Judge Claudia Wilken has approved the House Settlement v. NCAA, and one factor involved is backpay to athletes since 2016. The combined back pay estimates for all the schools could be north of $2.8 billion. Wisconsin will be part of this backpay to athletes since 2016 based on estimated value and worth. Here's a list of five Wisconsin football and basketball stars who deserve some good back pay from the Badgers.
The range is only 2016 to the present day. This isn't an all-time list; it's only those who played in that range. However, I didn't include any current players or players who just graduated, as those are a bit more obvious.
5 Wisconsin players who should get back pay
1. Jonathan Taylor (Football)
Easily the most valuable player in this time period was now NFL star Jonathan Taylor. He played for Wisconsin from 2017-2019 and became the Badgers' second all-time leading rusher and a two-time Doak Walker award winner. He basically carried the offense for three seasons and led UW to multiple Big Ten title games.
2. Ethan Happ (Basketball)
He won't qualify for the back pay his freshman year (2015), but the rest of that time, he was an important force in Wisconsin's hoops success. He is one of just six players in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 400 assists.
3. T.J. Edwards (Football)
Edwards was a stud on the defensive side of the ball and helped lead the Badgers to a 13-1 season in 2017. He was a 3-year starter and an All-American. He was incredibly valuable to the Badgers from 2015-2018. The good news for Edwards is that most of his success came in the payable range.
4. Johnny Davis (Basketball)
Davis may only get a year's worth of top pay, but that 2022 year was something special. He took an unranked Wisconsin team to a Big Ten championship, averaging 19.7 points per game, and was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 2022.
5. Leo Chanel (Football)
Similar to Davis, Chanel had a really impressive year in 2021. It's the stuff of legends, as he had 114 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. The back pay for that year is going to be one of the best of all the Wisconsin players in this range.
There are others that should be included and could be included, and there are other sports that should be mentioned (which follow this link to the second article about 5 non-football or basketball players that deserve the most back pay), but this is a good start for the players who should chase their back pay from Wisconsin since 2016.