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4 takeaways from Wisconsin football's 2025 Squat Fest

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Jake Kocorowski  |  Last updated Jun 27, 2025 2:43 PM ET

MADISON, Wis. — Squat Fest is a culmination of weeks of summer conditioning for the University of Wisconsin football program, but most of those players will receive a nice little reprieve shortly.

The Badgers participated in its third annual Squat Fest event Friday. It's become a tradition that one Friday during the summer, the program will deck out its weight room with a variety of rave-esque red and white lights and blare music so loud that staff and media alike wore ear plugs.

The energy was palpable throughout the two sessions, from tug-of-war featuring a variety of matchups in 1-on-1 situations and sprinting to and from circuit stations to grunts and screams when hitting near max-out totals on squat.

But there will be rest forthcoming, especially with preseason camp opening in just over a month.

"Some freshmen that just got here in the first or second week of June, they'll be here for a couple days," Wisconsin director of football strength and conditioning Brady Collins said. "I'll train them, get them (to) continue to improve. But the older guys got a nice week off.

"It's great for them. We've been going at it six straight weeks, and we peaked at the right time, right? And it's not like, 'Oh, now we're done.' No, they deserve that break and go see family, get a little mental release as well. Because when we come back, you got the OTAs, and you got that end game, which is fall camp and then the season. So things will amp back up. We'll still train hard. We'll still train three times, four times a week, but the emphasis on more football."

Here are three other takeaways from the event and speaking with Collins.

Badgers have some heavy lifters

There were quite a few impressive squats seen Friday during both sessions:

  • Running back Gideon Ituka turned heads as a first-year player a 500-pound plus squat last Squat Fest. He hit 585 pounds on Friday during the first session.
  • Defensive linemen Charles Perkins, who transferred from FCS program UT-Martin during the winter offseason, and Dillan Johnson each squatted over 600 pounds during the second session Friday.

Notable Badgers have also improved their speed

Squat Fest was preceded by combine testing for the Badgers on Thursday. Collins disclosd some notable 40-yard dash times:

  • Safety Austin Brown and running back Cade Yacamelli "had a little tie for the top," according to Collins, with 4.4 times
  • Wide receivers Vinny Anthony II and Jayden Ballard each ran a 4.4
  • Redshirt freshman running back Dilin Jones recorded a 4.5

"Some more safeties (ran) 4.5s. Some big jumps from freshmen," Collins said. "Eugene Hilton, when he got here as a baby in January, runs like a 4.78. And then gets trained, and now he runs a 4.6.

"And again, I'm not a combine guy. I'm not working on starts. I'm developing football players. It's just amazing what happens when guys get training and they get stronger, therefore they get faster."

Brown in particular has shown his athletic abilities recently. In addition to the 4.4 40 time given by Collins, Brown also squatted at least 500 pounds Friday. He also recorded a vertical jump of over 40 inches, according to Collins.

It's getting harder to temper expectations for this Wisconsin freshman outside linebacker

Nick Clayton was a key win for outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell and the Wisconsin staff for the 2025 class. Clayton turned into a four-star recruit by the end of the recruiting cycle and impressed during the Navy All-American Bowl in January.

He was one of a few freshmen whose spring practice performances stood out, and for Clayton, what was most noticeable was his pass rushing abilities though he looked undersized for the position.

Collins said that Clayton is now 234 pounds, which would be up from his listed spring weight of 223, but he hasn't lost his speed. He ran a 4.59 40-yard dash Thursday, according to Collins.

"He's extremely humble and works his ass off," Collins said. "Genetically, yes, he's very gifted, so I can't wait to see what more seasoning will do for him.

"The goal is 240 (pounds) for camp. I think he'll get there."

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This article first appeared on Wisconsin Badgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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