Madison — When Wisconsin signed transfer offensive lineman Jake Renfro, beating out LSU for his services, it was widely presumed that he would slide right into the Badgers’ front as a plug-and-play center.

Not so fast. In the winter and into the spring, Renfro was still recovering from a torn ACL that kept him out for the entirety of the 2022 season. Thus, the Cincinnati transfer was extremely limited, which forced new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell to get creative with his lineup. His solution? Insert Tanor Bortolini, who started the bowl game against Oklahoma State at center.

“It had been about two years since I’ve played center. So knocking the rust off a bit,” he said.

Prior to the bowl game, Bortolini hadn’t played center since the abbreviated 2020 season.

Now, with Renfro expected to miss multiple games with a foot sprain, Bortolini is penciled in as Wisconsin’s starting center. He’d been lining up at center in the spring, but it wasn’t until Renfro’s setback that it hit Bortolini that he might start some games there.

“I think I knew when Jake got hurt. When he told me he sprained his foot, I knew I was gonna play center,” he said. “I’d been taking a lot of reps there, but I wasn’t certain if he was gonna come back and I was gonna rotate back at guard, if he was gonna play center, what the deal was there. But once he went down, I knew more than likely I’d be the center, and just tried to embrace that role 100 percent now knowing that, for the first couple of games for sure that’s what I’m gonna be playing.”

That’s a role Bortolini is used to embracing by now, playing a wide variety of positions on the offensive front. Last season, he started at three different positions on the offensive line, starting as a right guard before flipping to left guard, and wrapping up the season at center. His flexibility in the trenches was huge for the Badgers, and it’s even more impressive when you consider he played left tackle in high school.

Bortolini feels most at home on the interior of the line, but he’s confident in his abilities at any of the five positions.

“I think the interior, I feel really comfortable. I’ve also played tackle before, I don’t think there’s anything I can’t do,” he told BadgerBlitz.com. “That’s what I love about it, there’s so many variations of spots you can play on the o-line. You go on the outside and it’s a lot more speed-based, and the inside is a lot more physical. I can do both of those things, and I think that's what I've enjoyed doing about it so far, getting a taste of each.”

Much is made of the difference between playing left tackle and right tackle, the notion that they’re completely different positions. For Bortolini, it’s a similar story at guard.

“I think it’s some of the same in that you just have to flip your stance, flip your hands. It takes a little bit of time to adjust, I’d say, just things in your mind. You go from a certain play, stepping with your right foot first, now you’re going with your left foot. Just kinda getting used to hearing the play calls, knowing that you might have a different assignment, getting used to the footwork, especially in pass protection.”

It’s fair to wonder where Wisconsin would be without Bortolini. As they dealt with injuries and subpar play last season, the Badgers trotted out eight different starting combinations along the offensive line. Bortolini’s versatility and willingness to play three positions is a significant part of why they were able to do that.

Now, Wisconsin once again finds itself in a situation at offensive line before the season has even kicked off. The Week 1 group isn’t too patchwork, it’s just a little shuffled from what the staff would ideally like to do. Offensive lines require a lot of cohesion, and that hasn’t exactly been the defining trait for Bicknell’s group this offseason.

“I think it’s just guys making sure they embrace their role,” Bortolini said. “You’re gonna be asked to do a lot of different things. It might not be the position you want to play or the position you feel most comfortable playing, but guys are like, ‘alright, this is what the team needs, this is what I have to be good at.’ I think a lot of guys in our room are doing a great job of that. I’m excited to see how that translates to the game this week.”

Bortolini’s selflessness and adaptability along the offensive front have been massive for the Badgers as they aim to field a much more stable line this season. In a maelstrom of new positions, coaches and teammates, Bortolini has stayed grounded and worked on honing his craft in the trenches. Has this whirlwind of an offseason filled with position switches been a challenge for him?

“Yeah, but I feel like it’s been beneficial for me, because at any given time you might be in that position where you have to switch on the fly like that,” he said. “So getting that preparation, being able to do that where if we ever had a guy go down, ‘alright you’re here, sounds good.’ Being able to hop in at any given moment and being comfortable playing there, I feel like that’ll benefit me.”

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