Quarterback
Tanner Mordecai and Braedyn Locke showed steady improvement as preseason practices progressed. A lot of what Wisconsin worked on early in camp were throws into the flats or passes that traveled less than 10 yards. But both quarterbacks took advantage of their talented receiving corps downfield. Mordecai, who handled all the first-team reps, may surprise some with his ability to escape pressure or stress defenses with designed quarterback runs. Locke certainly has the look of Wisconsin’s future starter because of his knowledge and skill set. He bounced back nicely in Week 2 from early turnover issues.
Myles Burkett earned a handful of second-team snaps earlier in the preseason when Locke struggled with interceptions but looks to be the No. 3 quarterback ahead of Nick Evers. The talent for Evers is evident. He continues to make up ground in the execution of the offense.
Wide receiver
It’s remarkable how loaded this group is after an offseason makeover. No. 1 slot receiver Will Pauling sustained an apparent right knee injury on a collision during a special teams return drill Thursday. But Fickell described Pauling as a quick healer and said he was optimistic he would be in good shape. Before Pauling went down, he was part of a six-player rotation that essentially subbed in with the first-team offense like a hockey line. Pauling, Chimere Dike and CJ Williams were with the first group, while Keontez Lewis, Bryson Green and slot receiver Skyler Bell were in the second group. Bell moved up to the top slot role with Pauling sidelined, which moved Vinny Anthony into the No. 2 slot position. Anthony promptly caught a 19-yard touchdown from Locke on Thursday.
Wisconsin has a mix of body types and abilities capable of being consistent threats. Green, in particular, stood out this preseason because of his physicality and knack for winning 50-50 balls against defensive backs. But all six players had their moments. Dike was nearly unstoppable at practice Thursday and reeled in a 34-yard reception despite being drilled by a safety as he came down with the ball. Even third-team receiver Quincy Burroughs produced his share of big plays. Tommy McIntosh and Chris Brooks Jr. may not be significant contributors this season given the depth but have the size and athleticism to be future playmakers. Freshman Trech Kekahuna was sidelined with a left leg injury.
Running back
Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi are going to create challenges for defenses. Allen is even more physically imposing than he was last season and showed his strength when he lowered his shoulder and knocked over safety Kamo’i Latu on a 20-plus-yard run past midfield last Monday night at UW-Platteville. That came after Mellusi absorbed a hard hit from Latu two days earlier. Mellusi was held out of practices the next few days and was in a yellow non-contact jersey Thursday. Expect both those players to be utilized in the passing game a lot more and to potentially be on the field at times together.
Jackson Acker took Mellusi’s place with the first-team offense when Mellusi was sidelined, which could be a good indicator of how coaches view the third running back spot. Cade Yacamelli then handled significant second-team reps. Walk-on Grover Bortolotti sustained an injury that kept him out the second week. Freshman Nate White showcased his speed and shiftiness with the third-team offense Wednesday and Thursday but is behind the rest of the scholarship tailbacks.
Offensive line
It seems likely that Wisconsin is going to open the season with a six- or seven-man rotation, depending on how offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. feels about center Jake Renfro’s readiness. The top unit at the beginning of the preseason was Jack Nelson at left tackle, Joe Huber at left guard, Tanor Bortolini at center, Michael Furtney at right guard and Riley Mahlman at right tackle. Trey Wedig, the backup right tackle, began to take first-team right guard reps away from Furtney on Wednesday, which dropped Furtney to the second-team group. Thus far, backup left tackle Nolan Rucci and backup left guard Joe Brunner have yet to crack the rotation.
The challenge for Bicknell appears to be two-fold. He wants to have enough players ready to rotate given the pace at which Wisconsin will play in the Air Raid offense. He also has to figure out what to do with Renfro. Bortolini has been the first-team center since the fourth practice this spring when Renfro suffered a stress fracture in his left leg. If Renfro plays, that changes the rotation. Bortolini presumably would return to a guard spot, which would force Bicknell to pick the other guard from Huber, Wedig and Furtney.
Tight end
Wisconsin found itself in an unenviable position when sixth-year senior Jack Eschenbach and fifth-year senior Clay Cundiff both left the program just before preseason practices began. Without them, the top three tight ends to open the preseason were Riley Nowakowski, Hayden Rucci and Jack Pugh. Nowakowski, a converted fullback, has generally been the first tight end up with the first-team group. Rucci has quietly put together a strong preseason and demonstrated his pass-catching ability, which was rarely used under the previous staff.
Pugh did not practice Thursday but has the athleticism and size to be a downfield threat in this offense. Freshman Tucker Ashcraft emerged as a surprise potential contributor when he earned first-team snaps early last week and played ahead of Cole Dakovich and JT Seagreaves. Fickell said Ashcraft would play this year and that he “looks a little bit more like the guys that we’ve had in the past but moves a little bit more like probably the guys that are the future, which is a heck of a mix.” Cam Large continues to be sidelined after he sustained a right knee injury last season.
Defensive line
Perhaps no position group featured as many rotations as the defensive line did this preseason. The top four seem pretty clear-cut with Rodas Johnson, James Thompson Jr., Isaiah Mullens and Gio Paez. Those four played a total of 1,225 defensive snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus. Johnson and Thompson have earned the bulk of the first-team reps. Thompson was as impressive as any D-lineman in the first two weeks, showcasing power and speed to stuff plays in the backfield. During practice Thursday, he would have sacked Locke on one play and stopped Yacamelli for a two-yard loss on a rush up the middle on another play. That came after Thompson recorded two tackles for loss in a three-play sequence Tuesday.
