Competition at tackle, depth at center highlight shuffle on offensive line
When Cormac Sampson, a versatile veteran along the offensive line who worked at center this spring, left the program after camp, it forced the hand of position coach Bob Bostad.
Tanor Bortolini, who has taken reps at center, both guard spots and right tackle during his time at Wisconsin, received reps with the first team at center this spring with Joe Tippmann sidelined due to injury. Despite Tippmann being healthy heading into fall camp, it appears Bortolini, considered one of the Badgers five best linemen, will stay put. At least for the time being.
"He’s (Bortolini) starting out as a center. We have to build depth moving forward there," Bostad said during Wisconsin's annual media day. "He is going to be really good there. I can see that. We need to continue to do that with the loss (of Sampson). We’re really in a race to find additional guys."
Previously coaching the offensive line at Wisconsin from 2008-11, Bostad recalled being ravaged at the position in 2009 and being forced to use multiple centers.
"You’ve got to have guys at that spot," he said. "You don’t just plug in there."
The move likely means Bortolini won't be out there with the first-team unit when Wisconsin's practices are open to the media next week. Having communicated with Bostad, the move is a piece of the puzzle on the offensive line Bortolini understands is necessary.
"He said there’s a plan - he’s not the most open with it, which is fine," Bortolini said. "I trust him that he’s going to make the best decision for the team and the unit.
"Obviously you want to be out there with the 1s rolling right away, but I 100 percent understand where he’s coming from. A center is not a spot where you can just throw some guys in the spot. You got to have a familiarity with snapping the ball, making the IDs, working from on the line instead of off the line, so I know where he’s coming from. I know where he needs to feel that confidence and I’m just making sure he has a viable option."
Bostad brought a shift in philosophy and a belief in sticking guys at one position and allowing them to develop. Prior to spring ball, he began to move players into positions he felt better fit their skillset. And by the end of camp, the first group on offensive line, from left to right, was manned by Jack Nelson, Tyler Beach, Bortolini, Michael Furtney and Logan Brown.
Among the shuffle was a move for Brown was left tackle, where he's played his entire football career, to right. During the spring, Brown said he had been working on building new habits and creating muscle memory at the position. Now with a spring and summer under his belt, the 6-foot-6, 313 pounder feels comfortable on the right side.
Brown described his first reps at the position, "like trying to write with my left hand."
Looking to put it all together this fall, Brown said his focus this offseason was on improving his pass protection, calling his run blocking "fine for me."
"Of course there's room to improve in my game and everybody's game," Brown said. "But my main focus, and what I think has been holding me back, is my pass protection."
Brown, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, is getting an opportunity to start in his fourth year with the program. Receiving most of the first-team reps during the spring, Brown struggled at times with pass rushers. Having yet to turn his potential into consistency on the field, Brown likely won't have a long leash with the season opener less than one month away now.
"I need to see him take some further steps to wipe away any issues we had in the spring and just become more of a dominant player," Bostad said of Brown. "I think there were times where he definitely showed that. He had a really good offseason in the weight room but you have to put it on film."
Nipping at his heels for a starting spot behind Brown are highly-touted linemen Nolan Rucci, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, and Riley Mahlman, a former four-star talent. Mahlman spent the spring as the backup left tackle, while Rucci took his reps with the second-team at right tackle.
"It’s Logan, it’s Nolan and it’s Riley Mahlman, and we’re throwing everything there to make sure we’re getting the right guy in there," Bostad said. "What do I want to see right off the bat? No. 1, I want to see retention. I want to see retention from the spring. I don’t want to groundhog, so I want retention right away.
"I want all the guys to understand who to block, how to block them. And the faster we can do that, then as soon as we get into pads, the faster we can evaluate and we can see where we’re at."
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