Less than three months after Wisconsin pulled off a 20-13 win over Arizona State in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl, the Badgers return to the field in late March to kick up spring practices.

UW will run spring ball between March 22 and April 22 this year, according to a recent social media post. This new iteration of Wisconsin football in 2022 will bring the annual additions and attritions the program works through, but the program also revealed several notable changes on the coaching staff.

***SPRING FOOTBALL VISITORS***

BadgerBlitz.com is once again expected to watch any open practices available for reporters to attend. Thus, our position previews start this week. On Saturday, we cross over to the defensive line, where UW has players available to replace a key starter and reserve.

RELATED: Quarterbacks | Running Backs/Fullbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line |

Wisconsin saw upperclassmen Matt Henningsen and Bryson Williams depart the program this offseason. The former shined during Wisconsin's Pro Day last week, finishing his time in Madison with 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2021. Williams played in 13 games last season and provided a solid presence as a reserve nose tackle between 2018-21.

The good news for Wisconsin comes in the form of two key starters -- Keeanu Benton and Isaiah Mullens -- returning for 2022. 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.

Mullens, a starter in 2021, will enter his fifth season in the program. Pro Football Focus (PFF) reported that he played 338 snaps in 2021 -- almost three times the amount of reps received between 2018-20. He registered 24 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a full-time starter.

Rodas Johnson and James Thompson Jr. contributed in reserve fashion, playing in 12 and 10 games last season, respectively. Johnson's strip-sack against Notre Dame in Soldier Field during the third quarter led to a go-ahead field goal by the Badgers before the wheels fell off for UW during that late September matchup.

Behind those four, Isaac Townsend played in five games after transferring from Oregon, and Gio Paez saw time in 10 contests. Those ends on the 2021 fall roster that still have eligibility include Cade McDonald, Ben Barten, Thomas Brunner and Mike Jarvis.

At nose tackle, 2022 signee Curtis Neal enrolled early in January. Fellow classmates Tristan Monday and Isaac Hamm, expected to play as ends, are expected to arrive in the summer, though Hamm could also work at outside linebacker.

The two-deep will need to replace one-third of its contributors in Ross Kolodziej's room, but there appears to be players available to step up in the group. That includes Johnson and Thompson.

Henningsen, after Pro Day, was asked which younger ends he believed stuck out in 2021 that could have a greater chance this season.

"There's a lot of guys in that d-line room that are pretty good at playing ball," Henningsen said on March 9.

He first looked at Johnson, who he called an athlete.

"A stronger, more athletic player while he's out there. It's very impressive," Henningsen said of Johnson. "And you look at James. He's putting up huge numbers in the weight room, right? He's been going crazy. I come back, and I hear James is going crazy in the weight room. Then of course, there's 'The Tree' [Mullens], who's just insane. Just a giant human being, a force while he's on the field at the defensive end position. I mean, Keeanu is not a young guy anymore, but he's a hell of a player."

Who emerges at end next will be a storyline to watch with Townsend, Paez, McDonald and Jarvis on the roster. Another intriguing storyline this spring: Who assumes the role of backup nose tackle?

Paez, entering his fourth year in the program, worked at that position last spring ball and appeared to hold his own. The rising fourth-year junior was listed as a defensive end on last year's roster.

There is also Neal, who talked to BadgerBlitz.com in mid-January about his knee injury. He felt he was "85-90%," but had yet to start cutting before arriving in Madison. He discussed his timetable for return then, though no updates have been publicly noted since.

"Honestly, I know I'll be able to do like drills and stuff but I don't know if they're gonna rush me into doing like the physical contact," Neal said on Jan. 11. "It's all about how I'm feeling right now, and I honestly feel like if I had to go right now, I could go. My knee really healed crazy fast, which is unexpected - was not normal - but it happened. So it's healing really fast."

Thompson, listed at 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds last season, saw time on the field and played 108 snaps last season according to PFF. The Ohio native's physical attributes certainly have been noticed, especially on social media.

Both Thompson and Johnson made strides in 2021, but their respective presences will be needed to help continue the standard set on UW's defensive line. Thompson's third year as a Badger could emerge as his most prominent yet.

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