Madison - With Wisconsin’s season opener on the horizon, the Badgers' first official depth chart was released on Monday.

Here are the key takeaways:

This was one position in which we genuinely didn’t know who had the edge. With so few practices open to reporters during fall camp, it was anyone’s guess as to who would emerge as the starter. Jordan Turner had a slight edge over the rest of the competition, but past that it was a mystery.

Enter Maema Njongmeta. The junior inside linebacker was among the most experienced returning players the Badgers had at the position, along with Tatum Grass. That experience got those two the starting spots during the spring. In fall camp, however, it was open season on the position. Njongmeta held his ground, while Grass lost out to Turner.

Truthfully, all four linebackers that were candidates for a starting role looked very capable during fall camp. The competition was so fierce, the rotations so frequent that Turner and Njongmeta must really be the best men for the job. We should still see Grass and Jake Chaney in some capacity, but for now, congratulations to the starters.

Cornerback was another position on the defense with seemingly many qualified players and few positions available. Towards the end of fall camp, it became clear that nickel corner was the tightest race within that position, and that it was two dogs, one bone situation with Justin Clark and Cedrick Dort Jr. It would appear Dort has emerged victorious.

I initially thought Clark would get the nod here, but Dort makes sense as well. It was neck and neck with these two, especially at the slot position. Ultimately, Clark missing time towards the end of fall ball might be what gave Dort the advantage he needed.

Both corners are versatile chess pieces in the secondary, so don’t expect them to be locked into any one position for the entire year. As situations like injuries arise, anticipate this secondary to be shuffled around. But that shouldn’t mean disaster, at least not right away — that versatility gives Wisconsin the luxury to adjust their secondary rotations without expecting a drop-off in production.

When Brown signed with the Badgers in the 2019 recruiting class, he was one of the highest-touted recruits to ever commit to Wisconsin. That pedigree hasn’t yet translated for him, though, as he got beat out by redshirt freshman Riley Mahlman for the starting right tackle gig.

Not to discredit Mahlman in any way — he was a big-time recruit of his own, the No.1 player from Minnesota in his class who held an offer from Ohio State. Regardless, it’s still disappointing to see Brown unable to secure the job in his junior year in Madison.

Wisconsin’s coaching staff is quick to credit Brown for his hard work and good intentions, but clearly, it takes more than that to start at right tackle for the Badgers. The future has never been more uncertain for Brown, whose path to a starting job is now very murky. Meanwhile, it should be exciting to watch the blue-chipper Mahlman in his first season as a starter.

Vito Calvaruso didn’t partake in any practice reporters saw. Special teams players don’t do much during practice anyway, but he was never in a team drill, never in a live kicking session, nothing. He watched from the sideline, wearing his jersey like a t-shirt. And yet, he’s listed as your week one starter at kicker.

Perhaps his injury was more minor than his participation in practice would indicate, and the coaching staff was just being cautious. That being said, they must’ve liked, or at least not hated, what they saw from backup kicker Nate Van Zelst during fall camp. He was accurate and poised during live kicking sessions, and looked like he could handle a starting role.

It’s possible we don’t even see Calvaruso for week one. Alex Smith is listed as a starter at corner, but his status for week one is also in question after being out almost all camp. Apparently, though, this coaching staff trusts Calvaruso the most.