MADISON, WIS. -- One day before spring practices started for Wisconsin, head coach Paul Chryst recalled a succinct yet humorous discussion he and Bob Bostad had in regards to coaching the offensive line once again.
"Well, when you know me, and you know 'Bo,' that's not going to be a real long conversation," Chryst said on March 21 with a laugh. "And I asked him, 'Are you still a good line coach?' He said he thinks he is. I said, 'Alright, you want to do it?'
"'Yeah.'
"That was the end of it. Seriously."
Bostad returned to the offensive line after he mentored UW's inside linebackers since the 2017 season. T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Chris Orr not only received all-conference accolades, but they also have seen opportunities at the next level as well. Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn should be next in line heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.
Bostad's resume in coaching Wisconsin offensive line from 2008-11 proudly displays the feats of Gabe Carimi, Kevin Zeitler, Travis Frederick and others. Now, he will look to reload a line replacing two starters, and he has already switched up the first-team line positions during spring practices.
BadgerBlitz.com captured Bostad's full session with the media on Friday as seen below. Questions and answers are lightly edited for clarity.
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What was the process of making that decision and what do you hope to do with this group?
"Well, I mean it was pretty fast. 'Do you want to do it?' Absolutely. You know, something I love to do. I love the group I had before, but kind of this is my passion. What do we have to do to get it back to -- I don't want to be one of those guys that sit there and go, 'You know what, I'm going to change the culture.' The culture is good here. The work ethic is good here, there's a lot of super good things here. We've got good players.
"I just need to make sure that they're really squared away, and we're doing the best things to put them in position to have success."
Obviously, different coaches look for different things in their units, their players. You made a couple of position moves moving (Tyler) Beach inside and moving Jack (Nelson) from right guard to left tackle. Can you just walk us through the process that led you to make those changes?
"The process was watching the 2021 film, and really studying that. But just watching the guys perform, and what they did well, and the things that they struggled with. Who is kind of the guy that's going like this (points right arm moving upward), and then that transfers into his style of offense that I like to run? What kind of protections? Who's going to be stressed? Those are where those things are all in the back of my mind as I watched it, so that's kind of the process.
"But in its own, having eight practices, it's still a work in progress. I feel like I have some things right, and other things are what I would call good opportunities. Someone's trending up, and you're going, 'Oh, he's going to create a good problem for us to have.' When someone's pushing, then those are good problems to have. But we got a long ways to go before we figure it out, but it really started last season, watching that film."
You said this is your passion. What do you like specifically about coaching offensive linemen, versus any other position?
"It's all encompassing. You're involved in every position group. When you design, whether it's a run, play or protection, it's not just the group in your room. You've got to be on the same page with everybody, and it really keeps you moving, you know what I'm saying?
"And coaching linebackers was awesome. I enjoyed it. Those players were tremendous. But it's like, you're driving a truck 100 miles an hour all the time, and then all sudden, you put it in low, you're going 50. It's just a different, different deal. You're just really, really involved. You're involved in scheme, you're involved in design, and I love that part about it."
What led you to put Logan Brown on the right side (of the line) and what are your impressions of him trying to figure out that?
“Part of the reason was moving Jack (Nelson) to left (tackle). I mean that's just deductive reasoning right there. Then, I want to give him a chance to -- I want to have him in one place. That's really with all of the guys. When I got the job, and I called the guys, I was like, ‘I'm gonna work hard to find the best position for you where you're going to be at your absolute best, and try to keep you there.’
“And that's where players, in my opinion, get better faster. Kevin Zeitler played right guard here and he's still playing right guard. Now there isn't a lot of guys like that. I'm not saying that. But part of his trajectory was the fact that he learned one trade, and he learned it really, really well. To have a guard do that – you know, tackles, centers -- but a guard to do that, I think is pretty representative of found a guy the home earlier, sooner than later and got better faster. So I'm trying to get him better faster.”
I know one guy who's kind of been the opposite of that, part by necessity, is (Tanor) Bortolini. He's played center, he's played tackle, guard.
