Like the running back position, the Wisconsin Badgers must show improvement in 2026. Last season, the Badgers ranked dead last in the Big Ten Conference with a paltry 1637 receiving yards. However, like the running back position, the Badgers have a new coach in charge, Ari Confesor, who comes to Madison from the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, and new faces plan to make an impact.
The Badgers must replace veteran and leading wideout Vinny Anthony II, now with the Atlanta Falcons. In addition, sophomore Trech Kekahuna transferred to North Carolina, and Jayden Ballard exhausted his eligibility.
Needless to say, there’s much uncertainty for this group entering the fall.
The Wisconsin Badgers need a difference maker at wide receiver this season.
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Two returners from last season are safe to be penciled into the two-deep. Despite only 124 yards receiving in 2025, Chris Brooks Jr. expects to be a contributor to the Badgers’ wideout core. One of the reasons for that has been his blocking skills, according to Seamus Rohrer of the Wisconsin Badgers on SI. Eugene Hilton, who briefly entered the transfer portal only to return to Wisconsin, showed brief flashes last season.
Two names that Badger fans should keep notes on are Jaylon Domingeaux and Malachi Coleman. Domingeaux, a 6-foot-2 transfer wide receiver, increased his receiving yard total in each season at Southeastern Louisiana. Last year, Domingeaux finished with 52 catches for 857 yards on the season and was a two-time Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Coleman, a former 2023 four-star recruit from Nebraska, has impressive size at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, but can he put it all together at Wisconsin?
My colleague, Mark Knight, said it best when it comes to the 2026 wide receiver core: “Wisconsin has a ton of talent at wide receiver this year, but not much has been proven.” Therefore, the Badgers must have a go-to leader among the wide receiver core, or it could be another long year on offense.
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