Photo by: David Stluka
Lucas: “Big Tree” looks to build upon strong roots
August 03, 2022 | Football
Now a senior, Mullens confident he can make an impact on defensive line
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – As one of only three returning starters from the top-ranked defense in college football last year, Wisconsin's Isaiah Mullens casts a formidable shadow. One uniquely of its own. Nothing less would be expected from a 6-4, 303-pound fifth-year senior who answers to the nickname of "Big Tree."
"He's a freakishly strong man," said defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej, who presided over the UW weight room as the strength and conditioning coordinator before taking over a position group. "You go back to any era here, or anywhere, he'd be the strongest guy in the room … the '80s, '90s, early 2000's."
Freakishly strong grabs attention. Like Mullens did squatting 700 pounds in March. "I'd say I'm decently strong," he amended with a laugh. "Ever since I was a little kid, I was strong. I was naturally strong. But Coach Snee brought it up to a whole different level and helped me be as strong as I can be."
Two years ago, Shaun Snee succeeded Kolodziej in the Badger weight room, a home away from home (Columbus, Ohio) for Mullens, whose strength has buoyed his confidence on the field. "Tremendously so," Mullens said. "I have confidence in myself knowing that I can do these things."
But he also knows, "I have things to work on … things to make better obviously."
Respecting such transparency, Kolodziej said, "Big Tree has done a great job this offseason of just continuing to build on what he does well and really improve on the areas that he can get better at. He's incredibly strong and gifted that way and he's really worked on his mobility.
"I'm excited to see him put it all together. He's played quite a bit of football for us. I like his experience. He's a smart guy. And this is a great opportunity for him to grow and develop into a leader for us. Like I said, he's got some really special tools and talent."
Jogging his memory during Tuesday's Media Day at Camp Randall Stadium, the new field turf awash in brilliant sunshine, Mullens had a flashback to his first participation in this staged media event as a shy member of the 2018 freshman class. He remembered feeling a little bit lost and in awe.
"I'll be honest, it was my first year and I didn't know what to expect," said Mullens, a product of Harvest Prep, a small private school in Canal Winchester, Ohio. "Seeing guys older than me, I was picking their brain on what to do, what to say – trying to understand the parameters of everything."
His elders then were Olive Sagapolu and Isaiahh Loudermilk. A redshirt freshman, a former walk-on, no less, by the name of Matt Henningsen, started 10 games on a patchwork defensive line that had to compensate for injuries to the extent of enlisting the services of an offensive lineman, Kayden Lyles.
The following year, Keeanu Benton arrived in an impactful way as a true frosh. Benton got into the mix with Loudermilk, Henningsen, and Garrett Rand, who was bouncing back from injury. Mullens had one tackle in 13 games. He had four tackles in 2020, the abbreviated seven game COVID season.
Last year, the Big Tree had seven starts and began to blossom with 24 tackles and two sacks.
"There's kind of a progression as you go through your career," Kolodziej rationalized. "Your opportunity to make plays is always going to be there whether you're a freshman, a sophomore, a junior or a senior. If you're on the field, everybody has an equal opportunity to make those plays.
"But he has earned the opportunity to get more nickel reps (when the Badgers utilize two D-linemen instead of their base-three) which I think will certainly help his production as he carries over what he has done in the weight room during the offseason."
Kolodziej knows what he wants to get out of Mullens during training camp.
"It's the same for any guy – you don't have to manufacture or go outside of yourself to do anything," he said. "It's when we try and chase those great big highs, you end up with the big lows, too. Consistency is just getting incrementally better every single day.
"For him, it's to continue to do the ordinary. But do it extraordinarily well. Training camp, in a lot of ways, is the sum total of your highs and lows. If you can minimize the lows and maximize the highs – and just keep gradually improving – you've set yourself up to have a great season."
A local sports anchor inquired Tuesday about Mullens' readiness for the Sept. 3 opener.
"I'm pumped, I'm super pumped, I've never been this pumped for a fall camp before," he replied enthusiastically. "I'm just ready to go out there and have fun and hit – to be out there with the boys, suffer with the boys, do great things with the boys. I'm super excited what we can do as a team."
Mullens does find himself in more of a mentoring role than ever before.
"I'm trying to teach the young guys – Gabe (Kirschke), Tristan (Monday) and Curt (Neal) – I'm trying to teach them about those things," he said of those fundamentals that he was taught at a young age. Such as how the veterans "handled themselves through adversity and the good times."
Whereas Mullens kept busy last summer interning with the Madison School and Community Recreation program, he focused on his training the last few months. That included spending some time with his kid brother, Manny, a freshman at Lake Erie College, a Division II school in Painesville, Ohio.
Manny is a 6-3, 285-pound defensive tackle. Of course, he is.
"It's runs in the family," the Big Tree said proudly. "He's just a little bit smaller than me."
And not as freakishly strong. Few are. During Tuesday's interviews, he was asked about wearing No. 99, a jersey made famous by J.J. Watt. It's not the first time that he has fielded the question. Mullens has met Watt and has the utmost respect for his legacy. He'd just like to leave his own.
"I've been very blessed and fortunate to be where I'm at," Mullens said. "I'm super excited for this year. Potentially, it's my last year. It's my fifth year. I might go into the draft (next spring). It all depends on how things go. I might come back for a sixth year, the COVID year. I don't know."
Maybe he has toiled in the shadows of Loudermilk, Rand, Henningsen, and now Benton. Maybe his profile isn't as high as the others. At least to this point in his career. But if he plays within himself, his parameters, Kolodziej is confident the results will follow. So is the Big Tree. Extraordinarily so.
