Wisconsin Badgers positional recruit snapshot: 2026 offensive linemen

With Wisconsin's 2025 recruiting class near capacity, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots in the following cycle for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2026 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.

As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.

Today, we continue with a look at the offensive linemen.

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Depth was a significant issue for Wisconsin this spring with just 10 scholarship offensive linemen on the camp roster. That number grew to 14 this summer when Class of 2024 signees Emerson Mandell, Derek Jensen and Ryan Cory, in addition to Vanderbilt transfer Leyton Nelson, arrived on campus. UW also added former Illinois guard Joey Okla via the portal as a preferred walk-on.

Throughout camp, the starting group, from left to right, was Jack Nelson, Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro, Joe Huber and Riley Mahlman. J.P. Benzschawel is expected to be the primary interior backup, with true freshman Kevin Heywood and Leyton Nelson options at tackle. Veteran walk-on Kerry Kodanko looked like a solid No. 2 center this spring, but Huber could also bump inside, if needed.

In the 2025 cycle, Wisconsin currently has five commitments. It will be the second straight year where the Badgers hit that number of the offensive line. With that, the 2026 class is expected to be smaller at the position.

Evan Goodwin, an unranked tackle from Arkansas, got his first look at Wisconsin in late June. Despite not holding any stars at this point, Goodwin is near or at the top of AJ Blazek's tackle board in the 2026 recruiting class.

"We were walking into the facilities to get checked in, and all of a sudden we hear Jump Around start playing," Goodwin told BadgerBlitz.com. "We got surrounded by the coaching staff and they were hyped at 8:00 AM. I thought it was great to have that energy and vibe around the coaching staff and school."

Arkansas, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, among others, have also offered.