Wisconsin football boasts one of PFF's top returning Big Ten offensive tackles
Mahlman, the Badgers' starting right tackle since 2022, graded out at 76.0 last season. He's ranked below only Michigan State right tackle Conner Moore (via Montana State) at 79.5, Indiana left tackle Carter Smith at 80.2, Northwestern left tackle Caleb Tiernan at 84.6, Oregon right tackle Alex Harkey (via Texas State) at 85.8 and Iowa right tackle Gennings Dunker at 90.2.
Advertisement
When transfers Moore and Harkey are not considered, Mahlman is the fourth-highest-graded returning Big Ten offensive tackle.
ProFootballFocus outlined Mahlman's strong standing back in February, when it ranked him as the No. 10-ranked tackle in college football entering 2025.
"Mahlman entered 2024 as our No. 8 offensive tackle in college football and remains in the top 10 a year later. The only returning Power Four tackle who's been more valuable than him over the last two years is Wagner according to PFF's WAA metric. Mahlman's 79.6 grade in that span is tied for 34th among all tackles in the nation. The player tied with him is Olu Fashanu, a top-15 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He's both a good pass-blocker and run-blocker, earning 75.0-plus grades in each over the last two seasons."
Mahlman's strong position entering 2025 is no surprise. The standout tackle has been a mainstay on Wisconsin's offensive line since his redshirt freshman season in 2022, excelling in 2023 and 2024 despite the overall struggles of Phil Longo's air raid scheme.
His play will be key to Wisconsin's success in 2025. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is set to return the unit to its pro-style roots, a shift that should help the entire offensive line. A spring practice injury to starting left tackle Kevin Heywood raises some questions about the unit's alignment and performance. It will bring increased focus to Mahlman's play, especially as the team is likely forced to scheme help for its blind-side replacement.
Advertisement
We get a first look at Mahlman, Wisconsin's offensive line and the mentioned new-look pro-style scheme when the Badgers begin their season on Thursday, Aug. 28, at home against Miami (OH).
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers tackle Riley Mahlman among PFF's top Big Ten OTs
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NY Giants' Cam Skattebo might play in final preseason game: What to know
Former Arizona State star running back Cam Skattebo could suit up for the New York Giants' preseason finale, Thursday, Aug. 21, and is now more likely to play in Week 1. The do-everything standout for last season's Big 12 champion Sun Devils was cleared to return to practice for the Giants on Tuesday, Aug. 19, Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters, and reports indicate things are looking good. Skattebo, whose nagging hamstring injury caused him to miss several practices and the Giants' first two preseason games, sits at No. 3 on the running back depth chart. Skattebo was "on the field (Tuesday, Aug. 19) and was involved in team drills." Cam Skattebo's status changes: New York Giants practice update When will Cam Skattebo play? Skattebo's return to practice ahead of the team's preseason finale Thursday, Aug. 21, against the New England Patriots indicates he has a chance to start the season on time, Sept. 7 at the Washington Commanders. He also could play in the preseason game that kicks off at 5 p.m. MST (8 p.m. Eastern). The Skattebo health trending is looking up, according to a report after Tuesday practice from the Giants. Art Stapleton, Giants beat writer for said Skattebo "did more today in team drills than either Andrew Thomas or Malik Nabers. That's not a bad thing for AT or Nabers, just a good thing worth noting for Skattebo and the Giants." Running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary are listed ahead of Skattebo. 'Better than advertised': Cam Skattebo turns heads at Giants training camp Is Cam Skattebo playing against the Patriots? Skattebo, a fourth-round pick by the Giants, has missed much of training camp. Daboll indicated before the Aug. 19 practice that Skattebo's participation could be limited, but it was encouraging news nonetheless for a player expected to receive a healthy dose of touches this season. The Giants will consider resting Skattebo for their final preseason game, Thursday, Aug. 21, at home against the New England Patriots but Stapleton, during his podcast published Wednesday morning, Aug. 20, said, "It would not shock me to see him make a cameo" in the preseason finale. "I'm not talking a full load, but maybe a couple snaps," Stapleton said. "... He was running yesterday and it did not look like he was encumbered in any way." There had been concerns that Skattebo's hamstring issue could result in him being placed on injured reserve after final roster cutdowns on Aug. 26. Such a move would require Skattebo to miss the first four weeks of the regular season. Placing him on IR before the squad is trimmed to 53 would force him to miss the entire 2025 season. That concern has been dramatically altered, however, with the news that Skattebo returned to practice and reportedly performed well. Skattebo set the Arizona State single-season record last year with 1,711 yards. He also scored 21 touchdowns, became the first player in school history to amass 2,000 or more yards from scrimmage in a single season and finished fifth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. More: Cam Skattebo is going to be loved by New York Giants fans, his ASU coach says Reach Jeremy Cluff at Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-Arizona State star Cam Skattebo might play for New York Giants
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff parts ways with coach days before US Open campaign
