Wisconsin Football Roster: Number Changes, Freshman Numbers and More

The 2015-16 Wisconsin football projected roster has been released, and features the omission of a couple of players, the addition of a certain freshman recruit expected to debut with the team this fall, and the new jersey numbers for all incoming freshmen and several established players.

As pointed out by ESPN Wisconsin’s Zach Helperin, the most notable omissions from the roster are quarterbacks Austin Kafentzis and Connor Senger.

The Kafentzis news isn’t actually news, as we’ve known for weeks that he would be leaving the program, and has already done so. That Senger is no longer with the team, however, is a surprising turn of events.

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The redshirt sophomore dual threat quarterback was UW’s Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year in both 2013 and 2014, and often mimicked opposing dual-threat quarterbacks during practices.

He was switched to wide receiver at the onset of the 2015 season, although injuries limited his practice availability. While UW has not issued a statement about Senger, it would appear those injuries have caused him to leave the team.

While Senger was a surprising omission on the roster, Jordan Stevenson was a welcome inclusion. The freshman-to-be is expected to join the team this fall after academic-related issues prevented his enrollment ahead of the summer session.

Also of note on the projected roster are several number changes for current players, as well as the numbers for incoming freshmen.

For current players, Tanner Mcevoy will wear No. 3. He wore No. 5 during the regular season last year, and No. 11 in the Outback Bowl to avoid confusion with Darius Hillary, who wears No. 5 on defense. Wearing No. 3 will allow McEvoy to play offense and defense without jersey number confusion, as McEvoy is expected to play both safety and wide receiver this year.

Other number changes include running back Serge Trezy wearing No. 30 (was No. 3), tight end Troy Fumagalli wearing No. 81 (was No. 48), wide receiver A.J. Jordan switching to No. 82 (was No. 1), and defensive end Alec James donning No. 57 (was No. 6).

Additionally, incoming freshman numbers have been announced. Here’s the list, courtesy of UWBadgers.com:

Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

CB Titus Booker – 9

QB Alex Hornibrook – 12

OLB Arrington Farrar – 21

RB Jordan Stevenson – 24

CB Elijah Strong – 26

RB Bradrick Shaw – 27

ILB Max Praschak – 29

FB Jake Whalen – 30

RB Troy Laufenberg – 36

S Bret Verstegen – 37

K Zach Hintze – 39

WR Henry Houden – 41

LB Nick Thomas – 45

TE Mitchell Herl – 47

TE Kyle Penniston – 49

ILB Chris Orr – 50

ILB Alec Ingold – 51

DE David Pfaff – 52

ILB Ty DeForest – 54

OLB Zack Baun – 56

OLB Tyler Johnson – 59

OL Ryan Ramczyk – 65

DL Olive Sagapolu – 65

DE Kelly Thomas – 66

OL Jon Dietzen – 67

OL David Moorman – 68

OL Kevin Estes – 73

DL Gunnar Roberge – 74

OL Ian Dretzka – 77

OL Jason Erdmann – 78

TE David Edwards – 82

WR Andrew James – 84

P Connor Allen – 96

NG Andrew Ruzek – 97

DE Kraig Howe – 98

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