Wisconsin will wrap up its 2021 season this week after the program's Sin City showdown against Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Next year will bring winds of change to the program, which includes two starters departing in left guard Josh Seltzner and right tackle Logan Bruss.

Fellow fifth-year senior Tyler Beach told reporters two weeks ago he was still undecided about his future. Regardless, competition will once again fall upon a room that showcases a versatile set of players and youthful talent.

Naturally, many wondered just how the younger yet physically gifted Badgers have developed and grown over their first year in Madison. Wisconsin welcomed three highly-touted linemen to its program from the 2021 class -- five-star prospect Nolan Rucci and four-star recruits J.P. Benzschawel and Riley Mahlman.

Associate head coach/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph noted on Dec. 15 that Benzschawel was now working at guard. Bruss, in a conversation with BadgerBlitz.com on Dec. 16, discussed the growth of four Badger tackles -- Mahlman, Rucci, redshirt freshman Tanor Bortolini and third-year sophomore Logan Brown.

The outgoing lineman praised Bortolini's development, and he believes the other three "are taking great strides, and I think they've really taken advantage of this time really well."

"I just see more confidence in their play, and they’re starting to understand things a little bit more," Bruss said. "That's always really encouraging to see, especially when you know they're gonna be the guys next year. You always wonder how the place is gonna be when you're not there anymore, but I think it's in great hands with those guys.”

BadgerBlitz.com spoke with Mahlman and Rucci on Dec. 21 about their respective journeys to this point. Both discussed the positions they've played, the adjustments and strides taken as first-year players on the line, and more.

About 90 seconds into BadgerBlitz.com joining Mahlman's availability, the towering lineman succinctly described his state of mind when on the field -- one that many Wisconsin fans will likely be delighted to hear.

“My mentality is just to be a prick," Mahlman said on Dec. 21. "I'm not on the field for people to like me. I'm just gonna ... stick my nose in there, probably where I shouldn't sometimes. Just have a mentality to kick some ass every play.

"It's all in the mentality. It's all there. If you think differently, you'll play differently, which I've really come to notice the mental side of the game, too.”

Unlike Rucci or Benzschawel, Mahlman entered the realm of college football as a mid-year enrollee in January. UW listed him at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds on its 2021 signing day page. His fall roster measurements sized up at 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds.

Mahlman believes heading to Wisconsin early helped in a lot of areas, including receiving reps during spring practices.

“I came here early, I didn't know what to expect, but I hit the weight room," Mahlman said. "I was coming off an injury. I met the guys. I got in the program, so it did so much.

"That first spring ball, I was kind of thrown into action and I was long, lanky, not the weight I needed to be at. Nowhere close to strength. Kind of got beat up a little bit, but that's the best place to learn when you're just getting kind of dumped, and you're not doing too well. ... You got to learn from that. So I think it was a good experience to have early on, so that I was definitely more ready for the season.”

The biggest adjustment Mahlman needed to make when heading to the next level as an offensive lineman came with his strength and size.

“No knock on Minnesota high school football, but it's not Power Five football by any means, especially Wisconsin football," Mahlman said. "So it was definitely a lot of big dudes here that you really have to adjust to, and then you have to hit the weight room as hard as possible. That's the first goal.

"I've been hitting it. Still nowhere near where I want to be, but I've been hitting it so I'm excited to see where it goes in the future.”

Mahlman called out major gains in his squats since arriving. The Lakeville, Minn., native noted he was coming off a fractured leg, so that particular lift has jumped after being in Wisconsin's strength and conditioning program for nearly a year.

Position-wise, Mahlman estimated he has worked at left tackle and right tackle "about 50-50," though he believes he has worked at the latter for the last three weeks.

“I found my comfortability at left side, and then he asked me to play a little right, so then I'm pretty comfortable with that now," Mahlman said. "I actually practiced a little bit at left today, so I've gotten pretty comfortable with both spots, which has definitely been a challenge for me, but I'm excited. I think I feel pretty good about both.”

