Wisconsin Badgers 2024 Spring Position Preview: Offensive Line

As Luke Fickell's second act in Madison draws closer, BadgerBlitz.com will break down Wisconsin's roster position by position ahead of spring camp, which is slated to take place from March 22 to May 2.

BadgerBlitz.com is once again expected to watch any open practices available for reporters to attend. Thus, our position previews continue Tuesday with the offensive line, a group that's once again under new direction with a new coach.

PREVIEWS: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | TIGHT ENDS | WIDE RECEIVERS |

The Badgers are facing significant turnover at offensive line for a variety of reasons. The transfer portal certainly has something to do with it — Wisconsin lost Dylan Barrett, Trey Wedig, Nolan Rucci and Zack Mlsna to the portal this offseason. The Badgers' plug-and-play chess piece Tanor Bortolini, who started at center in the fall, moved on to the NFL. Wisconsin has starters to replace and position battles to facilitate, particularly on the inside.

On the outside, the Badgers appear set in terms of starters at both tackle spots. Left tackle Jack Nelson elected to return to Madison, and Riley Mahlman will run it back on the right side. That gives Wisconsin two very reliable starters to anchor its front.

This is a very important year for Nelson. He was considered one of Wisconsin's best overall players and a top draft prospect at the position before the 2023 season. His draft stock took a nose dive, however, as he struggled early on in the year — especially in the Washington State game. This is somewhat of a redemption year for Nelson. Can he prove he is the player we once thought he was?

The interior is where the Badgers have more questions than answers. Bortolini was Wisconsin's center for the entire regular season, but he sat out the bowl game in preparation for the NFL. That opened the door for Jake Renfro, who was presumed to be the Badgers' starting center but dealt with injuries all season, to finally get a chance to snap the ball. Renfro figures to be a lock to open up practices as the first-team center, but his health has failed him for two seasons in a row. Can he stay healthy and become the plug-and-play center he was expected to be?

The guard spots are where more questions arise. Joe Huber was Wisconsin's starting left guard in 2023, and barring a monumental push by one of the backups, that's where he'll remain. However, right guard is completely open following the graduation of Michael Furtney. The two most likely replacements are Joe Brunner and JP Benzschawel. Brunner only appeared in two games last season, and both stints were very brief. However, he was a heavily recruited and highly-rated prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, and this fall he'll get his shot. Benzschawel was another in-state, Rivals250 lineman that has patiently waited his turn, and although he was a tackle in high school, he'll likely slide inside this spring to compete for a guard spot. That should be a fun competition to track this offseason.

The Badgers will have five true freshman linemen this summer, but only two are enrolling early: Kevin Heywood and Colin Cubberly. Heywood could potentially compete for a backup tackle spot this offseason, while Cubberly will likely need to wait his turn a little longer.

This is easily the most pressing question about Wisconsin's offensive line. The tackle spots are set. Center appears set as long as Renfro can stay healthy. Huber figures to run relatively un-opposed at left guard. That leaves one open spot on the starting five, and several hungry young linemen to compete for it.

The two most likely candidates, as mentioned, are Brunner and Benzschawel. Neither have much experience to their name: Brunner has played 45 snaps, while Benzschawel has logged 28. I'll give Brunner the slight edge here on the following potential depth chart because of his experience, but it's anyone's race at this point. This should be a very entertaining position battle to follow.

The aforementioned battle at guard will be intriguing, but if there's one player to keep an eye on, it's Renfro for several reasons.

For starters, is the linemen finally healthy? He started in the ReliaQuest Bowl, so there's no reason to assume he isn't. Still, we haven't seen Renfro on the practice field in Madison at all yet. His first game in a Badger uniform was solid, although Pro Football Focus did credit him with allowing a sack. To simply have a stable answer at center will be welcome for Wisconsin.

If Renfro is indeed able to consistently run with the starters in camp, how does he look? Last season, Bortolini was a serviceable replacement at center but one of his biggest issues was shotgun snaps. It showed up in camp, and it trickled into the season. Wisconsin could use a rock-solid camp from its starting center after how convoluted last season was at the position.

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