5 things we learned about Wisconsin football at fall camp in Platteville
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers return to Madison after two weeks of fall camp at UW-Platteville. Here’s what we learned about the team.
Fall camp at UW-Platteville is in the books, and the Wisconsin football team is packing up for the drive back to Madison. After two weeks of long practices and plenty of competition in the southwest corner of the state, Luke Fickell and his program now turn their focus to the final stretch of preparation before the Aug. 28 season opener against Miami (OH).
But it hasn’t been business as usual. Wisconsin is coming off a 5-7 season that ended its 22-year consecutive bowl streak and pushed the program into one of its deepest ruts. Years like that don’t just test your coaching staff and roster — they test the very identity and culture of the program.
"I think you're always pushing that," Fickell said of the Badgers' culture shift. "I think that our big thing was we had to be consistent from the time we walked in the door. But there is a little bit of difference in the way you live your life and the things that you preach. And we've said it all the time, the culture and the environment isn't what we put up on the wall. It's actually what we promote, what we permit, and what we put on film.
"We have a greater opportunity where we are right now to continue to push what we want to be and how we want to be, and what we feel like is going to give us the best opportunity and the edge to be successful. The real proof is in, do we have some consistency? Do we really have the leadership from me, coaches, older guys, that continue to promote that and make sure that we hold that standard as we continue to battle?”
With that mindset and a rebuilt roster in place, here are the five things we learned about Wisconsin football during its stay in Platteville.
Offensive line clarity
When fall camp opened, Wisconsin had two glaring questions on the offensive line: who was going to hold down left tackle after Kevin Heywood’s knee injury in spring, and who was going to win the right guard job. Two weeks later in Platteville, those answers are coming into focus.
Central Michigan transfer Davis Heinzen has all but locked up the starting left tackle spot. Some of the physical traits are there, and offensive line coach A.J. Blazek clearly believes that they’ll translate in the Big Ten.
"He’s got some athleticism. He might not be quite as long as some of the tackles that have been here in the past," Blazek explained, "but he’s got the feet, the movement, and the athletic ability. Now it’s settling in with the guys. He’s really smart, picked it all up. When we’re looking at a guy like that, he’s got to come from an offense where they’ve asked him to think about a lot, and he does a really good job at that. He’s just fit."
His emergence also keeps Joe Brunner at left guard, Jake Renfro at center, and Riley Mahlman at right tackle, preserving the kind of continuity that matters when you’re trying to establish a run game identity and revamp an offense that's been sputtering for two years.
At right guard, it looks like redshirt freshman Emerson Mandell, a former four-star in the 2024 class, has taken control of the job over Kerry Kodanko. Mandell has been impressive in both physicality and consistency, earning praise from the staff. Renfro is currently week-to-week with an injury, but he hasn’t been ruled out for the opener. If he can’t go, expect Kodanko to be the top interior backup at all three spots.
Depth at tackle is more unsettled. The staff has worked JP Benzschawel and Leyton Nelson into the mix, but the options you truly feel good about are limited. The starting five might be coming into focus, but the hunt for the best combinations and playable depth isn’t over yet.
Running back room stocked with options
If you wanted proof that Wisconsin’s decision to skip the transfer portal at running back was calculated, not careless, look no further than what unfolded over two weeks in Platteville. Building off a strong spring, redshirt freshman Dilin Jones has put what feels like a stranglehold on the No. 1 spot. His fit in Jeff Grimes’ offense feels tailor-made, and the jump in his development has been obvious. He’s very decisive and physical.
Behind him, Darrion Dupree returns as the likely No. 2, but with far more creative opportunities on the table. The Badgers can motion him out, shift him across formations, and get him the ball out in space, where his pass-catching ability becomes a mismatch weapon. He's going to be utilized far more this season and will provide a strong change of pace back.
Cade Yacamelli brings the leadership edge and big-play upside to this group. He’s a physical freak by every metric and the kind of between-the-tackles hammer you’re lucky to have as a third option. And don’t forget about Gideon Ituka, who has quietly made significant strides and offers a power element in short-yardage situations that defenses hate tackling.
“We know we have a lot of young talent. There are a lot of guys that are really hungry, that play with chips on their shoulder, that know they have a lot to prove,” Spalding said. “Not to anybody outside the program, but really to themselves and this team.”
There won’t be enough touches to satisfy everyone, but that’s the kind of problem Wisconsin wants to have. Any one of these four could give you some production if called upon, and if they grow together, they might just reestablish the run game identity this program has been missing.
Wisconsin's safety depth in a great spot
Let’s be clear, you don’t lose a player like Hunter Wohler to the NFL and somehow get better. That’s not how this works. But what Wisconsin's staff has managed to build in its safety room is still one of the more impressive roster developments we’ve seen coming out of fall camp.