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – As one of only three returning starters from the top-ranked defense in college football last year, Wisconsin's Isaiah Mullens casts a formidable shadow. One uniquely of its own. Nothing less would be expected from a 6-4, 303-pound fifth-year senior who answers to the nickname of "Big Tree."
"He's a freakishly strong man," said defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej, who presided over the UW weight room as the strength and conditioning coordinator before taking over a position group. "You go back to any era here, or anywhere, he'd be the strongest guy in the room … the '80s, '90s, early 2000's."
Freakishly strong grabs attention. Like Mullens did squatting 700 pounds in March. "I'd say I'm decently strong," he amended with a laugh. "Ever since I was a little kid, I was strong. I was naturally strong. But Coach Snee brought it up to a whole different level and helped me be as strong as I can be."
Two years ago, Shaun Snee succeeded Kolodziej in the Badger weight room, a home away from home (Columbus, Ohio) for Mullens, whose strength has buoyed his confidence on the field. "Tremendously so," Mullens said. "I have confidence in myself knowing that I can do these things."
But he also knows, "I have things to work on … things to make better obviously."
Respecting such transparency, Kolodziej said, "Big Tree has done a great job this offseason of just continuing to build on what he does well and really improve on the areas that he can get better at. He's incredibly strong and gifted that way and he's really worked on his mobility.
"I'm excited to see him put it all together. He's played quite a bit of football for us. I like his experience. He's a smart guy. And this is a great opportunity for him to grow and develop into a leader for us. Like I said, he's got some really special tools and talent."
Jogging his memory during Tuesday's Media Day at Camp Randall Stadium, the new field turf awash in brilliant sunshine, Mullens had a flashback to his first participation in this staged media event as a shy member of the 2018 freshman class. He remembered feeling a little bit lost and in awe.
"I'll be honest, it was my first year and I didn't know what to expect," said Mullens, a product of Harvest Prep, a small private school in Canal Winchester, Ohio. "Seeing guys older than me, I was picking their brain on what to do, what to say – trying to understand the parameters of everything."
His elders then were Olive Sagapolu and Isaiahh Loudermilk. A redshirt freshman, a former walk-on, no less, by the name of Matt Henningsen, started 10 games on a patchwork defensive line that had to compensate for injuries to the extent of enlisting the services of an offensive lineman, Kayden Lyles.
The following year, Keeanu Benton arrived in an impactful way as a true frosh. Benton got into the mix with Loudermilk, Henningsen, and Garrett Rand, who was bouncing back from injury. Mullens had one tackle in 13 games. He had four tackles in 2020, the abbreviated seven game COVID season.
Last year, the Big Tree had seven starts and began to blossom with 24 tackles and two sacks.
"There's kind of a progression as you go through your career," Kolodziej rationalized. "Your opportunity to make plays is always going to be there whether you're a freshman, a sophomore, a junior or a senior. If you're on the field, everybody has an equal opportunity to make those plays.
"But he has earned the opportunity to get more nickel reps (when the Badgers utilize two D-linemen instead of their base-three) which I think will certainly help his production as he carries over what he has done in the weight room during the offseason."
Kolodziej knows what he wants to get out of Mullens during training camp.
"It's the same for any guy – you don't have to manufacture or go outside of yourself to do anything," he said. "It's when we try and chase those great big highs, you end up with the big lows, too. Consistency is just getting incrementally better every single day.
"For him, it's to continue to do the ordinary. But do it extraordinarily well. Training camp, in a lot of ways, is the sum total of your highs and lows. If you can minimize the lows and maximize the highs – and just keep gradually improving – you've set yourself up to have a great season."
A local sports anchor inquired Tuesday about Mullens' readiness for the Sept. 3 opener.
"I'm pumped, I'm super pumped, I've never been this pumped for a fall camp before," he replied enthusiastically. "I'm just ready to go out there and have fun and hit – to be out there with the boys, suffer with the boys, do great things with the boys. I'm super excited what we can do as a team."
Mullens does find himself in more of a mentoring role than ever before.
"I'm trying to teach the young guys – Gabe (Kirschke), Tristan (Monday) and Curt (Neal) – I'm trying to teach them about those things," he said of those fundamentals that he was taught at a young age. Such as how the veterans "handled themselves through adversity and the good times."
Whereas Mullens kept busy last summer interning with the Madison School and Community Recreation program, he focused on his training the last few months. That included spending some time with his kid brother, Manny, a freshman at Lake Erie College, a Division II school in Painesville, Ohio.
Manny is a 6-3, 285-pound defensive tackle. Of course, he is.
"It's runs in the family," the Big Tree said proudly. "He's just a little bit smaller than me."
And not as freakishly strong. Few are. During Tuesday's interviews, he was asked about wearing No. 99, a jersey made famous by J.J. Watt. It's not the first time that he has fielded the question. Mullens has met Watt and has the utmost respect for his legacy. He'd just like to leave his own.
"I've been very blessed and fortunate to be where I'm at," Mullens said. "I'm super excited for this year. Potentially, it's my last year. It's my fifth year. I might go into the draft (next spring). It all depends on how things go. I might come back for a sixth year, the COVID year. I don't know."
Maybe he has toiled in the shadows of Loudermilk, Rand, Henningsen, and now Benton. Maybe his profile isn't as high as the others. At least to this point in his career. But if he plays within himself, his parameters, Kolodziej is confident the results will follow. So is the Big Tree. Extraordinarily so.
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