one of the top wideouts in the class of 2022, ranked specifically as the No. 27 at his position and No. 22 from his home state of Florida. He caught just one pass for 12 yards as a true freshman in 2022. The receiver’s breakout season came as a sophomore in 2023; He appeared in all 13 games, catching 14 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns.
The receiver could not continue that momentum in 2024, as he suffered a season-ending injury during training camp. He then did not see the field at the start of the 2025 campaign before leaving the program.
Wisconsin has a clear need at wide receiver entering 2026, with Eugene Hilton, Trech Kekahuna and Joseph Griffin Jr. all set to enter the portal. The team is looking to fix a passing offense that averaged just 136.4 yards per game in 2025, good for 132nd in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin Adds Robert Steeples to 2026 Coaching Staff
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin has added Robert Steeples to its 2026 coaching staff, head coach Luke Fickell announced on Tuesday. Steeples will serve as cornerbacks coach for the Badgers, moving Paul Haynes to oversee the entire secondary.
“Bringing Robert Steeples to Wisconsin is a great addition to our coaching staff,” Fickell said in a statement. “He has seen the game at every level – Playing professionally, coaching at the high school and collegiate level. Our players and staff will love working with him and we’re excited to get him here.
“With the addition, we will be moving Paul Haynes to a role that will allow him to work with our entire secondary to strengthen our unit.”
Steeples spent the last two seasons at Iowa State as a defensive analyst. Prior to his two seasons with the Cyclones, Steeples coached cornerbacks at LSU from 2022-23. The St. Louis native played collegiately at Missouri and Memphis. He went undrafted in 2013, but spent four seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys.
“Wisconsin’s commitment to excellence and rugged style of play gives me the opportunity to work with the type of student-athletes that can benefit most from my style of coaching,” Steeples said in a statement. “The defensive structure and culture that Coach Fickell and Coach Tressel have implemented complements the guys on the island – the corners. The defensive staff is full of experience, great leaders, but most importantly great human beings – which makes for a fantastic environment for growth. I’m excited to get into the trenches with the guys and do my part. The opportunity ahead is a blessing.”
Steeples will inherit a Wisconsin cornerback room that currently returns two key performers from the 2025 season — redshirt freshman Omillio Agard and true freshman Cairo Skanes.
Steeples is the second off-season hire for the Badgers, joining offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who came over from Arkansas.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin judge sends Slender Man attacker back to mental health institution after group home escape
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin woman who almost killed her sixth-grade classmate to please the fictional horror villain known as Slender Man was ordered back to a state psychiatric hospital Tuesday after she escaped from her group home last month.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge K. Scott Wagner granted a state Department of Health Services request to revoke 23-year-old Morgan Geyser’s release privileges. Geyser told the judge through her attorney, Tony Cotton, last week that she would not fight revocation. Wagner then approved the request during a short hearing.
Cotton didn’t immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.
Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, to a Waukesha park in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier cheered her on. A passing bicyclist discovered Leutner, who barely survived. All three girls were 12 years old at the time.
Geyser and Weier later told investigators they attacked Leutner in hopes of impressing Slender Man enough that he would make them his servants and wouldn’t hurt their families. Both of them were eventually committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute — Geyser for 40 years and Weier for 25 years.
Weier earned conditional release in 2021. Wagner granted Geyser conditional release this past September despite warnings from state Department of Health Services officials that she couldn’t be trusted.
Geyser was placed in a Madison group home. Authorities say that on Nov. 22 she cut off her GPS monitor and fled the state with a 43-year-old companion. Police arrested both of them the next day at a truck stop outside Chicago, about 170 miles (274 kilometers) south of Madison.
Geyser’s companion told WKOW-TV that the two of them became friends at church and had been seeing each other daily for the last month. Geyser decided to escape because she was afraid the group home would no longer allow them to see each other, the companion said.
Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudsen in 2009 as a mysterious figure photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He grew into a popular boogeyman, appearing in video games, online stories and a 2018 movie.
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