"Yeah, he sure has."
I know he's in for (Joe) Tippmann now, but where do you see him fitting in at some point?
"Ideally, I'd like to have him as an interior guy, and I'd still like to whittle that down. But the whole reason it started is because 'Tipp' is not available. And Cormac Sampson is getting second-team reps right now, and did a fine job for us in the past. I just want to have another guy ready. I don't want to run into these problems where we're really light at that position. That can't happen ... and it's only going to help Tanor because different declaration system, different way of calling things, different way of doing things, it's only going to reinforce his knowledge base. When he gets out there, if he's at a guard position, he's going, 'Well, I was waiting for you to make that call.' He should be in good shape that way.
"Offensive line, probably with everything with offense, it starts out with your assignment, and then you go from there. I feel like he'll be in a good position to know his place."
What is it about Tyler Beach that makes him a better fit inside than at tackle?
"I think he's athletic enough playing out there at left tackle, but I think he got exposed a little bit. But he still has good size and good movement and all those things. He's smart. He's dependable, and I just think it will take a little bit off of him. That's a stressful spot out there, and just to take a little bit off of him right there."
How'd you end up coaching linebackers here when you returned, after having such a background as an offensive line coach?
(smiles) "I got a phone call from Paul Chryst."
That's where the availability was?
"That was it, and at that time, stability, things like that, the program. I had an offer to coach offensive line in the Big Ten at the very same time, and I chose to come here because of the stability. The year later, that group got fired, and I think I made the right choice."
Has anything changed? I know it's only been five years, or six. Has anything changed in terms of the way that you coach the position?
"Gosh, I mean, it's a great question and I don't have a quick answer for you. But you know, my look on the defense has changed in the defensive setup, and things that I see have certainly changed. I feel like I had a good handle on it in the past. Now, I feel like I have a better background, a foundation, and I'm hoping that that can get me to expose a defense faster.
"It's not now. Fifteen practices, work over and over again, it's Groundhog Day. But when you go start playing games, and you start stacking them up, one right after another, and time starts flying, how fast can we identify that defense, and what do we got to do to attack it?
"As far as the game, hadn't change one damn bit. It's still about tackling and fundamentals and knowing who to block, knowing how to block. Playing hard, physical, toughness, all those things that we preach around here, that hasn't changed at all."
When you talk about the defense, are you referring to the fact that coaching linebackers gave you a better perspective on that?
"Yeah, I think the linebackers are the biggest adjusters, besides probably the back end. In the box, those are the guys that have to really fit things, see things. They got to know the coverage behind them. They're setting the front in front of them. There's a lot going on for those guys.
"Jack and Leo, all those guys did - Chris, Leo, Jack Sanborn. They all did a great job and they had a lot on their plate. A lot on their plate. Yeah it was from that group right there."
We were talking to some of the inside linebackers, and they were saying how in practice, they're kind of motivated to show you what they learned from you, when they're going against some of those offensive linemen. What's that dynamic been like for you now, coaching some guys and then coaching sort of against some of the guys that you've been coaching in the past?
"They got Bill Sheridan. I was with Bill in Tampa. I told those guys before when they didn't know, I said, 'Listen, the guy that we're hiring is going to make me look bad.' He's that good.
"And the dynamic, I feel like I've earned those players' trust. I think they're tremendous players, and we're trying to make them better, and they're gonna make us better at the end of the day."
We've heard a few times about how like the offensive play calling kind of structures a collaborative effort with the coaching staff. What's been your role kind of jumping back into this side of the ball and maybe tweaking some things with the run game?
"You asked the question, 'Why do you like coaching the offensive line?' I'm not tweaking. We're wholesale changing. I'm trying to keep a lot of things the same as far as terminology and words and things like that, so trying to reduce as much as I can for additional learning for these guys, but a lot of the other stuff is new.
"So it is a bit of an overhaul, even though I know, maybe to the common eye in football like, 'Oh, they're running the ball. OK. Alright.'