Fickell and defensive line coach Greg Scruggs have said they would like to play as many as eight defensive linemen, which explains why so many other players earned snaps with the second-team defense. Those players included Cade McDonald, Ben Barten, Curt Neal, Darian Varner, Isaac Townsend and Mike Jarvis. Fickell said Neal, who has been wearing a black spandex wrap around his right leg and didn’t practice in the second week, would be out “maybe a few weeks.” Barten and McDonald probably earned the most snaps from that group. Varner’s potential after a first-team All-AAC season at Temple last year is intriguing.
Inside linebacker
Wisconsin essentially has three starters for two positions, and all three have rotated with the first-team unit: Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner and Jake Chaney. Njongmeta suffered a right-hand injury that required surgery but was back at practice Wednesday with a club over the hand. Njongmeta and Turner were the team’s two leading tacklers last season, but Chaney has produced an outstanding preseason with multiple sacks and pressures and figures to have a more significant role.
The Badgers’ No. 4 inside linebacker likely is Tatum Grass, who has consistently worked with the second-team defense. Bryan Sanborn also earned work with Grass on the second-team unit. Behind them are Aidan Vaughan, Garrison Solliday and Tyler Jansey.
Outside linebacker
Does Wisconsin have a Nick Herbig, who led the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks last season and left school to become an NFL Draft pick? That remains to be seen. But there is still plenty of playmaking ability at the position, beginning with Darryl Peterson, who will take over the starting spot previously occupied by Herbig. Peterson and C.J. Goetz have worked as the top outside linebackers. Michigan State transfer Jeff Pietrowski has also earned first-team reps with Peterson. Wisconsin would love to get the type of production Michigan State did out of Pietrowski in 2021 when he was second on the team with 5.5 sacks as a defensive lineman.
T.J. Bollers and Kaden Johnson have earned considerable snaps with the second-team unit. Bollers has been the lone outside linebacker in when Wisconsin puts six defensive backs on the field in its dollar package. He picked off a pass that was batted by Barten at the line of scrimmage Wednesday and returned it for a touchdown. Bollers is listed at 270 pounds and brings major physicality to the front seven.
Cornerback
Wisconsin’s top cornerback unit has been the same since spring practices began: Alexander Smith and Ricardo Hallman on the outside with Jason Maitre in the slot. Those three have the potential to give receivers fits down the field, as all three demonstrated the ability to position themselves well and win 50-50 battles. Smith won plenty of matchups against Dike, who was the team’s No. 1 receiver last season. Hallman has bounced back nicely since seeing his role diminish in the middle of last season. Maitre is a physical nickel corner whose penchant for smack talk can get under the skin of wide receivers.
The second-team cornerbacks have featured freshman Jonas Duclona, transfer Nyzier Fourqurean and slot corner Owen Arnett. Duclona worked his way into a backup role as an early enrollee this spring. Fourqurean, a Division II All-American at Grand Valley State, began the preseason with the third group but quickly made it clear that he was ready for the big stage this season. Air Force transfer Michael Mack II is still trying to obtain a waiver from the service academy to be immediately eligible and has earned some second- and third-team work, as has freshman Jace Arnold. Cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes said the backup slot corner role is still a work in progress and said Max Lofy, who has been injured this preseason, is among those who could challenge for the spot.
Safety
Hunter Wohler and Latu often were the first safeties up with the first-team defense. But when Wisconsin went to its dollar defense, which moved Wohler up to linebacker depth and took an outside linebacker off the field, Latu and Travian Blaylock were on the back end. Blaylock also got work with Wohler in a two-safety look. Much like with the inside linebackers, all three can be considered starters. Blaylock missed last season with a torn right ACL but adds experience after playing in 25 career games. Wohler was limited to six games last season due to injury and appears ready for a breakout season because of his versatility in Mike Tressel’s defense.
Even Wisconsin’s backup safeties, Preston Zachman and Austin Brown, have loads of potential. Zachman, like Wohler, has been used in the dollar spot. Although Zachman has appeared in just seven games over three seasons, he looks ready to make an impact if called upon. Brown is a physical, athletic playmaker on the back end. Freshman Braedyn Moore and walk-on Charlie Jarvis earned reps with the third-team defense.
Special teams
Wisconsin addressed needs at kicker and punter through the transfer portal this offseason. Nathanial Vakos arrived in January from Ohio after an excellent freshman campaign in which he made 22 of 27 field goal attempts. Vakos has consistently been the first kicker up ahead of Nate Van Zelst, who was Wisconsin’s top field goal kicker last season. Vakos has a big leg and has largely been quite good, save for one 1-for-4 practice performance this preseason.
Punter Atticus Bertrams transferred from Australia after missing last season due to a back injury. The lefty is a natural at the rugby-style rollout that Fickell likes and has worked ahead of Jack Van Dyke. Both punters are searching for consistency this preseason in distance and hang time. The returners consisted of Dike, Bell, Williams, Pauling and Anthony. Fickell said that, if the season began tomorrow, Dike would be the top punt returner.
