Post-Spring Camp Position Overview: Wisconsin Badgers Offensive Line

Following the conclusion of spring camp, BadgerBlitz.com will take a look at each position group and where they stand as the team heads toward fall camp.

We'll wrap up our offensive overviews with the offensive line.

STOCK UP

Kerry Kodanko

Prior to the Kevin Heywood injury, the major storyline on the offensive line was at right guard.

Joe Huber’s departure to the NFL prompted a three-way position battle between redshirt senior JP Benzschawel, graduate student Kerry Kodanko and redshirt freshman Emerson Mandell.

Benzschawel got banged up early, as did Mandell about halfway through spring. Kodanko took advantage of the extra opportunities and grew to look like a potential starter.

He’s undersized, at 6-foot-2, 314 pounds, which cost him at times in pass protection. But he impressed in the run game and didn’t make as many mental errors as Mandell.

“Kerry’s a physical player,” offensive line coach AJ Blazek said.

“Kerry’s got the trust of the guys next to him. He knows what he’s doing, he communicates loud. Those are things that let the guys next to him play fast.”

Because two of the contenders dealt with injuries, this race is still far from decided. But Kodanko has developed much more chemistry with the starters than the other two. He also looked the part of a starter.

Regardless of how the battle shakes out, Kodanko is currently sitting with a sizable lead.

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STOCK DOWN

JP Benzschawel

As I just said, this battle is far from decided. But of the three contenders, it feels like Benzschawel is currently in last place. And not just because he played the least with the first team.

The coaches will try their best to just pick the best player, but there’s more to the decision. Mandell is the youngest and most athletically gifted, but also quite raw. Kodanko and Benzschawel are the older sure-things.

Heywood’s ascension showed that the coaches are willing to play their young players even if they’re mistake-prone. But if they don’t think Mandell is ready and instead go down the veteran route, Kodanko seems like the better option. He looked like the more physical player and better run blocker, despite Benzschawel having the size advantage (6-foot-6, 320 pounds).

Again, things could still change. Benzschawel came to Madison as a highly-rated recruit and has stayed here despite a lack of playing time. The coaches value that and will still give him a fair shot in fall camp.

But the other guys may just be better.

BIGGEST QUESTION BEFORE FALL CAMP

What are they gonna do at left tackle?

Late in spring, the team was dealt with a sudden crisis. Starting left tackle Kevin Heywood suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

A budding star will now have to wait an extra year to begin his career, while the Badgers have to figure out how to replace one of the most important positions in the sport.

They first tried out redshirt junior Leyton Nelson. The former Vanderbilt transfer improved over time but was still shaky, especially in pass protection.

They occasionally moved left guard Joe Brunner over to left tackle. He looked good, but didn’t play long enough to be properly evaluated.

Spring transfer Davis Heinzen from Central Michigan will also be considered. He started at left tackle for three seasons but struggled in pass protection, so he could be viewed similarly to Nelson.

The line we saw with Brunner at left tackle probably has their best five (healthy) players in the room. This line was, from left to right: Brunner, Kodanko, Jake Renfro, Mandell and Riley Mahlman.

They don’t want to risk weakening their interior, but banking on Nelson or Heinzen could be the greater risk. This group deserves more time together in the fall.

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

The Badger coaches have already made quite a bit of progress on assembling a line of the future. They added five players in the 2025 cycle and already have two for 2026.

We’ve already seen Hardy Watts and Nolan Davenport in action, while Michael Roeske was at spring camp, but dealing with injuries.

Davenport, despite often looking like a freshman, became a regular on the second team and improved throughout spring. Watts mostly stayed with the third team and occasionally moved up to the second. Like Davenport, he’s still very raw but clearly has a lot of athleticism.

Once Logan Powell and Cam Clark show up in the summer, it’ll be imperative for them to live in the weight room. The future of the tackle position is uncertain; they have as good of a chance as anybody else, but have a long ways to go in terms of physical development.

Ohio native Benjamin Novak became the first commit of the 2026 cycle back in October. He’s quite versatile but will likely slot in at guard given the athleticism elsewhere in the room.

Maddox Cochrane is the most recent commit of the 2026 class. The Virginia native is far from physically developed but shows promise for his athleticism and ability to move in open space.

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