Following the conclusion of spring practices, BadgerBlitz.com will be evaluating each position group heading into the summer.

We’ll be ending the series by taking a peek at the revamped defensive line room.

After missing out on Jay'viar Suggs in the transfer portal a season ago, Wisconsin finally got him into Madison for his final season of eligibility. Suggs, a member of the 2019 high school class, spent five years at Grand Valley State, though one of those years was a redshirt and another was canceled due to COVID, before playing for LSU in 2023.

He played the fifth-most snaps of any Tiger defensive lineman, but received the highest PFF grade of the bunch. Still, he logged three sacks, batted a pass and had 12 pressures. He brought that same level of playmaking this spring, causing havoc against the run and the pass.

Suggs is listed at 6-foot-3 and 299 pounds, which, compared to most of the other interior defensive linemen, is slight. But that’s not something you notice while watching him play. He’s explosive out of his stance and is powerful enough to drive offensive linemen into the backfield.

What’s most encouraging, though, is his ability to make stops on the outside. Two plays stand out in that regard. Suggs managed to get out wide and set the edge on an end around to wide receiver Tyrell Henry, forcing Henry upfield into the waiting arms of the defense. The second was on a speed option where Suggs burst through the line and made a would-be sack before the quarterback could pitch the football.

Suggs spent a lot of time with the ones during the last handful of practices and looked the part of a high-impact interior defensive lineman.

The defensive line as a whole had a strong spring, so it feels like nitpicking to say a player’s stock has gone down. But Parker Petersen was a guy I thought could establish himself as the top interior defensive lineman. He didn’t do that. Instead, he was part of a first-team rotation and didn’t stand out.

Petersen’s best plays were standing up offensive linemen and stopping ball carriers at the line of scrimmage, or driving linemen back into the pocket. However, he didn’t show enough as a pass rusher to make me think he can be more than a rotational player on early downs. Plus, guys like Suggs and Charles Perkins have been better against the pass while still being stout against the run.

This isn’t to say Petersen can’t be an impactful player this fall. Wisconsin could use all of the help it can get in the run game after yielding 165 rushing yards per game in 2024. I’d just be surprised if he saw more than 30 snaps per game in the regular season.

Where Is The Defensive Line’s Ceiling?

The Badgers went from having one 300-pound defensive player to seven this offseason. In theory, the size increase should help plug interior gaps against the run and prevent offensive linemen from easily getting to the second level. But there’s a lot of improvement needed in order for Wisconsin to return to an average or better defensive front.

It’s not like the transfer additions have been high-impact players in a high level league. It’s mostly been one or the other. The reason I’m not necessarily concerned about the group is because the bar was set so low in 2024. But when you go down the list of players in this group, there’s plenty of unknowns and unprovens. Suggs, Perkins, Barten, Brandon Lane, Petersen and Jamel Howard all showed some good things in the spring, but it was against a banged-up offensive line and a new offensive system.

Can they keep building on a strong spring and be a unit that can compete with teams like Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon or Michigan once the regular season rolls around? Or are we looking at a group that will merely drag the Badgers a bottom-tier front to an average one in statistics like tackles for loss, sacks and rushing yards allowed per game.

Wisconsin reeled in three three-star recruits in the class of 2025, two of whom joined the program ahead of spring camp.

Drayden Pavey is the only commit that didn’t enroll early. The Badgers flipped the 6-foot-three, 295-pound Cincinnati, Ohio native, from Purdue back in October. He’s got a developed frame and good power from the interior, and is expected to be a true defensive tackle.

Xavier Ukponu also profiles out as a defensive tackle, coming in at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds from Denton, Texas. He commanded offers from over 30 schools and took official visits to five other high-major schools before committing to Luke Fickell and the Badgers. Working with the threes this spring, Ukponu showed his ability to fill running lanes and be a run-stopper.

Torin Pettaway has a different build and skillset than his class of 2025 peers. He’s 6-foot-5, 273 pounds. The Middleton, Wisconsin native, is very raw, as he started playing football as a junior in high school. His physical traits are impressive, having long arms and good positional speed. With a year or two of development, Pettaway could be a problem.

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