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Wisconsin football: six current or former walk-ons who will contribute in 2022

A look at six players who could see the field in 2022 after beginning their careers as a walk-on.

Matt Belz

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Very few programs across the country have an established and heralded walk-on program as good as Wisconsin. 

The Wisconsin Badgers football team seemingly has several players that begin their careers as walk-ons and then exceed expectations each season. 

Contents

  1. John Torchio
  2. Tatum Grass
  3. Riley Nowakowski
  4. Jack Eschenbach
  5. Brady Schipper
  6. Peter Bowden
  7. Horable mention 

Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard embodies this trend as a former in-state walk-on who became an All-American at UW and strung together a 10-year NFL career.  

With fall camp beginning this week, we take a look at six players on the roster who could become significant contributors in 2022 despite starting their careers as a walk-on.  

*Note that this list also includes players who have been awarded a scholarship since their time as a walk-on*

Wisconsin safety John Torchio celebrates an interception with teammate Dean Engram during the Las Vegas Bowl.  / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

John Torchio

Former walk-on John Torchio enters the 2022 season as one of the starting safeties for Wisconsin this fall.

A California product, Torchio turned down a scholarship offer from Cal to follow his sister's footsteps at UW and has gone on to be a significant contributor the past few seasons in Madison.

Torchio has a knack for generating turnovers and making impact plays both in practice and in games, a skill that the Badgers could greatly use with so much turnover on the defensive side of the ball.

Wisconsin is incredibly thin at the safety position after Travian Blaylock's injury during spring ball. As a result, Torchio will need to continue to be a vocal leader for the secondary and build on his team-high three-interception performance from 2021 to help carry on the caliber of defense that Wisconsin fans have come to expect. 

Inside linebacker Tate Grass making a tackle against Minnesota at the end of the 2021 regular season.  :: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tatum Grass

Inside linebacker Tate Grass earned a scholarship after once again standing out in spring practice.

The Holmen (Wis.) native spent most of the spring working with the first-team defense and will enter fall camp as one of the favorites to start the opener against Illinois State at inside linebacker.

A redshirt junior this season, Grass has played in 20 career games over the past two years on special teams and as a reserve behind Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn.

With Chenal and Sanborn off participating in NFL training camps, Grass will look to carry on the tradition that Wisconsin has established at inside linebacker and help the defense replicate its overall dominance from a year ago.

Head coach Paul Chryst called Grass "extremely consistent" during spring ball, and that consistency should allow the former walk-on to shine this season in a bigger role. 

Riley Nowakowski

While redshirt freshman Jackson Acker is the likely starter at fullback this season, the Wisconsin Badgers traditionally utilize multiple fullbacks throughout a given year. The physical toll that the fullback position requires makes it necessary to split reps to keep players fresh.

With that in mind, redshirt sophomore Riley Nowakowski is the top candidate to share snaps with Acker this season after a strong spring performance in which he lined up at both tight end and fullback.

Nowakowski is the latest in an impressive line of Marquette University High School standouts who found success as a walk-on at Wisconsin, following the recent footsteps of running back Dare Ogunbowale and linebacker Marcus Trotter. 

A former high school running back and linebacker, Nowakowski should see playing time on special teams and be part of the fullback rotation with Acker in 2022. Add in his versatility to help out at tight end, a position with plenty of uncertainty heading into fall camp, and Nowakowski should be a contributor this year.

Jack Eschenbach

Former walk-on tight end Jack Eschenbach is one of the more veteran options in the tight end room for the Badgers this fall. The Downers Grove (Ill.) native has seen action in 18 career games at Wisconsin and should play a key role in the offense in 2022.

A capable blocker and receiver, Eschenbach has five total receptions over the past three seasons, and it would not be a shock to see him easily surpass that total this year based on his expected role. 

Eschenbach opens fall camp as a co-favorite with Clay Cundiff to win the starting tight end job, and his ability to help in all phases of the game makes him incredibly valuable for Wisconsin. 

He is coming off a slew of injuries that ended his 2021 season, but if healthy, Eschenbach will likely make the two-deep at tight end when the initial depth chart drops for the opener.

Wisconsin running back Brady Schipper earned playing time a year ago as a third-down back and will compete for playing time behind Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi in 2022.  / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Brady Schipper

With Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo still working their way back from injury at this point, Brady Schipper enters the 2022 season as one of the top returning running backs behind Braelon Allen this year. 

The former walk-on from Stoughton High School has played in 21 career games during his time in Madison, and the redshirt senior should again be a viable candidate to see the field this season. 

A good athlete that the staff has moved around at various times in an attempt to get him on the field, Schipper should once again be a special teams performer this fall and could push for carries as a reserve running back. 

Schipper possesses good hands out of the backfield and the ability to help in pass protection, making him one of the team's most reliable third-down backs on the roster. Opportunities will likely be harder to come by this season if the depth chart ahead of him stays healthy, but that is a big if, considering Isaac Guerendo's injury history and the fact that Chez Mellusi is less than a year removed from a torn ACL.  

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Peter Bowden

Long-snapper is one of the least glorified positions on the football field, but that does not mean that the position is not incredibly valuable. 

Peter Bowden will again assume the starting long-snapping duties in 2022, and he recently made the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List, annually given out to the top player at the position in the nation. 

A redshirt junior out of California, Bowden came to Wisconsin as a walk-on back in the 2019 recruiting class and proceeded to start all 13 games for the Badgers a year ago after two years in the program behind Adam Bay. 

A former five-star specialist out of high school, Bowden will be an integral part of Wisconsin's punting and kicking game this fall. 

Horable mention 

  • Nate Van Zelst (RS FR) - kicker
  • Jordan DiBenedetto (RS SR) - wide receiver/special teams
  • Amaun Williams (RS SO) - cornerback/special teams
  • Marty Strey (RS SR) - outside linebacker/special teams
  • Haakon Anderson (RS SO) - wide receiver/special teams

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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