PHOENIX — Former Monroe Cheesemaker JT Seagreaves saw his first action on the football field as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers. And it came in Wisconsin’s 24-17 win over Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Dec. 27 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
“It was exciting,” said Seagreaves, a true freshman. “I was told beforehand by (tight ends) coach (Chris Haering) to be ready to see some reps, so I kept myself focused on the game the whole time.”
In the second quarter, Seagreaves entered the field for the first time this season. He ran a short out pattern into the flat, catching a pass from quarterback Chase Wolf. It was his lone snap of the game.
“It felt really good. I got a lot of nerves out after that,” Seagreaves said.
He spent the entire season working with the scout team and finding his way as a player. During the month-long bowl preparation period, Wisconsin announced Luke Fickell of Cincinnati would be the program’s head coach, supplanting interim head coach and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who himself had taken over for Paul Chryst, who had been relieved of duty midway through the season.
Also during bowl prep, a number of Badgers announced their intentions to either enter the NFL draft or the transfer portal, leaving a few openings in the depth chart for Seagreaves to make some moves. Eventually, Seagreaves was taking some practice reps with the “ones” — or starters.
Due to his size (6-6, 224 lbs) and top-end speed, Seagreaves caught the attention of Wisconsin coaches in 2021. Now 18 months later, his teammates have also become impressed. During a pre-bowl news conference, star running back Braelon Allen called out Seagreaves by name: “JT Seagreaves, I think he can be a playmaker. He’s incredibly fast for some reason. I don’t know how or why, but incredibly fast.”
“He’s a good guy,” Seagreaves said of Allen. “All of these guys are good guys.”
The Badgers returned home the day after the bowl game, and Seagreaves said school restarts in Madison in three weeks. From there, it’s strength training and getting prepared for spring practice. Seagreaves is excited for the upcoming spring, and learning Fickell’s new offense, which could mean more routes for the speedy tight end.
“I briefly talked with Coach Fickell in his office. There’s going to be a lot of changes. The new offense definitely looks good. There’s more passing,” Seagreaves said.
Wisconsin finished this season 7-6 overall. In the bowl game they jumped out to a 24-7 lead, with Oklahoma State scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Badgers on their toes. Allen ran for 116 yards and a score, while Chez Mellusi finished with 77 yards rushing and a TD. Wolf was 16 of 22 passing for 116 yards, a TD and an interception. Wolf is reportedly returning for a sixth year next fall.
