MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin's defensive line needs to replace key starter Garrett Rand and NFL-bound Isaiahh Loudermilk for the 2021 season. Former walk-on Matt Henningsen, along with nose tackle Keeanu Benton, have the ability to become all-conference standouts in the room of new position coach Ross Kolodziej.

Isaiah Mullens received first-team reps at end opposite Henningsen in all four fall camp practices open to reporters last week. But a question to be answered entering August was who else would step in to ensure depth at a crucial position on defense?

Early on, it appears the second group up after Henningsen and Mullens during 11-on-11 periods has been the combination of Rodas Johnson and James Thompson Jr. Kolodziej believes the third-year end has a "certain twitch" along with his quickness, burst and "ability to work the edges."

"I like his ability to work edges when he trusts it and he goes," Kolodziej said on Saturday. "He can really press the feet of those offensive linemen in the pass rush so he affects the pocket. He does some very disruptive things. He's just got to be able to relax in a way and come out here and eliminate some of the mental pieces where in my opinion right now -- we've talked -- he's pressing too much. He can relax. You know, he's going to have a role. He's going to be traveling, right?

"Now, he's just got to work on the details of becoming a consistent football player. But physically, he shows all those traits of being disruptive, quick, powerful up front, can run to the football."

BadgerBlitz.com spoke with Johnson a day earlier on Friday about fall camp, his play in spring and the defensive line room, among other topics.

Questions and answers have been edited lightly for clarity.

BB: How do you feel through the first week of fall camp, how have things progressed?

Rodas Johnson: Well, it all starts with winter. We've been preparing in the weight room, getting close with the guys on the d-line, defense meeting room, this team in general, so I felt really good going into it. I had a great spring ball. Coach K's been getting me right. I feel a lot more comfortable with the blocks, transitioning into pass and everything so my play is just a lot better.

BB: Coach Kolodziej on media day mentioned that it was kind of a tale of two springs, where the first eight were really good, then you missed a practice, and then you came back and maybe there's a plateau. How do you feel your spring went, and just what did you learn during that time?

RJ: Well, it's football. I started off pretty hard. I got a lot of reps. I think I was doing really well. I had a time where I had to miss a practice, and it was just hard staying up and keeping that pace, but you live and learn. I just have to keep getting better at one thing every day, and I noticed that.

BB: In terms of hustle, I saw you in Wednesday's practice where Coach Koldziej was talking to the d-line, and you're the first one out there sprinting towards the next period. Just what does it mean to have the hustle and just what do you pride yourself on with that?

RJ: We're d-linemen, like that's everything to us. Hustle's everything. You don't get easy sacks. It's pursuing. You have to make sure that you're doing everything that the speedy guy's going to do. So that includes the dirty work, clean up everything so Coach Kolodziej pushes that, as far as running to the ball, making sure that you're never just sitting there being lazy. Big guys moving is a good thing, he always says.

BB: What are some things that you had worked on from last year to this year, and just working to be in a place where you were getting second-team reps and even in the spring getting some first-team work?

RJ: So one thing that I wanted to work on was my confidence. I know I'm able to do whatever I put my mind to, so as long as I have the confidence, my pad level will be a lot better, my feet will be a lot better. It just allows me to fly to the ball and do what I need to do for my teammates. So that's all I needed was confidence.

BB: What's been some of the biggest changes that you've seen in the weight room or other factors that have helped you?

RJ: Well, just the team bond. Being able to be pushed by everybody and compete. That's the big thing, too. That's a big component to just getting better is everybody else is around you, I got to hold that standard. So if you're holding that standard, the only way up is going up. So that's what I got to take and just keep vibing with that.

BB: How's it been having Ross be your defensive line coach compared to Inoke [Breckterfield] and just how have you felt the change, and what have been some of the differences you've seen?

RJ: Luckily, we've had him as a strength coach, so my bond with him is pretty tight. I can talk to him about anything I need. He lets me be pretty free as long as I'm in my gap. He tells me what I need to do as far as a player. He's very straight on with me. He's not beating around the bush, not like that. He helps me become a better person, a better d-lineman. He holds me to a standard that I need to uphold every day, so that standard makes me better.