"But just some different styles, different schemes. Like I said before, a different way of ID-ing things. Certainly a different run menu. Protections are huge, right? What you're teaching in protections are huge so it's every play where you're gonna have your hand in it.
"Certainly Bobby (Engram) coming from where he is and his success they've had doing what they do, you look at that, and you go, 'Man, that'd be really good.' You're adding in, you're deleting."
You've known Paul for a long time in different roles. It's gonna be a different role for him this year as a head coach. Are you surprised he, I don't want to say stepping back, but just shifting into a different role?
"No, that's kind of what he said he wanted to do. He said he wanted to be felt like you need to focus on some other things, but I don't think I'll ever have his fingers out of the fray. He's always going to have his level of expertise with the things that he's really, really good at. We need those things.
Because of your experience with him, what are things in your opinion he's really, really good at that can help?
"I think just starting out, when you have guys that were coming from all over, and even though I was here, my offensive background is a separate body. You got Bobby (Engram), that's a separate body, and then you have what they did before. So that's three things kind of probably working against each other if we can't -- and then you've got Paul saying, 'OK, listen, that's really good, but this is where you're going to run into problems.'
"That's a high level of expertise that has been huge in developing these things and trying to, 'Hey, our guys will know this, and they're going to know it really well. Keep that right there, OK.' That's an example."
You mentioned before you watched film of these guys from last season to try to get a better sense of where they can be this season. How much was it collaborative and conversations with them, or how much was it with you feeling like, 'Your spot should be left tackle and your spot should be right tackle?'
"Honestly, not a lot. Just like I said, I told those guys I'm going to try to find the absolute best place for you. The studying and the research that I did on that '21 season was the evidence behind it. It's where I feel like I've got what I need here. I feel good about it.
"And I did say, 'Hey, I'm thinking about this. What are you thinking?' Those guys are all like, 'Coach, whatever you think.' They're awesome that way."
A lot of the guys who have been on that unit on the field first have played in some games, and other guys behind them have not. The young guys, where do you see them? I know it's only eight practices into the spring.
"I see a lot of young guys trending up. They need more reps to get there and to see it. I think we're kind of going to be out of the underwear period, and now we're getting into the pads and so hopefully we can up the reps. We can up these things and get going.
"But yeah, there's some really young, good talent in there that we got to give them a chance to show your stuff. I like some of those young guys, and we got to fast forward their development because they're a play away.
"Just it really is a work in progress. It's something that I think about every single day. It really weighs on your mind in order to do the players right, to do the team right, to make sure that you're getting the absolute best groupings, and then you're backing guys up, right? You're not wasting time. You're not wasting reps. It's the worst thing we can do to players is just do things just to do things."
Specifically, one of those young guys, Nolan Rucci, where would you say he's at? Because when we talked to him in December, he was pretty honest about like, 'I needed a lot of seasoning last year and a lot of reps.'
"I think all those young guys are kind of in that same mold right now. They're just trying to figure it out. They have a new system with me and the way I do things, and the way I coach them might be a little bit different. So it might have been two steps forward, three steps back a little bit for those guys right there. So I would say that Nolan might say the same thing.
"But as far as just ability wise, and going out there, I think he's getting better every single day. Had a really nice day yesterday (Thursday), and that's what you want to work with right there. But there's a lot of stuff right now. We're throwing a lot at them in the spring. There's a lot of different pieces to it. I'm trying to keep it in those same families when you talk about run game or trying to keep things consistent in the pass protection game as far as ruling things out.
"The beautiful thing about our defense is they show you a lot of different looks, they show you a lot of different personnel packages. You'd be at one college, you're going to see the same thing -- first down, second down, third down -- you're not going to see anything different here. We're really challenged and our defense really makes you go to that next step, so to speak. And our guys are doing a nice job and they're understanding it, but it's gonna take some time, and there won't be teams that would do things like this, but still at the end of the day, they're going to have it in their back pocket."
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