Wisconsin Badgers Football: 2022 Regular Season Awards
By Dillon Graff
Biggest Surprise: Maema Njongmeta
No team gets better after losing an inside linebacker duo like Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn, but another stud may have surfaced over the course of the season.
Junior ILB Maema Njongmeta claimed one of the vacant starting jobs and never looked back. The Illinois native registered a team-high 88 tackles, 25 pressures, 3.5 sacks, one pass deflection, and an interception en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors.
According to PFF, Njongmeta was the Badgers’ highest-graded defender (88.5) — which is considered elite.
Njongmeta improved mightily as the season went on, showed flashes of dominant play at inside backer, and was one of the team’s biggest surprises.
Rising Star: Sklyer Bell
Redshirt freshman Skyler Bell was the talk of spring ball and fall camp — and it’s easy to see why.
The former three-star recruit had a breakout campaign and was named an honorable mention freshman All-American after catching 29 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns as UW’s WR2. Bell was also fourth on the team in rushing, adding 116 yards on 12 carries.
His speed and route-running ability helped give Wisconsin another pass-catching weapon to utilize on offense. Under the new regime, I anticipate Bell having an even more significant role in the Badgers’ passing attack in 2023 and beyond.
Best Newcomer: Kamo’i Latu
Wisconsin made several key additions in the transfer portal this past offseason, perhaps none bigger than Utah safety Kamo’i Latu.
The hard-hitting safety wound up playing significant snaps due to injuries and finished the season with 55 tackles, six pressures, three pass deflections, two sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
He also finished with the second-lowest REC% among Badgers, who played more than 100 snaps, allowing 13 catches on 26 targets (50%).
Latu made a strong first impression — and figures to take another big step forward when he’s able to man John Torchio’s spot as the starting rover safety.
Next. Wisconsin Football Lands Former 4-Star QB. dark
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