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Seems for the most solid starters but depth in key spots is still an issue, PC and his staff sure did leave us shorthanded.6 key questions for the Badgers coming out of spring practice:
1. Is Wisconsin’s O-line depth going to hold up?
This was one of the most noticeable concerns to emerge during spring practices in the aftermath of Trey Wedig and Nolan Rucci transferring out of the program. Fickell acknowledged those decisions drastically impacted Wisconsin’s O-line depth because those two players “were going to compete to play and to start.” Instead, what Wisconsin had this spring was four returners with significant experience and the rest of the linemen with a total of 78 college snaps played on offense.
My sense is that Wisconsin will be fine along the offensive line next season, barring long-term injuries to multiple starters, because offensive line coach AJ Blazek will be able to develop this group. The spring ended with Jack Nelson at left tackle, Joe Brunner at left guard, Jake Renfro at center, Joe Huber at right guard and Riley Mahlman at right tackle. JP Benzschawel is the sixth man and can play either guard spot. Brunner can slide over to tackle, if necessary, and Huber is flexible enough to play all five positions.
Throw in the fact that Blazek said he felt comfortable playing backup center Kerry Kodanko, that true freshman tackle Kevin Heywood was on the cusp of breaking through and that Wisconsin added a transfer portal pickup from Vanderbilt in tackle Leyton Nelson, and that’s nine potential contributors. Wisconsin also didn’t have the services of reserve tackle Barrett Nelson due to injury this spring, as well as three scholarship freshmen set to arrive this summer. The next steps will be figuring out how to make the top group dominant and how to ensure there is minimal drop-off in the event help is needed.
2. How do the Badgers handle their inside linebackers?
Wisconsin has a good problem on its hands because the Badgers have four starter-worthy inside linebackers on their roster: Jake Chaney, Christian Alliegro, Jaheim Thomas and Tackett Curtis. Chaney, Thomas and Curtis combined to start 29 games last season. Alliegro, the only player from that group without a college start, not only held his own this spring but consistently earned snaps with the first-team defense.
Curtis wasn’t full-go for most of the spring, with the staff being cautious about his return from a hamstring issue. He started eight games as a true freshman at USC last season and recorded 40 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. He is too good not to be a part of the rotation in some capacity when healthy. Thomas led Arkansas with 90 tackles last season, and Chaney ranked second on Wisconsin’s team with 80 tackles.
Will defensive coordinator Mike Tressel consistently rotate four inside linebackers? Last season, Tressel rotated three with Chaney, Jordan Turner and Maema Njongmeta. One way to involve more players will be utilizing three inside linebackers on the field in specific packages because Thomas has the versatility to line up off the edge. There’s no denying Wisconsin upgraded its linebacker positions this offseason, bringing in five transfers at the inside and outside spots.
3. What does the wide receiver rotation look like?
Former Wisconsin receivers coach Mike Brown said last spring that “we want to have six guys that we feel really good about” being able to play entering the season. Then the Badgers used five players, and the odd man out, Keontez Lewis, opted to transfer after just two games. There’s a new position coach, Kenny Guiton, but the challenge of keeping a deep wide receiver corps happy never changes.
“That’s any wideout room,” Guiton said. “We’ll be OK. Wins keep everybody happy. So let’s go win.”
Guiton said he needed to be intentional in how he strategized to use his group. The first-team unit will likely be Vinny Anthony and Bryson Green on the outside with Will Pauling in the slot. But Trech Kekahuna will assuredly have a big role in the slot, either behind Pauling or alongside him. CJ Williams and Quincy Burroughs had strong moments in the spring and could help to form a top six that is used with more balance than a year ago. That doesn’t even include Michigan State transfer Tyrell Henry, who caught 24 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns last season. Wisconsin also has been pursuing an additional wide receiver from the portal out of the spring.
4. Is there enough talent for the D-line to be effective?
It’s one thing to have bodies on the defensive line and another to have playmakers. Whether the Badgers have what they need to be difference-makers remains to be seen. James Thompson Jr. was the best defensive lineman last season and led all players on the unit in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. After that, Wisconsin returns Curt Neal (13 tackles), Ben Barten (12) and Cade McDonald (three). Those three players combined for one sack, though all should earn more opportunities to be impactful next season.
Wisconsin added Albany’s Elijah Hills from the transfer portal after he recorded 31 tackles with nine tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and three blocked kicks. Hills spent the spring with the reserves and worked his way into the second-team unit after T.J. Bollers transferred out. The Badgers have been looking to add another transfer defensive lineman to shore up depth. Kent State’s CJ West, one of the most coveted portal defensive linemen, visited Wisconsin this spring but committed to Indiana. Former Grand Valley State D-lineman Jay’viar Suggs listed Wisconsin among his final four this week.
There is a lot to like about the potential of redshirt freshman Jamel Howard and true freshman Ernest Willor Jr., but their work this spring came with the third-team defense. Incoming freshman Dillan Johnson was a big recruiting win. Johnson, a four-time state wrestling champion in Illinois who went 143-1 in his career, signed with Wisconsin after initially committing to Northwestern.
5. Can Wisconsin get more production from its tight ends?
The simple answer should be yes. Hayden Rucci led all tight ends with 11 catches for 125 yards last season. Tucker Ashcraft finished with eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, and Riley Nowakowski came back from injury to catch seven passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Ashcraft and Nowakowski return, and LSU transfer Jackson McGohan demonstrated some eye-opening pass-catching ability this spring. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo said he sees some similarities with that trio to what he had at North Carolina in 2022. It’s a stretch to believe Wisconsin can replicate that level of success when UNC tight ends Bryson Nesbit, Kamari Morales and John Copenhaver combined to catch 79 passes for 1,087 yards and eight touchdowns. But more productivity from the tight ends will be crucial to creating balance in the passing game.
“Our hope is now that we can get some two-tight end sets out there,” tight ends coach Nate Letton said. “We’ve got some more dynamic guys in the room. So can we put defenses in conflict by putting good people out there but also being able to utilize some of that spread passing game to get bigger defensive bodies on the field? We’ve got a number of creative ways. And then we’ve got to put guys in situations to see if they can win one-on-one matchups.”
6. What does Wisconsin do with its safety and slot corner roles?
Austin Brown is listed at 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds. Max Lofy is listed at 5-10 and 187 pounds. Those are two very different body types but two players who can get the job done as Wisconsin’s top slot corner, if necessary. The challenge for Tressel and his defensive staff will be determining which players to put where.
Brown started in the slot against LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl and impressed Tressel with how well he performed in a new role. Tressel likes that Brown is a bigger body in the slot, but Brown also could be Wisconsin’s best option at one of the safety spots. Brown moved back to safety this spring and paired with Hunter Wohler after Kamo’i Latu was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Lofy then stepped into the first-team slot corner role and played quite well.
Brown played 346 defensive snaps last season while Latu played 306, and Brown generally was a more effective player. Brown finished with 36 tackles and Latu had 19 tackles. The Badgers also return Preston Zachman, who started five games at safety and tallied 49 tackles last season. Overall, it feels as though the secondary should be one of the strengths of the team.
