MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell told the media Tuesday that left tackle Kevin Heywood suffered an ACL injury and is expected to miss the regular season.
The sophomore and former four-star recruit started at left tackle for the entirety of spring, replacing three-year starter Jack Nelson, and looked poised for a potential breakout season.
“I think he’s gonna have to have surgery,” Fickell said of Heywood after practice.
“We’re probably gonna lose him, and probably not get him back, obviously, for the season. That was one that’s gonna be difficult and tough, but it’s also a part of the game.”
Heywood suffered the injury at the tail end of Thursday’s session, which didn’t initially seem like a concern.
Fickell was asked about moving a different starter to left tackle, but seemed more emphatic on filling the hole from elsewhere in the room.
“There’s plenty of ability to move. Right now, where we are offensively, and what we want to continue to do, it’s really difficult to do that. Even a Riley or a Joe, at this moment, we have to give other guys to step up. They deserve that chance and that opportunity, and as we get into the summer, we’ll figure out how we’re gonna be able to fit that and what’s gonna be best for us.
“We’ve been fortunate up front in the last two seasons to have those guys prepared and be able to last through a season. Now we gotta figure out how we’re gonna manage some of that, move some guys around and expect some other guys to step up, whether it’s Leyton Nelson, Emerson Mandell, guys like that gotta step in,” Fickell said.
Nelson, the redshirt junior who transferred from Vanderbilt last spring, filled in at left tackle these past two practices and mostly struggled, especially in the passing game.
Mandell was the only other name Fickell mentioned. The fellow 2025 lineman played tackle with the second team during last year’s offseason camps, and has competed for the starting right guard position this spring. He hasn’t played as much in recent practices, but could compete to replace Heywood when he’s back full-time.
The Badgers still have five practices left this spring, as well as a summer and fall camp, to figure out how to deal with the loss of a great player at such a vital position.
The spring transfer window opens on Wednesday, April 16, which offers an alternate opportunity to replace Heywood or simply replenish depth.
“We’re gonna take it day-to-day, continue to evaluate the things we need to do, but we feel really good about the guys we got within the program. It’s an opportunity for someone to step up and play a lot of plays and get a lot of experience, and then we’ll be able to assess from there,” Fickell said.
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