Wisconsin offensive tackle Kevin Heywood has been through plenty since arriving in Madison as part of Luke Fickell’s first full recruiting class in 2024. He was viewed as a major talent with a high ceiling, then an injury in spring 2025 knocked him out for the season when he was set to start. Now in his third year at Wisconsin overall, Heywood has battled back from multiple injuries, taken on more responsibility inside the offense, and emerged as a leader on and off the field.
That backdrop made Wisconsin’s dramatic win over Penn State mean even more.
Going back to his home state, Heywood said he knew exactly what the environment would be like and made sure the offensive line was ready for it.
“Going back, I knew exactly what to expect. Some of these guys had never been there.
I knew exactly how loud it was going to be. I heard it was a stripe game, basically a whiteout.”
“I was knowing what it was going to be, right? So, I was telling the O-Line, like, 'Boys, we got these calls figured the hell out!" I thought we did a great job of sticking together.”
For Heywood, the confidence never left the group, even when Wisconsin went into halftime trailing.
“There was never a doubt in our minds, like last Monday when we came in, that we weren't gonna be able to win that game. This was our game.
So, I feel like when we got down at half, I sat next to Colton, and I was like, 'dawg, we're winning. There is no other option.'
And he said hell yeah bro, let's go.'
“And, we got rolling, and man, it felt great. It felt great.
That last play, dude, I was so hyped. We really needed that for our program like Coach Fick said, and, for our fans, too.
It was a great environment.”
Heywood also had plenty to say about Fickell, whose emotional reaction after the win clearly hit home.
“Man,…. I'm just so happy for him.
Like, no one believed in him. A bunch of fans turned on him.
We still believed in him, we knew what he was about.”
“It was so good to see him smiling after the game. There's just no better feeling than seeing your head ball coach happy. It was really great.”
Quarterback Colton Joseph also earned Heywood’s praise for the way he handled the pressure late.
“He's never gonna flinch, you know? That's ultimately what you want back there, in a quarterback.
The more he can do that the better we can be as a team. We're gonna try our best to protect him, and do everything O-Line wise.”
“But, he is doing his job at the highest level, and that's gonna help us win in the end.”
Heywood’s bond with the 2024 class remains especially strong along the offensive line, and he was glad to see Emerson Mandell back in the mix and taking major snaps with the top group again.
“He's a mauler, so that's great. You just know when you're next to him, and you're in a combo with him, it is gonna be moved.
I lived with him before, we've been tight. It's great to see him back out there, relaxed, having fun, and enjoying playing football.
It's amazing to see your brother out there being happy.”
As for the line as a whole, Heywood said the group is making progress but still has work to do, especially early in games.
“There are definitely some things to clean up in the run game for sure. We need to establish the run earlier, and be more dominant earlier. I feel like in the second half, we are doing better, but, I feel like pass blocking we have been doing well with eyes and communication wise.
“I want to see us keep coming out, and trying to swing first. That is the biggest thing, and just being more clean in the beginning.”
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