BadgerBlitz.com brings you our first weekly "3-2-1" feature of the 2024 season, where we take a look at three things we learned from fall camp, two remaining questions and one bold prediction for Week 1.

Wisconsin's spring transfer class was significantly lighter than its winter portal haul. Still, the Badgers reeled in players at critical positions that were thought to be in line to make an impact immediately. As was demonstrated in fall camp and confirmed by the first depth chart of the season, however, we may not see Wisconsin's spring transfers as early of often as we initially thought.

Perhaps the most exciting transfer Wisconsin secured via the spring window is the former Boston College wideout Joseph Griffin Jr. The 6-foot-4 pass-catcher had a penchant for the big play with the Eagles, and repeatedly put his hands, contested-catch ability and yards-after-catch acumen on tape.

Still, Griffin took a while to garner consistent reps in team drills this fall.

"He's an older guy. Joe's an older guy, so he gets it. He knows there's gonna be a learning curve, he knows he doesn't know the offense as well as everyone else. He has to go through that process, and he's an older guy so I guess he's able to cope with it better than most freshman can coming in. I'm very excited to watch him," wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton said. "Obviously he's a big dude, very physical with natural strength about him. He sat on his butt for a little while, and now he gets a chance to come out and play a little ball and lift and run and things of that nature. It's a phase he's going through; I'm just happy he's an older guy so he knows how to go through it. He'll be okay. I can't wait to see him in the future."

Another transfer who figured to help fill a position of need, Brandon Lane, isn't listed on the Badgers' initial two-deep, even in the wake of James Thompson Jr's serious injury. Defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow praised Lane in the spring, but it appears he still has an uphill battle for snaps early this fall.

"Definitely when you take a look at Brandon, you see a guy who's big, dense and powerful. He's really really athletic for his size. Those things have definitely kinda held true in working with him and spending time with him," Whitlow said.

Wisconsin's 2024 recruiting class was peppered with elite, blue-chip signees. They've wasted little time making an impression on the coaching staff, even (and seemingly especially) the ones who arrived on campus in the summer.

On offense, the buzz has centered on the Badgers two new freshman tailbacks, Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones. The 173rd and 240th ranked players in the nation, respectively, spent fall camp displaying the kind of skillset that makes it very hard for a coaching staff to keep them on the bench. Dupree, especially, with his receiving skills and open-field ability, figures to see the field early on in his Wisconsin career.

"I think they both do a really nice job," running backs coach Devon Spalding said. "I think like we expected, Darrion has some versatility in his ability to split out and be able to create separation route-running. I think Dillin is very decisive; he reminds me of Chez (Mellusi). Putting his foot in the ground, gaining extra yards on contact. Plays with a lot of physicality. Both of those guys feed off each other really well, and we're excited about both of them."

On defense, four-star Florida native cornerback Xavier Lucas grabbed his teammates' and coaches' attention before fall camp even begun. Listed at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, he already has prototypical size for a boundary corner.

"One thing about him is he's built not like a freshman. I mean he's 190-something pounds, runs very fast, but he's also a smart kid. He picks up on it very very fast," cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes said this fall. "We'll see how much he can learn, how much he can do. Body-wise, talent-wise, you would say yes (he can contribute this season). But he's still got a long way to go, just how to play the game and how physical the game is at this level."

Lucas is listed as an OR at boundary cornerback alongside RJ Delancy. He should quickly burn his redshirt and rotate into games semi-frequently.

When Tyler Van Dyke was officially named Wisconsin's starter by offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Aug. 14, it put an end to what was a highly entertaining quarterback battle that spanned the entirety of the spring and much of fall camp. It was the expected outcome, and had been since the former three-year starter at Miami announced his transfer to Wisconsin. Still, Braedyn Locke made this a much harder decision than initially anticipated, and that's good news for the entire program.

Last season, the Badgers appeared set at quarterback with a proven starter in Tanner Mordecai. That wasn't quite the case, as Mordecai and the offense struggled to live up to the lofty expectations set for year one of the air raid offense in Madison. Consequently, once Mordecai broke his hand in the Iowa game, the Badgers had to rely on a backup in Locke who had promise but was clearly in a different tier of quarterback. That may not be the case in 2024.

Wisconsin's coaching staff is adamant that they have a 1A, 1B situation at quarterback.

"I will tell you that Braedyn Locke, last year it was Tanner Mordecai and our number two was Braedyn Locke. This year, it's Tyler Van Dyke and we really see Braedyn Locke, I've mentioned to you in the past how much better he's gotten this year. As (head coach Luke Fickell) says, we kinda see it as a 1A, 1B situation right now as opposed to a one and a two. That's how well Braedyn has done here in camp," Longo said.

With his arm strength and better physical attributes, Van Dyke likely gives Wisconsin the higher ceiling. But Locke's mastery of the offense has him nipping at the senior's heels.

There's two true freshmen in Wisconsin's Week 1 two-deep: Kevin Heywood at backup right tackle, and Lucas sharing a backup boundary corner spot with Delancy. That doesn't tell the whole story, however, as other true freshman such as the two aforementioned running backs and defensive tackle Dillan Johnson also have a chance to contribute early in their careers.

We've talked about the tailbacks and corner, so let's take a moment to take stock of Johnson, the lineman with a wrestling background whom Wisconsin flipped from Northwestern following the unceremonious exit of Wildcats' coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Johnson is extremely gifted physically, and though he enrolled late this summer, he's already made a big impression on Fickell and his staff. He's nowhere to be found on the two-deep, but the injury to Thompson opens the door for him to push for snaps early.

"Obviously, god blessed him with great leverage. He really does a good job of using that, playing square, playing powerful with his hands and playing with a really really high motor," Whitlow said of the true freshman.

Ultimately, I'd say it's a toss-up between Dupree and Lucas for who should be the odds-on favorite to see the field first. Those would be the top two, followed by Jones and Johnson, not necessarily in that order.

This is a question I'm anxiously awaiting the answer to. John Pius (William & Mary) and Leon Lowery (Syracuse) both looked like excellent edge defenders during both spring and fall camp. Pius demonstrated a natural ability to rush the passer, while Lowery is a versatile, physical piece on the front seven. Still, we're talking about practice.

Conventional wisdom says that if Pius and Lowery were able to wreck havoc against Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman, two of the better tackles in the Big Ten, they should be just fine against the rest of the conference. Still, we need to see it in a game setting. We simply won't know just how seamlessly these two will fit in Mike Tressel's defense until the lights come on Friday night.

Recall last year's opener against a MAC team. The Badgers topped Buffalo, 38-17, but it was far from a convincing victory. The offensive execution was sloppy at best, and the defense failed to log a sack or turnover while struggling to tackle consistently.

Opening week often isn't the cleanest game, and I'd expect some — but certainly less — guffaws from Wisconsin on Friday night. Still, there's no reason why this offense shouldn't be able to boat race the Broncos under the lights.

Western Michigan's defense wasn't particularly good last season; the unit ranked in the mid-80s nationally. They also lose nearly half of their production, and will rely on a half-dozen or so transfers to make an immediate impact. Not that it'll be impossible for head coach Lance Taylor to whip this unit into shape, but to do that on the road against a Big Ten team in Week 1 seems like an awful lot to ask for.

What's more, Wisconsin's depth on offense figures to befuddle teams early on, especially its weaker opponents. As of now, no one has a blueprint for how the Badgers will rotate their talented detail of tailbacks and receivers. There's enough potential playmakers on this offense to make a MAC defensive coordinator's head spin.

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