2021 Wisconsin Fall Camp Preview: Henningsen, Benton playmakers on D-line

In early August, Wisconsin will open fall camp in preparation for the 2021 season opener against Penn State.

You know what that means -- position previews.

Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, Wisconsin returns a unit that sees starters coming back at every position group, and in some rooms, multiple starters.

On the line, two experienced Badgers return and could be all-conference candidates and should be anchors in the trenches. Who else works their way into a consistent rotation -- and who also makes plays -- will be a storyline to follow in August and into the season.

Position-by position previews: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide receivers | Tight Ends/Fullbacks | Offensive line |

These are questions layered with a caveat to them. How? Well, Wisconsin runs a traditional 3-4 base defense, which means two defensive ends and a nose tackle -- but just how much of that is used with the amount of spread-based teams they face where extra defensive backs are used?

Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard mentioned on March 31 that Wisconsin ran nickel 70% of the time last season. That usually has meant UW going into a 2-4-5 look with a couple of defensive linemen working on the inside.

Regardless, Ross Kolodziej's room needs to replace the skill sets of Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand, and it feels like at least the presumed first-team ends should be Matt Henningsen and Isaiah Mullens.

Henningsen returns for his fifth year in the program, his fourth year as a starter. He has played in 29 career games, only two coming last year before a season-ending bicep injury suffered at Michigan in November.

Kolodziej called Henningsen, a former walk-on, "a genius academically, and he's a freak show athletically," on April 5.

Mullens worked alongside Henningsen as the initial ends up front in the first three April practices open to reporters, but did not participate in the last couple of open sessions due to injury. The 6-foot-4 end enters his fourth year at Wisconsin and if he steps up, he could be another long, athletic player at the position group who could stuff the run but also affect opponent's passing attack.

With Mullens out for the last couple of spring sessions, Rodas Johnson filled his role, first working with the second-team line before subbing in next to Henningsen. Kolodziej told reporters on April 5 that Johnson -- a former four-star recruit from Ohio -- had "an unbelievable first three practices."

Who emerges at this position behind them will be something to watch. Oregon transfer Chase Townsend ventured to Madison in early May to begin acclimating to life at Wisconsin. The former three-star recruit, who did not play in his two years out west, told BadgerBlitz.com in late May that he was 6-foot-5 and hoping to get around 270-275 pounds before the beginning of the season.

Wisconsin also brings back second-year ends Cade McDonald and James Thompson, Jr., the latter of whom is returning from a season-ending injury to his right leg. Judging by his July tweet, he appears to be squatting well after not participating in the spring. McDonald played in the last two games of the 2020 season, while Thompson -- about whose status we do not know officially for fall camp yet -- played very briefly in the Michigan win before going down.

Wisconsin's nose tackles appear in very good position heading into fall camp, but how they emerge within their roles will affect how Leonhard and Kolodziej utilize rotations in sub-packages. This spring, Leonhard called Keeanu Benton a "difference maker" the last couple of years, and the Janesville (WI) North product showcased an ability to clog the middle with his power and also move linemen. That potential has been displayed in his first two seasons at UW during the 20 games (11 starts) in which he has participated.

There's also Bryson Williams, now in his fourth year with the program, who also has started. He told reporters of his journey in reshaping his body of being at 320 pounds at one point before shredding down to 260.

Williams, a Nebraska native, said on April 5 that he felt "the best I ever have in my whole life, even before my surgery" and hoped to get back up to the 295-pound range for the season.

Third-year lineman Gio Paez worked predominantly at nose tackle in team drills in the practices open to reporters with both Benton and Williams out, and though listed on the spring roster as a defensive end, he looked solid in the middle.

Wisconsin's spring roster boasts linemen who can be utilized for the defense's success. Again, now it's just who can work both in base and nickel alignments, and that goes back to the initial discussion of this preview -- especially with Benton. Can the third-year tackle also work more in the 2-4-5 sub-package as well?

Head coach Paul Chryst, when speaking during Big Ten Media Days, believes that Benton is "a guy that for us to be our best on defense, needs to be out there," and that he is excited about the defensive line.

"I think that there's gonna be more that we're getting a sense of them, the whole group," Chryst said. "You've got a feel for 'Henny,' you've got a feel for Keeanu. Isaiah Mullens, I don't know that you do have a great one. James Thompson, shoot, I think he got hurt on his first snap ever, but curious there. How does Isaac Townsend translate? Rodas Johnson and Gio [Paez] have been in the program now. They'll have opportunity.

"So in a different way, I couldn't tell you how running back's gonna play out. You know, Henny, you know about Keeanu, you know Bryson's played a lot of football, but how the rest of it shapes out, I think that that'll be interesting to see, and that's a big part of fall camp. But I think Keeanu, he's a really good football player, and the more he's on the field, the better it is for us."