The Wisconsin Badgers football team under head coach Luke Fickell has a ton of work to do this offseason to get better. Badger fans are demanding a better product next season, which comes from getting wins, especially in the Big Ten. That work comes from a few big places: recruiting, game-planning, development, but also simple old fashioned work in the gym.
Which is what is happening now. A new photo posted by Nick Osen of 24/7 Sports shows Carter Smith, Nolan Davenport, Michael Roeske, and Hardy Watts, some of the early enrollees in the weight room. And let's just say they look jacked, especially QB Carter Smith.
Some of the early enrollees putting in work in Madison! QB Carter Smith, and O-linemen Nolan Davenport, Michael Roeske and Hardy Watts #Badgers pic.twitter.com/Q4EPaT7xbt
— Nick Osen (@TheRealNickOsen) February 3, 2025
Carter Smith and other early enrollees are already getting reps in the Wisconsin weight room
This is an impressive photo in many ways. First, the obvious: Smith and Roeske look absolutely muscled. They have muscles on top of muscles and look ready to play some Big Ten football tomorrow. The other boys are big boys, too, and you can tell the reps are helping them, too.
Second, Carter Smith is listed as nearly 6'3" in height on the 24/7 Sports recruiting database, but he looks short in this picture as he stands next to giants that will eventually be protecting him. Roeske is listed at 6'7", Davenport, and Watts at 6'6". There is a lot of height as well as muscles in this picture.
It is excellent news to see some of the early enrollees already taking advantage of what the Wisconsin football program has to offer. The weight room is a big part of the development that a D-1, Big Ten program like Wisconsin can offer new freshmen. At this point they have only had high school weight rooms. Now, they have access to state-of-the-art facilities, nutritionists, and all the other ways in which they can get bigger and stronger.