Preston Zachman returns as the steadying force. Mr. Reliable with a knack for being around the football. Next to him, Austin Brown slides into what feels like a much more natural role at safety, freeing him up to be the kind of playmaker this defense needs rather than living exclusively in the slot.
"Preston and AB have been around, but at the same time, there are no jobs given in our defense, and I think they embrace that," Jack Cooper said. "They want the competition... they’re doing a good job teaching the other guys.
"As far as understanding the defense, they’re just doing a better job of selling the message from Coach Tressel and Coach Fickell as well. They’re embracing this thing, and they believe in what we do. It’s so much more powerful when it’s from your players. And that’s what they’ve been doing better than anything, selling what we’re doing to the guys. The modern-day kid, you’ve got to sell what you’re doing. And they do a phenomenal job of that."
Behind them, the portal work speaks for itself. Matt Jung and Matthew Traynor both look like players who belong in the rotation. Realistically, you probably aren’t seeing four safeties get meaningful snaps every week, but both stood out in Platteville and carry the kind of upside that makes them intriguing future starters, and valuable security blankets if injuries hit.
Even the third team has juice. Early enrollees Grant Dean and Luke Emmerich flashed enough in practice to make you believe that with time and development, they could become legit contributors down the road.
I’m not saying this room runs six deep right now, because that's just not true. But to have proven starters you trust, backups who won’t give you a massive drop-off, and some young talent already turning heads, that’s a rare luxury in the transfer portal era. And Wisconsin has it.
Defensive line depth is finally Big Ten caliber
A year ago, Wisconsin’s defensive line wasn’t even in the neighborhood of Big Ten caliber. That’s just the truth. But this offseason, the staff made a deliberate push to fix it, adding size, experience, and competition through the portal, and it’s hard not to buy into the results.
Now you’ve got a room that can legitimately rotate and keep each other fresh, something this program badly needed. Ben Barten can handle the zero-tech role and, with a little less on his plate, has a real chance to put together a strong season. Transfers Charles Perkins and Jay'viar Suggs bring energy, juice, and real disruption potential, while Parker Petersen offers sturdy run-stopping ability in the middle of the defense.
Then you’ve got the returners. Dillan Johnson, who saw snaps as a true freshman last year, might be the strongest player on the roster and is a key piece of the Badgers' defensive line room for the future. Brandon Lane has added significant size and is trending toward a role. Combine that with more bodies who can take on blockers and free up teammates, and you’re looking at a group that could be far more disruptive in 2025.
“For sure, six, seven, eight guys,” defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow said when asked how many players he was comfortable rotating. “There’s a ton of different combinations. We've got a volume body of guys who I trust can go out there and play the game the right way. I feel really good about the depth that we have right now.”
I’m not ready to say there’s an All-Big Ten player in the bunch, but for the first time in a while, this looks like a room full of Big Ten-quality defensive linemen. That year-to-year jump alone could be the difference in whether this defense takes the step forward it needs to under Mike Tressel.
OLB versatility could change the defense’s DNA
Finally, the outside linebacker room, and I think this is going to be right at the core of where this Wisconsin defense looks and feels different than it did a year ago. This isn’t a group built on one or two every-down stars.
It’s a rotation-heavy, role-specific unit that can be tailored to the opponent. I’m not sure they have a bunch of guys who can do it all, but I am sure they have a number of guys who can do a few things well.
Outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell sees that variety as a strength.
“The thing that's unique about my position group is we do have a lot of different body types,” Mitchell told reporters at fall camp. “So, when you start with workhorse Darryl Peterson, and then you have Corey Walker... we have some big dudes, dudes that weigh 280 pounds. And then you’ve got some guys that are really twitchy and can do some stuff with speed. We have a diversity of body types and skill sets. We will match our people versus their people. I think the difference between last year and now is that we've made a lot of improvements from year one to year three. The biggest improvements have been the recruitment of different body types and talents to match some of the different things.”
That’s exactly how this room is shaping up. You’ve got Peterson, now playing more with his hand in the dirt, adding size and becoming more versatile. Behind him is Micheal Garner, if healthy, and Walker, both with near 300-pound frames that can move, giving you edge-setters who can also push the pocket. Mason Reiger, also health-dependent, might be the most disruptive pure pass rusher and outside backer on the roster, which is why Wisconsin went out of its way to bring him in through the portal.
Then you’ve got your true edge guys: Nick Clayton, Sebastian Cheeks, and Tyreese Fearbry. They’ve got bend, they’ve got speed, and they can be deployed in very specific pass-rush situations. How many of these players end up in the rotation? That’s something we probably won’t know until a few games in. But the flexibility is there, the bodies are there, and the plan to match skill sets to situations is exactly the kind of chess piece approach that could make this defense harder to figure out in 2025.
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It seems that Mat Young's Spring Ball performance did not carry onto Platteville. Is that a fair assessment? Did he get less snaps?