With college football's early signing period on the horizon (Dec. 19), BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you final snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are committed and still remaining on Wisconsin's board in the 2019 class.
Today, we continue with a look at the offensive linemen.
Quick Position Breakdown
Three scholarship linemen - Micah Kapoi, Beau Benzschawel and Michael Deiter - are set to play their final game later this month. In addition, junior tackle David Edwards and redshirt sophomore center Tyler Biadasz are likely to at least seek out feedback from the NFL about their potential draft status, meaning there could be high turnover at the position before spring camp opens.
At the start of the 2019 class, it appeared the Badgers would look to add a big number in order to bolster depth. But with long-time pledges Logan Brown and Joe Tippmann the only two players on the commit list at this point, 2020 will likely be the big cycle. In that class, Ben Barten, Trey Wedig, Jack Nelson and Dylan Barrett are already locked in.
Class of 2019 OL needs: 2 | Class of 2019 OL commits: 2
At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Logan Brown, because of his size and athletic ability, is seemingly everything you're looking for in a future left tackle. He's powerful at the line of scrimmage, fast enough to contain edge rushers and agile enough to move to the second level. Brown also has that "bend" and flexibility necessary to play on the edge
"They're getting a big, strong, athletic, hard-working kid," East Kentwood (MI) High School coach Marty Martens told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's extremely dedicated and loyal - not just to football but to his family and friends. He's going to be a great teammate and one of the hardest workers at Wisconsin. He's going to make sure to bring the best out in himself and also in the people around him.
"He's all of 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds right now. And he's only 16 years old right now - he could be an old sophomore but he's a young junior for us here. He's probably going to be 335 pounds, easily, and 6-foot-7. He's just big, fast and strong. He's athletic and he runs as well as a linebacker or tight end - he's got that type of speed and athleticism. I can't imagine what coach (Ross) Kolodziej will do with him once he gets his hands on Logan."
Brown, who chose Wisconsin over offers from Michigan, Alabama, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, among many others, took his official visit in June.
"To be honest, what I love about going up there is that we don't talk all that much about football," Brown told BadgerBlitz.com. "At the end of the day, we all know why we're going to Wisconsin - to be a student athlete and play football. But when I'm there, it's more of a personal thing where we talk about our day and what's going on in our lives."
A 6-foot-6, 283-pound three-star prospect, Joe Tippmann chose Wisconsin last December over offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa and Purdue, among others. This fall, he helped Bishop Dwenger capture a 4A state title game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“There are all kinds of guys out there who are big guys, but Joe is a big guy with really good footwork, he can bend and has already received excellent training,” Bishop Dwenger head coach Chris Svarczkopf told BadgerBlitz.com. “He’s been coached by Jason Fabini, who is a graduate of our school and went on to Cincinnati and then the NFL. Coach Fabini knows exactly what it takes to be an excellent offensive lineman and he saw Joe as someone who has a ton of potential. They have a great relationship and it’s been very good for Joe in his development.
“I’m not much of an expert in terms of where Joe will project, but I can say that he is probably not done growing. He’s not even close to 17 years old yet, so there’s an awful lot of potential for him to keep growing. He played every snap for us at left tackle as a sophomore, which is a pretty strong statement in our program. This year, he played every snap again at left tackle and he also started for us defensive tackle as well, so he was a very important guy for us all year.”
Like Brown, Tippmann also took his official visit to UW in June.
“I was not eager to leave,” Tippmann told BadgerBlitz.com. “It’s a beautiful city - the lakes are awesome. It was good to see what it’s going to be like in the summer, because I’m going to be spending a lot of time there, so it was good to see that there’s still people and stuff to do there during the summer.
“(Now) it’s pretty much to just grind in the weight room, to get myself as good as I can be as a senior and then get myself ready to go to the University of Wisconsin."
What's left to accomplish?
Unless a prospect surfaces after the early December signing period, Wisconsin is likely done at the position in 2019. Logan O'Brien, an in-state prospect from Fennimore, is a potential preferred walk-on in this cycle.