BB: With fall camp so far, just how are you being utilized? It looks like you're getting your basic 3-4 defensive end techniques, but also you're getting some nickel [reps]. How have you felt with the techniques and what you're being asked of?

RJ: I'm fine with anything. Whatever to help my team at this point. I know I got some people, I got to backup like 'Nu' [Keeanu Benton], 'Henny' [Matt Henningsen], I owe it all to them. So as long as I'm upholding what they need, and what my team needs, I'll do whatever it takes, I don't care.

BB: How have you seen them grow as leaders within the group, and what are they telling you guys? How are they pushing you?

RJ: Those are my boys. I mean, we all have our own strength, and they have their strength, and they let us do what we need to do as long as it's in that line. We have fun. That's the biggest component to everything is just having fun and flying around, being d-linemen.

BB: It's only one week through fall camp, too, so there's still a lot to go, but how are you feeling about the group overall in terms of depth and just two-deep and even just game-ready defensive ends?

RJ: So this is a big difference from spring because in spring, we didn't have that depth so we were getting fatigued and tired, and that's probably why we didn't last as long throughout the spring. But now that we have that depth, we can have more people to roll in and roll out. Some are more fresh, and we're not making as many mistakes or MEs or anything like that. So it's a lot better as far as play because we have a lot more to back up.

BB: In terms of goals, what are you looking to do during this camp and heading into the 2021 season?

RJ: I just want to play my role, whatever that is. Wherever my role is that I'll take and then I'll try to extend it from there. Whatever I can do to help my team because if you help your team out, you're gonna help yourself out. What I want to do is make sure I can get my team to wherever we need to be.

BB: From the group, who do you feel right now is standing out through the first week of camp and who could gain further reps as fall camp moves on?

RJ: We all have our own strong suits. I mean, 'Nu's' been going crazy. 'Henny's' been going crazy. They're doing their thing. Mullens has been stepping up. I feel like I've been doing my role. James, he's a long, strong, fast kid. Cade McDonald, you got Gio Paez doing his thing, Bryson Williams, we got everybody doing their thing. They all have their strong suits, and we're all learning how to develop in other places that we need to.

BB: In terms of freshmen, how have you seen someone like Mike Jarvis or even just others on defense like Darryl Peterson, how have you seen someone like him step up to where maybe Peterson has seen second-team reps or just working with Izayah Green-May or Spencer Lytle?

RJ: Well he's an Ohio boy. You know, 'DP,' physical. These kids are physical, I mean, they come in kind of lackadaisical, and we just get them right. I mean, it's the Wisconsin standard. The one thing you need is physicality and everything else will come, and that's what they've been doing. Hustle, heart, that's all we need on defense, and that's what they've been showing. So that's why they're earning those reps.

BB: Anything from Darryl that you've seen, being a fellow Ohio native, that have stood out so far?

RJ: He's just been really productive. He's really physical with his hands. He's really good at getting off blocks and being coachable. That's the biggest thing. Mike being coachable. Everybody needs to be coachable, so that's one thing I'd say about Darryl -- he's really coachable and he's doing his thing.

BB: In terms of the entire team, who do you feel stood out so far through that first week of fall camp?

RJ: Well, I can't say any specific names, but, you know, I'm going to ride with the defense. I thought we were going crazy. You know, we've been shutting stuff down, doing what we need to do -- containing the gaps, holding gaps. You know, getting penetration as a d-line.

That's one thing that we've really been focusing on. It's one thing we haven't done in the past, and I think that's gonna open up a lot of teams' eyes because we're not two-gapping anymore. We're shutting our primary gap down and letting our linebackers flow off us so that's gonna be really beneficial. The linebackers are doing their thing as well. I'm only gonna talk about defense.

While Johnson has a couple aspects of his game to clean up, according to Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, a positive popped up immediately when discussing the lineman.

"First of all with Rodas, high energy," Leonhard said on Saturday. "Plays with a ton of effort, it's just trying to tighten him up. He still does some things that will get you beat. Just comes from a great place, being aggressive and trying to make things happen.

"Just got to tighten up his techniques a little bit, but he's gonna bring a lot of energy to the field when he comes, which is a lot of fun. And so that's his focus right now is just the consistency aspect of it."