Five freshmen to watch during spring camp

Wisconsin is set to open its spring camp on Friday, March 22. It'll be Luke Fickell's second spring in Madison, and the team should begin to look closer to his vision with another incoming round of transfers and freshman.

Speaking of freshman, eleven true freshman in the 2024 recruiting class are enrolling early and will participate in the Badgers' spring practice period. With camp right around the corner, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at five freshman to keep an eye on.

Wisconsin reeled in three talented tailbacks in the 2024 cycle, boasting one of the best running back classes in the nation. However, only one will enroll early — Gideon Ituka out of Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Ituka was recruited the lightest out of the three halfbacks the Badgers signed, but he'll have an excellent chance to vie for playing time. Getting to campus early obviously helps, and Wisconsin's running back room is much less set-in-stone than it was a season ago.

Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker are the clear one and two options, respectively. But with the general wear and tear the position typically sustains, not to mention Mellusi's extensive injury history, there's a clear need for a third back to emerge who can reliably be counted on to perform. The Badgers didn't have that a year ago — Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli left plenty to be desired when it was their turn to spearhead the backfield.

At 5-foot-10, 225 pounds, Ituka already boasts a powerful build. Unlike Nate White a year ago, he won't be held back by a lack of physical readiness. Ituka had a number of high-profile programs after his services, including Tennessee, Syracuse and local Maryland. It'll be interesting to see how much of a chance the true freshman is given, but there are certainly reps to be claimed in Devon Spalding's room.

Another Maryland product will be a fascinating player to track throughout spring practice. The former Rivals250 defensive end had a star-studded offer sheet — including Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia — before former defensive line coach Greg Scruggs landed him at the very end of the cycle. Willor is the kind of player Wisconsin needs to be able to consistently recruit in order to reach the upper echelon of college football.

The Badgers' defensive line is in desperate need of playmakers. James Thompson Jr. had some flashes early last season, but cooled off towards the end of the year while no one else around him stepped up to emerge as a serious difference-maker. It's not often that freshman linemen are ready to compete immediately in the Big Ten, but Willor should be given every opportunity.

At a listed 6-foot-4, 273 pounds, Willor is currently the second-lightest linemen on the Badgers as well as one of the longest. His frame could use some filling out, but it will be fascinating to see if his natural talent paves the way for some early opportunities this spring.

Wisconsin's two starting tackles, Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman, are two of the surest things on the roster. Their backups, however, are a lot less certain, and with the way the spring roster looks, Kevin Heywood could compete for one of those roles immediately.

Heywood was another extremely highly-touted recruit. The 8th-ranked tackle in his class, like Willor, had offers from just about every college football blue blood you can name. After verbally committing to Wisconsin in June following an official visit, he took several officials to Kentucky, Auburn and USC before making it official with the Badgers on national signing day.

At 6-foot-8, 312 pounds, Heywood essentially already has the frame of Wisconsin's two starting tackles. He's got prototypical size and should only get stronger and more athletic in strength coach Brady Collins' system.

With the position's current construction, the Badgers will likely target an offensive linemen or two when the spring transfer portal window opens. Still, Heywood screams future starting tackle, and outside of Barret Nelson, he's one of the few players on the roster that currently makes sense to backup either Mahlman or the starting left tackle Nelson.

Badgers' tight ends did next to nothing last season in terms of production. Now, the position was severely depleted by departures and a simple lack of scheme fit within Phil Longo's offense. True freshman Tucker Ashford appeared to be the only tight end who somewhat resembled with Longo is looking for. That's no longer the case, however, as the position has been completely revamped by Nate Letton and company.

LSU transfer Jackson McGohan is a part of that, but so are two true freshman: Grant Stec and Robert Booker. Booker could be included on this list as well, but we'll give it to Stec here as he was the higher-rated player, and maintained his commitment to the Badgers throughout his recruitment.

Stec, a four-star tight end out of Algonquin, Illinois, was the 20th-ranked tight end in the class. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, he's too big for most defensive backs but also too quick and agile for linebackers. Wisconsin still asks its tight ends to block, and Stec has no problem in that category. But he resembles the kind of receiving threat the Badgers haven't had since Jake Ferguson.

Reps at tight end should be immediately available. Ashcraft and Riley Nowakowski should get some benefit of the doubt with their returning experience, but it's clear the Badgers need a makeover at tight end and Stec should help lead that charge immediately.

Overall, it appears that more true freshman will get the chance to compete for reps early on offensive rather than defense. Part of that has to do with several positions on the defensive side of the ball already being loaded with talent, such as inside linebacker and cornerback. Still, pass-rusher Anelu Lafaele is someone to keep an eye on this spring.

Wisconsin knew it needed to shore up its outside linebacker position, which is why it brought in two transfers that figure to immediately compete for playing time. However, John Pius and Leon Lowery aren't exactly locks for snaps by any means — look at the relative non-factor that Temple transfer pass-rusher Darian Varner was a season ago. The Badgers also brought in two freshman outside linebackers, both of whom have enrolled early. Of the pair, Lafaele looks like the one to keep taps on during camp.

Lafaele was a top-40 player at his position coming out of high school, and turned down the likes of Notre Dame, Tennessee and Washington to pledge to the Badgers. Darryl Peterson and the two transfers should dominate the reps at the top of the room, but Lafaele, and even his fellow true freshman outside backer Thomas Heiberger should get a chance to work their way into a reserve role this spring. It'll be intriguing to see how quickly Lafaele can develop into a quarterback hunter for the Badgers.

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