Wisconsin wide receivers having strong preseason in Air Raid attack (2024)

MADISON, Wis. — There was some debate as to whether Keontez Lewis managed to drag a foot inbounds on an acrobatic 16-yard reception in the end zone that closed the Wisconsin Badgers’ preseason practice Wednesday morning. Lewis snagged a red zone “go ball” that quarterback Tanner Mordecai placed over his outside shoulder while being closely defended on the left sideline, a jaw-dropping display of instincts and athleticism.

The defense was convinced Lewis was out of bounds. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell intervened and played the role of official by holding both hands above his head to signal touchdown. The celebration for the offense was on.

“That’s what they signaled,” Lewis said with a smile. “So we in.”

The play may have been the offensive highlight of practice Wednesday, but it was far from the only big catch that Wisconsin’s wide receivers corralled. In fact, Lewis was merely trying to keep pace.

Chimere Dike caught a 15-yard pass over the middle between two defenders. C.J. Williams caught a pass down the right sideline for a first down. Slot receivers Will Pauling and Skyler Bell each caught five passes in 11-on-11 reps, which included Pauling making a diving reception with Mordecai delivering under pressure. Bryson Green snagged a 29-yard touchdown pass and later an 11-yard score.

That 2 1/2-hour session served as a microcosm of what Wisconsin’s top six wide receivers have provided the offense this preseason. Wisconsin has rotated through its two wide receiver lines at times like a hockey shift. Three in, three out. The first three up have been Dike and Williams on the outside with Pauling in the slot. The next three up have been Lewis and Green with Bell in the slot, all working to gain a comfort level with Mordecai.

Wisconsin is a program that typically hasn’t relied on a turnstile of receivers. But the Badgers, in implementing an Air Raid passing approach, are now attempting to incorporate six receivers into the offense. And all six have demonstrated playmaking ability in their practice opportunities. Green snatched away a 50-50 ball from two defensive backs for a 30-yard gain last week. Dike caught an unbelievable one-handed grab down the left sideline two days later. The level of quality depth may be unlike anything Wisconsin fans have seen.

Hey @obj, how’d @chimdk11 do? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/R3yKzphCI7

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 6, 2023

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“Having six guys that you can rotate just like that, every single one of us can make plays,” Green said. “It’s a real cool atmosphere. I catch a ball, Chim catches a ball, CJ catches a ball and someone can just sub right in and we can do the same thing over and over and over again.

“Having depth at wide receiver is so important, and people don’t understand that. Because if you have guys that can do the same thing over and over and the defense can’t change guys, we’re going to be fresh the whole entire game.”

Last season, Dike played 657 offensive snaps, Bell 608 and Lewis 409, per Pro Football Focus. Receivers Markus Allen and Dean Engram, who aren’t still with the team, were next in line at 107 snaps. In 2021, Kendric Pryor led Wisconsin’s wide receivers with 585 snaps played, followed by Danny Davis (520 snaps) and Dike (493). Jack Dunn played 243 offensive snaps and no other wide receiver more than 39 snaps.

The snap distribution this season figures to look a lot different — more spread out across six receivers, although wide receivers coach Mike Brown said he is still determining exactly how everything is divided. Although that could mean sacrificing individual snaps, players say the group has embraced the talent they have. More passes in the Air Raid offense mean more opportunities to make plays for everyone.

“I feel this way truly: Everybody deserves to be on the field,” Williams said. “Everyone deserves to have the ball in their hands. So even though I may want to be on the field and get the ball a certain amount of plays, I know that Bryson’s going to be on the field, and we all deserve to win football games.

“Honestly at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. If us wearing out DBs is going to win football games, I think we’ve all accepted the fact that’s the best thing that we can do.”

Dike remains a first-teamer after leading Wisconsin last season in receptions (47), receiving yards (689) and touchdown catches (five). Bell and Lewis both had breakout seasons after combining for 50 receptions, 757 yards and eight touchdowns.

The fact both of those players have been a part of the second wave of receivers since spring practice speaks to the talent the Badgers brought in through the transfer portal with Pauling from Cincinnati, Williams from USC and Green from Oklahoma State. The team’s fourth transfer receiver, Quincy Burroughs from Cincinnati, has been a downfield threat with the third-team offense. Green missed the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery but has been the most physically impressive receiver in the bunch since his return to help fill out the six-man rotation.

“It’s competitive,” Brown said. “It’s every single day. One guy has a great day the first day. Then another guy does the next day, and it’s kind of back and forth, which is exactly what you want to see. I tell those guys I make the depth chart Day 1, they make it from there on.

“The guys have been extremely positive about it, uplifting one another, competing with one another and it’s fun. It’s fun to watch it unfold that way. Those guys are unselfish, and that’s the best thing about the group.”

Brown cautioned that it’s a long season and the schedule won’t be easy. How this looks against quality competition is one of the biggest questions because the Badgers are in Year 1 of an entirely new system. During a three-week stretch in October, for example, Wisconsin plays Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. Those three programs ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 14 nationally in total defense last season. Iowa and Illinois both were in the top 10 in pass defense as well.

But at this moment, with the season opener against Buffalo just more than three weeks away, there is reason for optimism about what is possible for Wisconsin’s receivers. Williams described it as “a new norm.”

“I think definitely once you step out here and you watch us or even more so when you’re in the room with us, you can tell that there’s a new sense of playmaking in the room,” Williams said. “There’s a new sense of responsibility to not necessarily take the offense on our shoulders but be a big part in the offense. I feel like that was something that they may have been lacking previously in the offense.

“But now being that we have a new OC, obviously a new quarterback that’s making a lot of plays and putting the ball in our hands, putting it in good places, all the guys have an opportunity to make plays and get on the field.”

Wisconsin hasn’t had two wide receivers catch at least 40 passes or go for 500 receiving yards in the same season since 2011 when Jared Abbrederis and Nick Toon achieved the feat together while playing with quarterback Russell Wilson in a record-setting offense. In Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s first season at North Carolina in 2019, three wide receivers reached those marks. Longo’s accomplishments have given Badgers’ receivers confidence.

“When we hit that field, we’re going to air that thing out,” Lewis said.

Wisconsin football in 2011 — or really at any point over the past three decades — relied on a run-pass ratio that skewed significantly toward run. Even with Wilson at the helm, Wisconsin ran the ball 609 times behind Montee Ball and James White and passed 328 times. That is changing toward what could be closer to a 50-50 split, as Longo demonstrated at UNC.

It’s all made possible by the number of weapons he’ll have at his disposal in the passing game.

“I think people that think that we can’t do it are going to be in for a great surprise just because we have so much depth and so much talent in this room that it’s going to be really exciting for fans to come out and watch,” Pauling said. “It’s going to be tough for defenses to come out and try to combat six receivers, having three receivers in and then a fresh three every few plays. So I feel like it’s going to be a fun ride.”

(Top photo of Keontez Lewis: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)

Jesse Temple is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Wisconsin Badgers. He has covered the Badgers beat since 2011 and previously worked for FOX Sports Wisconsin, ESPN.com and Land of 10. Follow Jesse on Twitter @jessetemple