Wisconsin has reached the midpoint of fall camp, and the first eight practices have done what camp usually does: clear up a few things, leave a few others hanging, and crank up the pressure on every rep.
The biggest unresolved questions all live in spots everyone had already circled before camp opened. Left tackle, field cornerback and backup quarterback were supposed to be the key battles, and none of them has been decided yet.
At tackle, the original fight was expected to be between Ole Miss transfer PJ Wilkins and Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons-Johansson. But Kevin Heywood’s lower body injury changed the picture.
With Heywood now day-to-day and Simmons-Johansson working at starting right tackle, Wilkins has a clearer path at blindside tackle for the moment.
That doesn’t mean the competition is finished. It just means Wisconsin is getting a chance to build more depth while the lineup is in flux.
"I look at it as an opportunity to develop the depth now," offensive line coach Eric Mateos said.
"This to me gives us an opportunity to do that even earlier and more frequently than we already anticipated. We were gonna rotate guys who were number six, seven or eight, hey now you’re number five."
Cornerback has been just as crowded. Jai'mier Scott and Eric Fletcher have both taken heavy snaps with the first unit opposite Javan Robinson, and what looked like Scott’s job to lose after spring has turned into a much tighter race. Fletcher has been excellent this fall, and Florida State transfer Cai Bates has also flashed enough to look like a real factor.
The backup quarterback battle is still right there too. Luke Fickell said Louisville transfer Deuce Adams and true freshman Ryan Hopkins would split reps, and that’s what camp has delivered. Hopkins made a strong push in the spring, but Adams has looked sharper in fall camp, and neither one has separated.
"It will be decided...I promise you we'll have enough film to know exactly which direction we wanna go," quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton said.
The energy around camp has matched the uncertainty. Wisconsin is practicing like a team that knows it opens the season against a top-five opponent at Lambeau Field, and that urgency shows up everywhere.
The practices have been physical, chippy and loud. At the three sessions attended, it was notable that multiple fights somehow didn’t spill over between the offense and defense.
The trash talk has been constant, the celebrations have been obvious, and even routine plays are getting treated like something bigger. Pads are popping after short completions into the flat, and every snap feels like it carries weight.
Fickell has leaned into that edge, especially when it comes to competition between the two sides of the ball. At practice No. 6, after a team period ended with tight end Emmett Bork colliding with safety Carson Van Dinter, Fickell sent them into a 1-on-1 rep. Bork, the bigger player, drove Van Dinter backward, and the offense loved it.
There have been bright spots too. The connection between Colton Joseph and wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. is one of the more encouraging developments so far. But even with those positives, a couple of major issues still loom.
Heywood’s injury is the biggest one. Wisconsin has only said he is day-to-day, and while he’s been at practice and vocal with his position group, there’s still no clear timeline for his return. If he’s out for any length of time, that would be a serious hit for the Badgers.
Backup center is another concern that has resurfaced. The staff has adjusted third-year center Ryan Cory’s grip in hopes of cleaning up his snaps, but the inconsistency hasn’t disappeared. If starter Austin Kawecki were to miss time, Wisconsin would be in a tough spot.
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