Badgers’ Renfro, Nowakowski most likely out at start

Aug 19, 2023, 03:45 PM ET

MADISON, Wis.– No. 19 Wisconsin most likely will need to open the season without center Jake Renfro and tight end Riley Nowakowski due to foot injuries.

“We’ll certainly have them back,” coach Luke Fickell told press reporters after Saturday’s practice. “It’s just [a matter of] how soon.”

Wisconsin opens the season Sept. 2 by hosting Buffalo.Renfro earned first-team all-conference honors in 2021 while playing for a Fickell-coached Cincinnati team that reached the College Football Playoff from the American Athletic Conference. After missing out on the entire 2022 season with a knee injury, Renfro followed Fickell from Cincinnati to Wisconsin.Editor’s Picks 2 Related”We’re hoping it’s 3, four weeks, “Fickell said.”

We don’t know exactly.

We’ll get him back. It’s just how quickly will we get him. I do not understand that we can get him back for Game 1. Will we get him back Game 2 or 3? I hope. We’ll sort of see. It’s simply a foot sprain.” Nowakowski is a former walk-on who had actually made enough of an impression on the brand-new staff that he was frequently dealing with the first-team offense throughout preseason camp. “We’re hoping perhaps 4 weeks, five weeks, 6,” Fickell said of Nowakowski’s injury.

“We do not know. “Wisconsin currently was handling depth issues at tight end even prior to Nowakowski’s injury. Wisconsin revealed at the start of preseason camp that tight ends Clay Cundiff and Jack Eschenbach had both left the program. Cundiff has considering that mentioned on social networks that he has actually ended his football career due to duplicated injuries.