Wisconsin’s offensive line picture is starting to take shape, and PJ Wilkins is right in the middle of it.
The fourth-year tackle lands at No. 10 in Badger247’s ranking of the 30 biggest keys for Luke Fickell’s 2026 team, a list built around playing time, past performance and positional depth. For Wilkins, the spotlight is less about a leap in competition and more about whether the Badgers can turn his frame and movement into a reliable answer at left tackle.
Wilkins came to Wisconsin after a winding path that started at St. Frances Academy in Maryland, where he was an unranked tackle with offers from Georgia Tech, Boston College and South Florida, among others.
He signed with Charlotte as part of the 2023 recruiting class, redshirted, then played in 11 games and started two the next season. That stretch opened the door to the transfer portal and a move to Ole Miss.
In 2025, he started the first two games at left guard for the Rebels and appeared in nine games overall before entering the portal again and choosing Wisconsin over several other programs. He was ranked as the No. 58 interior lineman this winter.
He arrives in Madison with two years of eligibility left, and the Badgers are treating him like a possible fix on the edge. Riley Mahlman, who had been a multi-year starter and moved to left tackle in 2025, is now trying to earn a spot with the Atlanta Falcons. That leaves Wilkins, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound redshirt junior, as the player who took most of the No. 1 reps there this spring.
“PJ is a guy that I thought was a little out of position maybe for the way his body is built,” first-year position coach Eric Mateos told reporters this spring. “He's not a 6-7 guy, but he's got extremely long arms and long legs.
To me, a real long-legged, long-hipped guy - I think it's hard to play guard because things happen so fast. The process and speed, how fast you have to get your cleats in the ground, how fast you have to redirect.
Knowing PJ, I thought his body and his skillset was more a fit for tackle.”
That’s the central question here: not whether Wilkins can handle a bigger stage, but whether the move from guard to tackle sticks. Every snap he took last season came at left guard, yet Wisconsin’s staff believes his build and movement translate to the outside in the Big Ten. He’ll be one of the most closely watched players in fall camp and into the season.
“Now, people see a big, wide-hipped, big-chested guy, and they just assume that means guard.” Mateos added. “I don't really look at it that way.”
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said early this spring that the staff is still sorting out the tackle spots, but he made clear why Wilkins is in the mix.
“I think they both could play either side, and we're still in the evaluation phase there,” Grimes said. “PJ is interesting because he did play more guard in games. However, as we got to get to know him and started to recruit him and started finding more film of him through various resources, we felt like he was a guy who, even though he had played guard and has a physical guard's build, he has tackle feet and an incredible wingspan.
“He has incredibly long arms, which is great at either position. But certainly a tremendous gift for an offensive tackle. So both of them are tackles, and who ends up at what side - we've done a little bit with both of them.”
That’s why Wilkins checks in at No. 10 on the list. Left tackle may not carry the same old blindside-only weight it once did, especially with pressure coming from everywhere now, but Wisconsin has clearly invested in Wilkins as an edge player. Kevin Heywood, viewed as arguably the top tackle and best NFL offensive line prospect on the roster, is taking reps on the other side.
For now, Wilkins looks like the favorite to open camp as the starter at left tackle. Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons-Johansson is another name to watch after finishing spring strongly, and if the spot isn’t settled quickly, the Badgers may have more flexibility than they did a year ago. Mateos could end up with two workable answers on the left side in 2026.
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