BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When NFL scouts stop by Wisconsin football practice this season, one of their first conversations will be with
Shaun Snee, the program's new director of strength and conditioning. At some point during the exchange, Snee fully expects to hear a tone of disbelief and he already has a good idea when it will come.
If Snee is asked about junior inside linebacker Leo Chenal, fifth-year senior defensive end Matt Henningsen, junior running back Isaac Guerendo, sixth-year senior wide receiver Kendric Pryor or senior punter Andy Vujnovich, it's reasonable to assume the talent evaluator will scoff at some point.
"They're definitely going to say that about those guys," Snee said. "They're definitely going to stand out. It's going to be a little eye-opening."
If you're putting together a list of UW players with the most uncommon array of physical gifts — freaks, with all due respect — those five top it in whatever order you might choose.
Chenal's 420-pound bench press is elite, but the idea he can run 20.95 miles per hour and has a 33-inch vertical jump while carrying 255 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame is incredible.
"That's freak status," Snee said.
Henningsen's 675-pound back squat is top-shelf, but the notion he can crank his 6-3, 291-pound frame up to 19.34 mph is startling.
"He ran almost 20 miles per hour, which, to me, at that body weight, is insane," Snee said.
Guerendo, listed at 6-foot, 219 pounds, has been clocked at a top speed of 23.93 mph and has a vertical jump of 39 1/2 inches. He and Pryor, he of the 23.01 mph clocking and 11 foot, 1 1/4-inch broad jump, raced side-by-side to a photo finish with Guerendo winning by inches.
"They hit (those speeds) at 40 yards," Snee said, noting than anything over 21.5 mph defines elite status. "Really impressive to me."
Vujnovich checks in at 6-3, 230, but can bench 395, cover 10 yards in 1.54 seconds and has a vertical jump of 35 inches.
"That, to me, is a freak," Snee said.
Running back Isaac Guerendo has clocked in with a top speed of 23.93 mph
A popular preseason feature from national football writer Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has been identifying football freaks at colleges, large and small, for several years now. The latest compilation of his annual "Freaks List" has 101 players. Three play for the Badgers: Chenal, Henningsen and Vujnovich.
Snee will quickly point out that his weight rooms at Camp Randall Stadium have more where those three came from. Ten have squatted 600 pounds. Eight have bench pressed 405 pounds or more. Twenty-two have cleaned at least 315 pounds.
Those lists include senior fullback John Chenal, Leo's older brother who runs 20.13 mph, benches 425 and back squats 620; sophomore offensive lineman Joe Tippmann, who broad jumps 9 feet, 1 inch, back squats 615 and bench presses 430 using his 6-6, 320-pound frame; and true freshman running back Braelon Allen, who back squats 610 and cleans 405.
Ask some Wisconsin players to ID the most freakish athletes on the team and they'll also offer Allen, Travian Blaylock, junior nose tackle Keeanu Benton, junior running back Chez Mellusi, fifth-year senior safety Scott Nelson, and fifth-year senior left guard Josh Seltzner.
"That's the one thing I love for us as a team," Guerendo said. "When we're in the weight room, I feel our energy is through the roof. Then I think it helps translate to the field.
"When you're in the weight room it's just a brotherhood. It feels like a family in there."
Wisconsin football director of strength and coaching Shaun Snee leads a summer workout
Snee is overseeing the strength and conditioning operation after serving as an assistant to Ross Kolodziej for six years. Snee, who has a master's degree in exercise science and graduated magna cum laude, took over in February after Kolodziej was added to Paul Chryst's on-field staff as defensive line coach.
In addition to coordinating daily workouts, Snee manages a staff that oversees the Badgers' nutrition program, sports science initiatives like use of Catapult GPS software and the return-to-play progression for injured players.
Snee said he's changed little of the strength and conditioning protocols since taking over. Outside of some small modifications and the variety infused in each session, "the fundamentals are the same from Coach K."
As you might expect, the leaders in the lifting and conditioning sessions are seniors. Snee identified Nelson, fifth-year tight end Jake Ferguson, fifth-year cornerback Faion Hicks and inside linebacker Jack Sanborn.
"What's great about those guys is everything they're preaching, they're practicing it day in and day out," Snee said.
Sanborn, one of the top returning tacklers in the country, may not put up Freaks List totals in the weight room, but Snee said his effort is uncommon nonetheless.
"His numbers don't stand out, but the way he gets those numbers is the hardest I've ever seen anyone fight for a PR," Snee said. "When he's going for that personal record, he steps up to that max and gives everything he has.
"To me, that's freakish, to have that ability to fight through like that to get that number, the goal that you set and accomplish it."
Among his "freaky" showings in the weight room, senior defensive end Matt Henningsen can squat 675 pounds
Henningsen is definitely a pace-setter, but a quiet one.
"Day in and day out, you know what you're going to get from him," Snee said. "If he showed up late for a workout, we'd think something's severely wrong.
"He's not a big vocal leader, but he's an influencer. We have a bunch of guys like that, which is great for us."
Allen, the highly regarded prospect from Fond du Lac, said Henningsen is impossible to miss on the field and should be mentioned among the freaks.
"No one that big should be able to move like he does," Allen said.
Guerendo, a state championship-winning, multi-sport track athlete in high school, has no problem with being called a freak.
"I always take that stuff as a compliment," he said. "If I can get somebody else to say it, then I guess that means I've done something.
"We've got a lot of freak athletes on this team. A lot. In every room. Offense. Defense. All of it. We have a talented team, athletically and mentally."
Guerendo referred to Allen, the state of Wisconsin's offensive and defensive player of the year in 2020, as a member of the freak club.
"That boy's ridiculous as far as strength," Guerendo said.
Allen said he "absolutely" welcomes being among the freaks.
"A lot of work goes into it," he said. "Every year since I was a freshman in high school I've been in the weight room, consistently, non-stop, two and sometimes three times a day. All that work has come to fruition so far."
Allen said being around accomplished weight-lifting veterans represents a challenge that he welcomes.
"It motivates me to keep on raising my standards and improving myself," he said. "If it's a number that's bigger than mine, it's motivating for sure. I'm working on getting all the records."
