[Trending News] Five key questions Wisconsin, Luke Fickell can answer in spring practice this month

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is set to open spring practice Thursday in what will be an initial glimpse of Luke Fickell’s third Badgers team. Much is riding on the progress of this group following two disappointing seasons under Fickell — and much should be revealed during the next 15 practices.

Reporters are scheduled to fully view at least 13 of those practices, culminating with the final practice on April 24. Here are five questions the Badgers can answer:

How will the offense come together?

The Phil Longo Air Raid era is over. Now, the Jeff Grimes era begins. Grimes’ hire may not have generated as much fan enthusiasm as other potential candidates, but he could be exactly what Wisconsin needs following the failed Longo experiment. In attempting to modernize the offense the past two seasons, the Badgers lost some of their edge as a physical, smashmouth team. Given that Wisconsin didn’t pass the ball particularly well and generally lacked explosiveness, that was a doomed combination.

Grimes has said his objective is to help get Wisconsin back to what it is known for. But that doesn’t mean the Badgers will look like a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. This will still be a shotgun-based scheme — Grimes used it 97.5 percent of the time last season at Kansas, per TruMedia — with a greater ability to establish the run. Grimes’ favorite personnel grouping has been 11 — three receivers, one tight end and one running back — just like Longo. But fans can expect to see plenty of 12 personnel with two receivers, two tight ends and one running back. How Wisconsin attempts to incorporate pre-snap motions will be of interest.

The good news for Wisconsin is that the Badgers seem to have enough pieces up front to rely on the offensive line even more to move bodies. Wisconsin loses two starters in left tackle Jack Nelson and right guard Joe Huber. But 6-foot-8, 325-pound sophomore Kevin Heywood is waiting in the wings to replace Nelson, and there are several candidates to fill Huber’s role. Wisconsin returns three starters: left guard Joe Brunner, center Jake Renfro and right tackle Riley Mahlman.

Wisconsin added just five scholarship transfer portal players on offense but addressed key needs at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end. There will be a transition period under Grimes, with the hope being that it takes less time — and proves to be much more effective — than with Longo.

What changes will we see on defense?

Fickell said after the season that Wisconsin’s most significant defensive priority was to get bigger up front and at the boundary outside linebacker position. He pinned the Badgers’ inability to stop the run late last season on losing the line of scrimmage with a defensive line that simply wasn’t good enough. Wisconsin added five portal defensive linemen — more than any other position — and bulked up several players in the weight room this offseason.

But surely there have to be other tweaks in mind as defensive coordinator Mike Tressel continues to seek answers for how to blend what he did well at Cincinnati with what can work at Wisconsin. That could mean formation changes or utilizing some returning players in different roles from what they occupied last season. The skill set of this group should look different considering Wisconsin brought in 12 portal players on defense.

Wisconsin hopes to lean on a secondary that returns four veterans: cornerbacks Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean, and safeties Preston Zachman and Austin Brown. Hallman’s 33 targets on 319 coverage snaps marked the fewest targets for any cornerback in the country with at least 300-plus coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Fourqurean’s 51 tackles were the third-most among Big Ten cornerbacks during the regular season.

Can Edwards elevate offense?

Veteran transfer Billy Edwards Jr. arrived as the clear-cut starter, and now faces a tall task ahead with the degree of schedule difficulty and the shift to a new offense.

Still, this is someone whom Grimes identified and wanted to run his scheme. Edwards started 11 games for Maryland last season and completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He finished third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game while playing behind a strugglesome offensive line and running game.

Fickell said he realized that Longo’s offense was too predicated on having elite-level quarterback play. Being able to take some pressure off the quarterback with more available options around him is paramount.

How will RB rotation shake out?

A year ago, the Badgers had so many scholarship tailbacks — eight — that Nate White was moved to wide receiver for preseason practices. This year there are five: Jackson Acker, Cade Yacamelli, Darrion Dupree, Dilin Jones and Gideon Ituka.

Acker carried just once for 4 yards last season but had 322 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 2023. Grimes has said he values having a fullback, which is a position Acker played before Longo arrived. Director of football strength and conditioning Brady Collins recently praised Yacamelli’s leadership in the group, and he could be a factor in the rotation even with a couple of highly touted young prospects. Yacamelli averaged 8.3 yards per carry last season but didn’t have a carry during the final five games.

Dupree could take a huge sophomore leap after ascending into the backup role last season. His pass-catching ability makes him a dynamic presence out of the backfield. Jones played sparingly during his redshirt season but did break off a 47-yard run against Purdue. Wisconsin didn’t add any scholarship freshmen or go to the portal at running back while banking on the young talent on the roster.

Which newcomers will stand out?

One of the most intriguing aspects to practices this spring is that Wisconsin has 33 new scholarship players on campus this semester — 18 transfers and 15 freshman early enrollees. Former Louisville outside linebacker transfer Mason Reiger will miss the spring while recovering from surgery to have a titanium rod inserted into his right tibia due to a third stress fracture. But there is plenty of opportunity for the others to prove themselves.

Edwards is the headliner on offense, with Danny O’Neil, a San Diego State transfer, arriving to presumably serve as his backup. Tight end Tanner Koziol (Ball State) gives Wisconsin a pass-catching dynamic at the position that has been missing for a few years. Wide receivers Mark Hamper (Idaho) and Jayden Ballard (Ohio State) have the potential to earn a starting spot on the outside opposite Vinny Anthony.

Eight transfers are defensive linemen or linebackers, but Wisconsin also added key pieces in the secondary. Cornerback D’Yoni Hill started five games at Miami last season, while cornerback Geimere Latimer earned second-team All-Conference USA honors at Jacksonville State. At safety, Matthew Traynor was the Coastal Athletic Association’s defensive rookie of the year at Richmond, and defensive back Matt Jung was the best player at his position in Division III (Bethel).

Several freshman early enrollees have generated offseason buzz for their weight-room progress. With only three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster this spring, Carter Smith should earn his fair share of chances. Wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr., tight end Emmett Bork, offensive lineman Hardy Watts, defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu and outside linebacker Nicolas Clayton are among the players to watch.

(Top photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)