Wisconsin is only four practices into fall camp, and the picture is already getting sharper in a few spots - while a few others still look messy.
The Badgers finished their fourth workout Sunday morning inside the Kellner Family Athletic Center, then get Monday off before practice No. 5 on Tuesday. And after a spirited, mostly padded session, the biggest takeaway was easy to spot: Wisconsin’s defense, especially in the secondary, kept the passing game from ever really settling in.
That part of the roster looks noticeably bigger. Wide receiver and cornerback both have more size, but the corner room in particular stood out Sunday. The secondary had the upper hand, and this group looks like the most physically imposing collection of defensive backs Luke Fickell has had in Madison so far.
Quarterback play, meanwhile, came with plenty of highs and lows. The talent in the room is clearly better than it was a year ago, and Colton Joseph and Ryan Hopkins both flashed the kind of arm strength that gets your attention.
But it wasn’t a clean day for either one. Both made some nice throws and both also forced a few bad decisions, with Hopkins especially putting a couple of balls in danger.
Joseph looks like he can lift the baseline level of the position as the starter, but consistency is going to decide how far that room goes.
Up front, the first-team offensive line had a mixed day. The tackles, especially, had their issues in pass protection.
PJ Wilkins and Lucas Simmons-Johansson, filling in for the banged-up Kevin Heywood, showed some rough edges. Still, the starting group was solid overall.
The second unit had a much rougher time. Eric Mateos let them hear it, and the backup line took a real scolding.
Heywood and Colin Cubberly tried to steady things by firing the group up afterward, which at least showed some leadership. But it was not a strong showing for that second five.
There was also a wrinkle with the line rotation. Emerson Mandell was held out of team periods and worked off to the side on his own, which pushed Cherry, the Arkansas transfer, into the starting right guard spot.
In a practice setting like this, linemen are hard to fully judge, but Cherry mostly held up. The bigger concern is the overall structure of the group: Wisconsin looks like it has at least three starters deep, but with two backups currently working with the first five, the setup is still a little tangled.
And the one thing that remains obvious is that the starting group has to stay healthy.
At corner, the battle for the field spot opposite Javan Robinson looks alive. Jai'mier Scott and Eric Fletcher split most of the first-team reps, and neither separated himself in a meaningful way. Fletcher did make one of the day’s better plays, breaking up a short throw from Deuce Adams and following it with a loud “seatbelt” celebration.
Wisconsin also leaned on Jon Jon Kamara quite a bit. The Kansas transfer handles the third inside linebacker, or STAR, role, and he took most of the first-team snaps there Sunday.
The Badgers even rolled out a 2-5-4 look at one point, putting five linebackers on the field together. That makes the question of Wisconsin’s true base defense this fall worth watching as camp moves on.
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The line situation only added to the uneasiness, with two starting offensive linemen not fully available and depth being tested in ways the Badgers would rather avoid this early. There is still time for the offense to settle in, and the receivers and tight ends are part of that equation, but the contrast from this practice was hard to miss. If Wisconsin wants the attack to come together quickly, the next few weeks feel especially important. [Read more 🡒]
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For Luke Fickell and his staff, the stakes go beyond one high-end commitment. Washington is emerging as the program to watch in Georges recruitment, and the Badgers are trying to stay in the mix against a national contender for a prospect ranked near the very top of the class. Wisconsin has spent much of Fickells tenure building toward more consistent blue-chip pull on defense, so this is the kind of test that says a lot about where the program stands when the countrys best linemen start choosing. [Read more 🡒]