MADISON – Falling short of championship expectations in 2021, the University of Wisconsin looks to return to the top of the Big Ten West Division.

The Badgers will have some familiar faces on offense but will have some work to do to improve a unit that has averaged less than 26 points per game the last two seasons. Wisconsin’s defense was No.1 in the country last season in total yardage and against the run, but the Badgers must replace eight starters. UW also is dealing with changes to its special teams and has revamped its coaching staff.

All of it breathes excitement (and some nervous energy) leading into the season opener against FCS opponent Illinois State at Camp Randall Stadium (6 p.m./FS1).

With Wisconsin beginning fall camp later this month, BadgerBlitz.com begins its position-by-position breakdown of the fall roster. We continue our analysis with the defensive line.

Fall Previews: Quarterbacks | Running backs and fullbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive line |

Every position on Wisconsin’s defense was hit hard in the offseason with graduation, but line coach Ross Kolodziej has enough depth and talented youth to make his group the anchor of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s defense. The success of Kolodziej’s group starts with nose tackle Keeanu Benton.

Pushing off the NFL for at least one more season, Benton recorded 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season on way to a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. He’ll have one established started next to him in senior Isaiah Mullens, who played in all 13 games last season with seven starts. He registered 24 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a full-time starter.

Starting opposite Mullens in the spring was Rodas Johnson, who played in 12 games last season with seven tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble.

In reserve roles, James Thompson Jr. participated in 10 games last season, while Isaac Townsend played five after transferring from Oregon. Additional defensive ends at Kolodziej’s disposal include sophomore Cade McDonald, redshirt freshman Mike Jarvis and junior walk-on Thomas Brunner.

At nose tackle, 2022 signee Curtis Neal enrolled early in January but is working his way back from an ACL injury suffered prior to his senior year of high school. The lack of depth behind Benton has led to junior Gio Paez getting increased work and sophomore Ben Barten – a converted offensive lineman – getting reps with the second-team defense in the spring.

Class of 2022 signee Tristan Monday has enrolled and is expected to begin working at defensive end this fall.

It was a big deal when the Gary Andersen/Dave Aranda partnership converted Wisconsin’s defense from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 scheme, resulting in the Badgers climbing the charts to consistently rank among the best units nationally. Since Leonhard took the reins of the unit in 2017, and with the way offenses have evolved, the Badgers have transformed into a 2-4-5 base defense.

UW had a solid top pairing in Benton and Mullens. A two-time state qualifier in wrestling who has started 24 games at nose tackle the last three years, Benton has developed into a technically sound athlete who has become one of the team leaders in 2022.

"He's continuing to not just come back and work on those areas that need improvement. Areas, I won't call them weaknesses, but he's also pushing it into the red in terms of his strengths,” Kolodziej said. “He's not satisfied in any area.

"We were kind of joking. He's come up more to meet probably in the winter and spring than all of last year, just one-on-one. So pretty much across the board in any area, whether that's football, strength and conditioning, post recovery, the guy is really raising the bar.”

Nicknamed “The Big Tree,” Mullens – like Benton – has played in 33 career games and has developed into a strong edge rusher.

“He's such a gifted athlete in terms of strength,” Koldziej said of Mullens. “I would argue, maybe in the country, I put him in that top tier of guys, and so it's understanding to continue to develop those strengths and use them … Early in spring, to start showing some of that football understanding in terms of formational awareness, the technique that he was executing and using, and then really being able to apply that strength can make him a dominant force.”

If healthy, the Benton/Mullens combo that should help Wisconsin attack multiple formations and styles of offense.

Working with three down linemen in the spring, Wisconsin’s second-team defense consisted of Thompson and Townsend at end with Barten at nose tackle. The development of Townsend will be of particular interest to the UW staff, especially since Kolodziej called Townsend “pound-for-pound, one of our most impressive guys on the field” early in spring camp, with the caveat that he needed to learn more of the playbook. If Townsend can do that, how much could he expand his role in the fall?

McDonald and Jarvis also flashed throughout the spring and could work themselves into limited work, especially Jarvis, who has put on a lot of weight since arriving on campus last year.

With Barten growing into the nose tackle role, Kolodziej should get more healthy bodies back at the nose tackle position than he did in the spring. Paez dressed but did not participate in 11-on-11 work, while Neal was limited to only positional work as he recovered from his knee injury.

The development of Johnson and Thompson Jr. on the second unit will be critical for Wisconsin to take pressure off Benton/Mullens without a drop off in production. Both players were listed right around 290 pounds in the spring but attack in different ways, with Johnson being more speed focused with his twitchiness and Thompson more power orientated taking on double teams.

Johnson and Thompson played 157 and 108 reps, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus last season. Both players will get a massive increase in playing time, especially with the graduation of Matt Henningsen.

“Whether one guy clearly jumps ahead and just puts a stranglehold on taking that position over, I'm a big believer in rotating guys,” Kolodziej said in the spring. “If you're in the two-deep, in my mind, you're a starter, and so their approach should be the same.”

Both players have flashed their potential, Thompson last season coming back from his Achilles injury suffered in 2020 and Johnson with his strip sack against Notre Dame. Benton has described Thompson’s power moves as “kind of unstoppable sometimes, especially in the pass rush” and Johnson’s pursuit to the ball as “phenomenal.” If UW can get that out of both players consistently, the Badgers will have a solid foundation to build on.

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