Spring is right around the corner, and with it comes the start of Wisconsin football's spring practice period. The Badgers will hold 15 practices from March 13 to April 24 for the third spring camp of head coach Luke Fickell's tenure.

Between 19 transfer additions and 15 early-enrollee true freshman, Wisconsin welcomes 34 new faces this spring as it tries to bounce back from a season that ended with the unthinkable: missing a bowl game for the first time since 2001.

BadgerBlitz.com continues its preview of a critical spring in Madison by outlining five true freshman who enrolled early that could see the field sooner rather than later.

To be clear, this isn't to say the following players will become starters in 2025 or even necessarily see the field. Rather, this is an estimation of which freshmen have potentially an easier path to spring practice playing time than others.

*As a reminder, this list is limited to selections from the 15 freshmen who are already on campus.*

Nicolas Clayton saw a big ratings jump late in the process for the class of 2025. He debuted in the Rivals250 but jumped all the way up to 165th in the nation when all was said and done, making him the highest-rated signee in the Badgers' haul. That pedigree is just one reason why he could see early snaps.

At 6-foot-5, Clayton has the kind of size Wisconsin is looking for on its edges. While he may not have the mass and strength he needs quite yet, the Badgers are starved for production out of their outside linebackers and it wouldn't be surprising to see Clayton cause a similar stir to Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele when they enrolled early last spring and turned heads in their limited-yet-impactful reps with the third-team defense. Clayton will be joined by fellow freshman Samuel Lateju and Jaylin Williams in the summer.

Last season, Wisconsin demonstrated it had no issue getting a talented freshman corner reps as soon as he (Xavier Lucas) stepped foot on campus. Lucas oozed potential and NFL ability, and while it remains to be seen if Jaimier Scott can make the same kind of first impression, there's no reason to believe he can't.

At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Scott has a very similar build to Lucas albeit slightly smaller. He has length, fluidity and versatility in the defensive background, and was also lauded as a good tackler in high school. Those are all things that can accelerate one's progress towards playing time.

What's more, Wisconsin's cornerbacks are one of the biggest question marks on the team. Ricardo Hallman returns, but his fellow starter Nyzier Fourqurean is still locked in battle with the NCAA regarding his eligibility. The Badgers signed two transfers, but D'Yoni Hill started just five games with Miami (FL) last season and Geimere Latimer is making the jump up from Conference USA program Jacksonville State. Two redshirt freshmen (Jay Harper and Omillio Agard) wait in the wings, but again, both are a question mark.

Cooper Catalano, one of five in-state recruits in the 2025 cycle, may be somewhat forgotten. As the third signee in the class and less heralded than other prospects as a three-star recruit, Catalano has flown under the radar. But he could very well pop back up this spring if a few dominos fall his way.

First of all, the Badgers' inside linebacker room is a big question mark behind Christian Alliegro. Is Tackett Curtis playable? He really wasn't towards the end of the year. Does Antaaron Turner break out? Hard to say for the FCS Western Carolina transfer. Do Tyler Jansey and Landon Gauthier take big leaps? That's another big question mark.

The Germantown native broke the Wisconsin state record for total tackles in a career last fall. He enrolled early, meaning he'll have a head start on his fellow ILB classmate Mason Posa. Catalano likely has a little ways to go before he's ready to get tossed into the fire of Big Ten play, but inside linebacker isn't as deep as it has been recently and he'll be the lone freshman on campus at the position this spring.

At this point in the list, the prospect of actually securing playing time dwindle significantly. Still, out of the 15 early enrollees, Eugene Hilton Jr. has a better shot than most to at least compete to improve his standing in the depth chart early in his career.

Wisconsin needs another starting boundary receiver alongside Vinny Anthony. And while the short list of candidates likely has around five to six names before Hilton's, he represents the future of the position in Madison.

The 6-foot-1 wideout excels in jump-ball situations and has great run-after-catch ability. His development will be crucial to track this spring and beyond, as the transfer portal route has yielded more misses than hits at receiver for the Badgers. In-house development at this position is of the utmost importance moving forward.

All signs point to Billy Edwards Jr. as the Badgers' starting gunslinger and Danny O'Neil as his backup. At first glance, that doesn't leave many reps for Wisconsin's late coup in the 2025 class, Florida dual-threat signal-caller Carter Smith.

Recent history, however, has told us to expect the unexpected with Wisconsin's quarterback room. What if O'Neil struggles to learn the playbook (a la Nick Evers)? What if Edwards gets hurt (a la Tanner Mordecai, Tyler Van Dyke)? As a reminder, the Badgers currently only have three scholarship quarterbacks between Edwards, O'Neil and Smith. All will need to be ready to an extent. It'll also be interesting to see how Wisconsin changes its quarterback reps policy with Phil Longo run out of town.

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