Wisconsin
Why Charles Perkins feels he was overlooked and 3 other updates on the Wisconsin Badgers defensive line
An aerial view of Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.
An aerial view of Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., home of the Wisconsin Badgers.
MADISON – The key word for the Wisconsin defensive line this spring is twitchy.
The Badgers coaches don’t feel they added only size to the interior defensive line, but believe they’ve brought in players who bring an element of athleticism to the position.
With that size and strength, the Badgers hope to come up with more plays made behind the line of scrimmage.
“The biggest thing we talked about heading into this offseason was creating more negative-yardage plays and playing in the opponent’s backfield,” defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow said. “We just really talked about attacking and being aggressive and knock back and playing north and south and just being the aggressor.”
Whitlow and some of his players met with reporters April 21. Here is what we learned.
Charles Perkins feels he was overlooked in high school
Players who make the jump from the FCS level either developed into FBS players at some point in their college career or were somehow overlooked in recruiting.
Charles Perkins, a redshirt junior who has worked regularly with the first team, feels he was overlooked. His junior season of high school ball was canceled due to COVID-19, which prevented him from having a springboard into a key time in the recruiting process.
Perkins’ coach, Cedric Miller, would try to tell FBS recruiters about him. In two seasons at FCS Tennessee Martin for them to really take notice.
“So I had two great seasons at UT Martin, jumping into the portal was nothing new to me,” he said. “I knew I was (destined) to play big-time football. It’s nothing new to me, just new to the people who found out who I was.”
Life without wrestling allows Dillan Johnson to change body
This offseason provided a testing ground for Dillan Johnson. As a former star high school wrestler, the rising sophomore often spent his winters competing in that sport and limiting his weight to 275 pounds.
This football offseason was the first time Johnson didn’t have to worry about his weight because of wrestling. As a result he started spring ball 19 pounds heavier than he was listed last season According to the roster, the Plainfield, Illinois, native was listed as 6-foot-2, 312 pounds at the start of spring ball.
He carries it well.
“Right now I’m shooting to be as lean as I can healthily,” he said, “305 and then at that point I’m focused on building strength, keeping quick and improving as a D-lineman.”
Ben Barten, a teacher in training, coach on the field
The Badgers’ defensive front was hit hard with transfer portal losses during the offseason. One of the players who decided to return was Ben Barten, a six-year player who is also wrapping up his teaching degree.
He is listed as 323 pounds, a 15-pound jump over last season, and has emerged as a leader in the room.
“The biggest thing with Ben heading into this is that he wanted to continue to put on mass … and then continuing for the game to slow down for him,” Whitlow said. “Obviously when you’re a guy who has played as many snaps as he’s played you become a coach in the field because you’ve been there, you’ve done it.”
Confidence isn’t a question
The Badgers’ top six on the defensive front so far have been Barten, transfers Perkins, Parker Peterson and Jai’viar Suggs, senior Brandon Lane and Johnson.
Also redshirt sophomore Jamel Howard has turned heads this spring.
The group is generating excitement inside the room.
“I just think we took our opportunities and ran with them,” Petersen said. “I just love how confident we play. I don’t think there is really any hesitation in the way we play the game.”
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.
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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.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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