With Wisconsin's roster all but finalized and the season right around the corner, the Badgers have their sights set on fall camp. Once again, the team will travel to UW-Platteville for the first portion of practice up until Aug. 11.

As the dog days of summer heat up, so will position battles and the intense competition for snaps once the season rolls around. Up until fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com will preview each position on the roster. We'll continue with the outside linebackers, a unit primed for an uptick in production in 2024.

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Much like their counterparts on the inside, Wisconsin's outside linebackers experienced plenty of turnover this offseason. The Badgers must replace over 1,100 snaps on the edge. But again, just like their counterparts on the inside, Wisconsin appears to not only have replaced the lost snaps, but upgraded them as well.

Gone are CJ Goetz, Jeff Pietrowski, Kaden Johnson, Darian Varner and Jordan Mayer. The reinforcements consist of two transfers, John Pius (William & Mary) and Leon Lowery (Syracuse), and two freshman, Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele. They join the returnees, Darryl Peterson and Aaron Witt, as well as reserve walk-ons Angel Toombs and Cody Raymond.

Taking in Wisconsin's spring practices, one's eyes were immediately drawn to the edges of the line of scrimmage. That's where perhaps the most entertaining battle of the spring took place: Pius and Lowery vs tackles Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman.

Pius and Lowery wasted little time introducing themselves in Madison. Both created pressure on the edges Wisconsin simply hasn't been able to produce since it deployed Nick Herbig as a pass-rusher. While Pius and Lowery's skillsets vary, they're similar in that they were both extremely disruptive forces for the duration of spring camp.

Pius' play set him apart as more of a true pass-rush specialist. At 6-foot-4 with excellent length and athleticism, he can use his frame to shed blocks and disengage when tackles try to square him up.

"Definitely pass-rush, he’s got arguably the best get-off of any of our outside linebackers right now," outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell said of Pius. “He’s very twitchy, very snappy. When he comes inside, whether it’s in the run game or pass-rush, he gets vertical in a hurry and creates a lot of disruption at the point of attack...John's a very talented football player."

Lowery, meanwhile, is a slightly more physical outside backer. Having come from a Power Four institution, his physique was a little further developed than Pius' upon transferring to Wisconsin. He's a little more versatile as well, as he was asked to play all around the front seven at Syracuse. Now, the Badgers have him locked into the edge spot, where Mitchell believes he can wreck havoc.

“Leon’s off to a very fast start. It’s exciting, to be transparent," he said. "He’s really honed in on what he needs to do at that position. So consequently I think he’s been able to pick it up pretty quick...A guy coming in and infusing that body type and some of that experience is gonna help everybody else too.”

Pius and Lowery have quickly become close friends as well.

“We first came in about the same time, December when we both committed. Moved in probably like a week after we committed here. We were both going to the bowl practices, watching them practice. We also got to practice with them for a little bit. We got to know each other a little bit just by being roommates in the hotel. Then we started to realize, alright, let's room together. And it’s been a very close bond right now," Pius said.

We've seen what these two can do during spring practice. Not to insinuate that Wisconsin's offensive linemen underestimated the two transfers, but let's just say the element of surprise will be gone in fall camp. Pius and Lowery put on a show in April; can they carry that over into fall camp and the regular season?

1. How healthy is Witt? Witt's return to practice and presumed role as a key rotational outside linebacker was one of the feel-good stories to come out of spring practice. Plagued by injuries, the redshirt junior has missed the past two seasons but returned to action in the ReliaQuest Bowl against LSU. This spring, Witt slid into the top four alongside Pius, Lowery and Peterson, but injured himself once again midway through spring practices. His arm was in a sling, and his status for fall camp remains unclear. Mitchell made it clear he wants four game-ready outside linebackers with which to work, making Witt's availability all the more critical.

2. Keen an eye on the two true freshman. Lafaele and Heiberger made some noise towards the end of spring practice, looking like two of the better players who ran with the threes. They both brought juice, and it's that intangible fiery edge that quarterback hunters need. With how old this outside linebacker room is at the top, these two could see meaningful playing time as soon as 2025.

We've essentially hit on every possible contributor in one of Wisconsin's smaller position groups. The walk-ons Toombs and Raymond were both surpassed by the pair of true freshman early enrollees and didn't get much of a chance to contribute. In terms of a hierarchy, one should view this room as having a top four, who will all contribute on game days. That's likely as deep as the Badgers want to go in any kind of close game, but with the playmaking ability both freshman flashed, it wouldn't be a shock to see Heiberger or Lafaele pick up some valuable reserve reps in out-of-reach games, similar to how cornerback Jonas Duclona did in 2023 as a true freshman.

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