Bruss will depart the program, which will open at least one tackle spot open for competition, though Bortolini has started two games this season in his place.

Mahlman was asked if he felt he could be able to compete for that right tackle spot starting in the spring, or even at left tackle.

“I think every spot’s about competition. That's why people come here. People don't shy away from it. We have a talented room throughout. There's no slouches. I think every spot is definitely gonna be competing for. I think it's gonna be a fun spring. I think everyone's gonna have lots of fun, hard work. It'll be good one.”

Rucci rolled into Madison this past summer as the class of 2021's highest-rated recruit. Rivals.com rated the Lititz, Pa., native as a five-star recruit, the No. 18 player overall and No. 4 offensive tackle in the nation.

This year, Rucci has worked mostly on scout team, though the 6-foot-8 lineman also said he has been "called up" to run some second- and third-team reps in a couple of instances. He called the experience "valuable" and "humbling" in going up against the starters across the line of scrimmage.

With his first season as a Badger coming to a close -- one where he joined older brother, Hayden, in the program -- Rucci reflected positively on his time so far in Madison.

“It's been great, kind of really everything I’d hoped for," Rucci said. "Football-wise, it's just been really fun to learn so much from the older guys. Just going up against probably the No. 1 defensive line in the nation during practice, you learn a lot very fast.

"It's been a great learning process for me just getting in the weight room, film room, and learning new techniques. All that stuff takes a lot of time. So it's been a good process, good grind, and looking forward to more.”

Rucci stated that for scout team work during the season, he had worked at both the left and right tackle spots. During bowl prep practices, though, he had been "running a lot of left tackle."

Playing that position in high school, Rucci feels more natural on that side of the line of scrimmage. In particular, he called out pass blocking.

“I feel like I'm definitely better out of pass sets on my left side just because I've been doing it more," Rucci said. "I can probably run either or out of left or right. But it's definitely learning both of that, and being kind of ambidextrous in your pass sets is definitely a challenge that I’ve been learning.”

One area that Rucci believes he has had made the biggest jump from the summer to now is his run blocking.

"So much of that is just footwork and hand placement and all that technique, so I think that just comes with repping it," Rucci said. "The more you do it, the better you get, and so just been doing it all season, so I feel like I’ve gotten that stuff down good."

Rucci stated he was feeling "pretty low," in his words, in the weight category at around 295 pounds on that 6-foot-8 frame. He hopes to gain 10-15 pounds to get within the 305-310 range, but he also does not want to sacrifice his athleticism.

Juggling football and studies as an engineering mechanics major can make maintaining a diet a daily task.

“I think just the time management aspect can be difficult because you're going right from practice to class, and you're left with not very much time in between," Rucci said. "So really, eating kind of becomes this full-time job, and you really just got to get your meals in.

"It’s been great. There’s a lot of food options around here, so it's not too hard to get a good bite to eat. It's definitely a little bit of a challenge fitting that in between class and practice.”

As for objectives for the highly-touted lineman, one aspect revolves around the increase in weight. Rucci also hopes to climb the ladder starting with spring sessions.

“My goal, obviously, is hopefully I break into getting some starting reps during spring ball and just kind of working my way up through the depth chart.”

Both Mahlman and Rucci dove into their experiences during their first year at Wisconsin, but when asked about one another, the class of 2021 linemen praised each other as well.

“They've been great," Rucci said of Mahlman and Benzschawel adapting. "Riley’s been running a lot with the twos, and it's a lot of great work for him, and J.P. and I on scout team. I think everyone's just been developing really well.

"I have a lot of things I can learn from Riley, and Riley has some things that he can learn from me, too. So a lot of it is just sitting down, watching film together, seeing what maybe another guy’s seeing that maybe we missed and just kind of learning off of each other.”

Rucci has "a lot of potential," according to Mahlman.

“He's agile, fast, quick, really long. I think he can be a lot. He's similar in body type to me so I think a big thing for him is just keep grinding in the weight room. It's all in that.

“I think he has so much potential down the road. I think he just has to hit a few things, and he’ll be a great player.”

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