MADISON — The dreary months of winter have come and gone, and so has a significant portion of the offseason. Wisconsin football officially eclipsed the midway point of spring practice, taking to the McClain Center for its eighth of 15 practices.

BadgerBlitz.com had boots on the ground inside the McClain Center and will be in attendance for the duration of spring.

Here are some notes from Tuesday’s practice:

While the defense took Tuesday’s headline, there was plenty of information to be learned as the twos and threes saw extended run.

Danny O’Neil was at the helm for a significant portion of practice, and the San Diego State transfer performed well. The sophomore stands just six feet tall – the smallest of Wisconsin’s four signal callers – but he’s possibly the most athletic of the group. He has shone outside of the pocket, both in structure and out, and hasn’t been afraid to tuck it and run.

He’s also been adept at changing his arm angle to throw around defenders. O’Neil’s best throw Tuesday came in 11-on-11, when he dropped a pass into the waiting arms of Jayden Ballard for a deep touchdown.

It hasn’t always been pretty for O’Neil this spring, and even Tuesday’s successes were mixed with balls batted down at the line of scrimmage, but he’s had a solid string of practices for a sophomore quarterback.

Tight end has been another position I’ve kept my eye on, as coveted Ball State transfer Tanner Koziol hadn’t practiced recently. Luke Fickell said the tight end is “dinged up,” and the injuries don’t appear to be significant.

Koziol’s absence has meant more reps for Tucker Ashcraft, Grant Stec and JT Seagreaves. Of the three, Ashcraft has been the most impressive. He caught a deep touchdown pass from Billy Edwards with Nyzier Fourqurean and Preston Zachman in coverage, and he made another quality catch on the sideline but couldn’t get a foot in bounds due to the throw.

Seagreaves made a splash by catching a pass intended for Chris Brooks that was deflected by Ricardo Hallman.

None of the tailbacks had an outstanding day, but Darrion Dupree did go untouched for a 30-to-40-yard score on a screen. Grover Bortolotti had possibly the most aggressive run we’ve seen all camp, scampering into the secondary and leveling Grant Dean before hitting the turf.