Former Wisconsin DB Scott Nelson - Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Sports
The 2024 UFL season is underway and there are two former Wisconsin players participating this year. The UFL kicked off just this past weekend. It is the new spring league in its first season, following the merger of the USFL and the XFL. Here is a look at the former Wisconsin players participating in the 2024 UFL season.
Former Wisconsin Players in the UFL
There are only two former Wisconsin players who are participating in the UFL this year. Both played with the Badgers at different times but landed in the UFL. Here is a look at their time playing with the Wisconsin Badgers, and their journey into this new spring football league.
Scott Nelson – DB
Defensive back, Scott Nelson is one of the former Wisconsin players participating in the UFL this year. Nelson is playing on the San Antonio Brahmas. He played with Wisconsin from 2017 to 2021. Nelson was red-shirtted in 2017, but earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2021. He ended up playin in 29 games, starting in 28 of them, throughout his collegiate career, according to University of Wisconsin Athletics. In his five years, four years of actually playing, Nelson had 125 total tackles, 81 solo, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, according to Sports Reference. He also forced one fumble, and had four interceptions. He returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown in 2021.
Following the 2021 season, Nelson headed to the NFL. He ended up becoming an undrafted free agent. In his two years in the NFL, Nelson signed with multiple practice squads, but never made the active roster. The teams he spent time with are the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans. This year, Nelson is playing with the San Antonio Brahmas. He has no stats for this season so far, but could soon. The San Antonio Brahmas are currently 1-0, looking to remain undefeated.
Olive Sagapolu – DT
Defensive tackle, Olive Sagapolu is another one of the former Wisconsin players in the UFL this year. He is currently playing on the Houston Roughnecks. Sagapolu played with the Wisconsin Badgers from 2015 until 2018. He played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2015. In 2017, he earned all-Big Ten honorable mention, according to the University of Wisconsin Athletics. In his four years, Sagapolu had 61 total tackles, 31 solo, ten tackles for loss, and six sacks, according to Sports Reference. Also had one interception and one fumble recovery.
Following the 2018 season, he headed to the NFL. Unfortinately, he was never drafted during the 2019 NFL Draft. Once he made it to the NFL, a couple of teams did sign him, such as the Greenbay Packers, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons. He then headed to the USFL for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. There, he played with the Pittsburgh Maulers. He spent a couple of weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles in August of 2023 before being released. For the 2024 spring season, he initially he signed with the New Jersey Generals, but they did not carry over when the XFL and USFL merged. Now, this year he is playing on the San Antonio Brahmas. So far he has three total tackles, all of which are solo, according to The UFL. The Houston Roughnecks are currently 0-1, looking for their first win of the season.
To Watch These Players
The San Antonio Brahmas are set to face the Memphis Showboats Saturday, April 6th at 12 P.M. Eastern.
The Houston Roughnecks are set to face the D.C. Defenders on Sunday, April 7th at 4 P.M. Eastern.