Coco Gauff has reportedly split with coach Matthew Daly just days before the start of the US Open, making another shakeup to her support team on the eve of the year's final major. The move was first reported by Bounces. The world No 3 and two-time major champion will continue to work with her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel but has added biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to her corner. MacMillan was spotted with Gauff during a Wednesday practice session at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. MacMillan previously worked with Aryna Sabalenka, helping the world No 1 overcome her serving yips in 2022 and refine her forehand. Gauff has struggled with her own serve this summer, notably hitting 42 double faults in three matches at the Canadian Open earlier this month. Daly, a grip specialist, confirmed his departure after a little more than a year in the role. He joined Gauff's team last autumn after she parted ways with Brad Gilbert, focusing on altering her grip and adjusting technical details. The changes initially paid off: Gauff captured the China Open title and closed 2024 by winning the WTA Finals. This season she added a second major at the French Open and reached the finals at both Madrid and Rome. But inconsistency has returned in recent months. Since her Paris triumph she has won just four singles matches, including a surprise first-round exit at Wimbledon. Daly, speaking to reporters, said only: 'Only have good things to say about Coco, enjoyed working with her.' Gauff, 21, has yet to publicly comment on the staff changes. She is due to play in a Thursday night exhibition at Arthur Ashe Stadium before the US Open singles begins on Sunday.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees defend drafting player who drew swastika on Jewish student's door as a college freshman
A month after the 2025 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees are defending their selection of a player who drew a swastika on the door of a Jewish student's dorm room during his freshman year at Nebraska. Core Jackson, a shortstop the Yankees took in the fifth round, was 17 years old when, as he recalls, got blackout drunk and drew the swastika in October 2021, as he told The Athletic. He claims he didn't remember the incident, didn't know who lived in the dorm room and "broke down in tears" when someone told him what he did the next day. Jackson, who later transferred to Utah, reportedly called the incident a "really stupid mistake" and said he "felt like the worst person in the world." He claims he attempted to apologize to the student but was told by campus police not to contact them. He was not arrested and reportedly faced no repercussions as far as his baseball career was concerned, only undergoing an online sensitivity training class and performing community service. Notably, all of this is only Jackson's recollection, as Nebraska reportedly declined to comment on the situation beyond saying it 'takes discrimination and similar allegations very seriously and has policies and procedures in place to rapidly respond to student concerns.' There was also reportedly an arrest for driving under the influence on Utah's campus last September, which was later reduced to a misdemeanor impaired driving and resulted in a sentence of community service, substance abuse training and fines. Jackson reportedly hasn't touched alcohol since that incident. The Yankees were reportedly aware of all this when they drafted Jackson, who told all 30 teams about the incident at the prompting of his agent. Yankees amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer reportedly said the team did more "due diligence" on Jackson than any other player in his 23 years on the job and cleared the selection with controlling owner Hal Steinbrenner. Team president Randy Levine, who is Jewish, also supported the decision, as did multiple high-ranking Jewish members of the club. The team, however, reportedly did not speak to anyone with Nebraska. From The Athletic: The Yankees were 'looking to find the good in this,' Oppenheimer said. 'He's shown his accountability here,' Oppenheimer said. 'I think his actions have shown his remorse. He's acknowledged it. I think he's taken the right steps to continue to learn, to understand what he's done.' Jackson reportedly didn't tell his agent Blake Corosky about the incident as he entered the draft process in 2024. Corosky reportedly only learned of it after Jackson told a Boston Red Sox scout in his first interview, which led to Corosky considering dropping him. Corosky reportedly consulted with Elliot Steinmetz, the head men's basketball coach at Yeshiva University and the father of one of his clients, on what to do. That led to Steinmetz calling Jackson, who apparently didn't understand the history of the swastika, via The Athletic: 'Right away,' he said, 'you could tell (Jackson) was the nicest, sweetest kid in the world, (but) dumb as rocks when it came to these kinds of issues.' According to Steinmetz, Jackson hadn't seemed to fully grasp the dark history behind the swastika — the symbol that represented the German Nazi Party in the 20th century and is still being used by neo-Nazis worldwide. Jackson told Steinmetz that his education on the symbol was limited. Jackson grew up in a Christian household in Wyoming, Ontario, a rural town about 30 minutes from the Michigan border, and told The Athletic that he had hardly encountered Jewish people or learned about Jewish history in school. In addition to telling every MLB team what he did, Corosky reportedly pushed for Jackson to undergo a five-week course with Ann Squicciarini, a Yeshiva graduate student. Squicciarini said Jackson was "attentive and engaged" during their hour-long weekly meetings. Jackson ended up going unselected in the 2024 MLB Draft, then was picked 164th overall in this year's draft. He received a bonus of $147,500, well below the pick's $411,1000 slot value. He was a career .363/.455/.577 hitter at Utah and was named first-team all-conference in both of his years at the school. Oppenheimer believes the swastika incident affected his draft status: 'I think that his tool set, his athleticism, his performance was definitely something that would have gone a lot higher in the draft,' the scouting director added. He is currently ranked as the Yankees' No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline and entered Wednesday hitting .188/.316/.344 for High-A Hudson Valley. If he reaches the majors with the Yankees, he will be playing for the team representing the city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel.
