Javan Robinson didn’t need Robert Steeples to teach him how to study film. He has essentially been doing it since he was five years old.

The Wisconsin football cornerback grew up in a football household with a father who coached, exposing Robinson to concepts most players don’t begin seriously studying until much later.

Now entering his final college season after transferring from Arizona State, that background has helped make the 5-foot-11 redshirt senior one of the trusted veteran voices in a Badgers cornerback room still sorting through several younger options.

It also helps explain why Steeples recently described Robinson as a “computer.”

“Growing up, my dad was a coach,” Robinson told reporters. “So I feel like I’ve been studying and watching film and understanding stuff when I was, like, five years old.”

Those lessons started simple.

The Florida native remembers learning how a receiver’s alignment could eliminate certain routes before the ball was even snapped. As he got older, those basic observations became a larger part of how he prepared.

“As I got older, I just started to master it and start putting my own nuances on it,” Robinson said. “So he just taught me a lot about the game at a very young age.”

That preparation has become one of Robinson’s defining traits.

Steeples compared him to Floyd Mayweather because of his ability to study an opponent beforehand and then continue processing information as a matchup unfolds. Robinson believes anticipating what’s coming allows his physical ability to play faster.

“When you anticipate stuff, and you’re ahead of the offense and ahead of your opponent, it just makes you play better,” Robinson said.

Wisconsin is counting on that experience translating.

Robinson started all 12 games on the boundary for Arizona State last season, finishing with 42 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups and a fumble recovery across 659 defensive snaps.

According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson earned a 71.3 overall defensive grade, including an 82.1 run-defense grade, an 84.4 tackling grade and a 68.8 coverage mark. He missed only two tackles all season, resulting in an impressive 4.5% missed-tackle rate.

His coverage numbers were more uneven. Robinson was targeted 57 times and allowed 38 receptions for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Still, Wisconsin’s staff brought him in as an experienced option capable of handling meaningful snaps immediately and helping Steeples establish the standard he wants throughout the room.

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One of the biggest questions I had at the start of fall camp for the Wisconsin football team was the makeup of the wide receiver room.

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It’s a position that looks vastly different than it did a year ago. Since 2025, the Badgers have added nine receivers from the portal and converted Jackson McGohan from tight end.

In all, the Badgers have 15 wide receivers on the roster.

So yeah, depth in itself isn’t a problem. But having ‘depth,’ as in players who could actually make an impact or even see the field this season, is the important part. And right now, it looks like they might have that.

The Badgers are 10 practices into fall camp with No. 11 coming in front of fans tonight at the open practice. Here’s what I’ve noticed from the wide receiver group in the practices I’ve attended.

The starters seem set, but a couple are pushing

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The Wisconsin football cornerback room might not have a traditional position battle by the time fall camp ends.

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That doesn’t mean the competition has gone anywhere.

Through 10 practices, cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples has seen several players make meaningful strides. At the same time, the competition between Eric Fletcher and Jai’Mier Scott remains one of the more notable developments in the secondary. But Steeples is increasingly viewing the room less through the lens of who wins a starting job and more through how many players Wisconsin can trust to contribute.

Ohio State transfer Bryce West provides additional versatility, while Cai Bates has taken one of the biggest steps forward since spring practice.

Here were the biggest takeaways from Steeples’ fall camp media availability.

Cai Bates has made the biggest jump since spring

Steeples has seen progress throughout his room, but nobody has changed his evaluation more since spring practice than Bates.

The former Florida State cornerback appeared in seven games as a reserve defensive back and special teams contributor last season, logging just 26 defensive snaps. Now, Bates has begun taking better advantage of the physical tools Wisconsin saw when it brought him into the program.

“I think the biggest jump I’ve seen is probably Cai Bates,” Steeples said. “He’s playing to his size. He’s playing big-corner football. You know what I mean? So I really like seeing that from him.”

That development gives Wisconsin another option on the outside beyond Fletcher and Scott.

Steeples has also seen Scott become more instinctive in coverage, while Fletcher continues challenging himself. West, meanwhile, brings experience after appearing in eight games as a reserve defensive back at Ohio State last season, logging 91 snaps in the secondary and finishing with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Since arriving at Wisconsin, he has demonstrated the versatility to contribute both outside and in the slot.

The larger point is that Wisconsin’s cornerback rotation appears deeper than it was a year ago, which matters for a secondary that finished 73rd nationally in EPA per dropback. Rather than determining who earns the first snap, Steeples is trying to build a rotation with enough trustworthy options to improve a pass defense that struggled too often last season.

Steeples expects Wisconsin to play several cornerbacks

Fletcher and Scott have spent fall camp competing for work on the outside opposite of Javan Robinson, but Steeples doesn’t necessarily believe one player’s emergence has to eliminate the other.

In fact, he expects the top portion of the room to play.

“That whole top core of our room is going to play,” Steeples said. “So it’s not as much about me beating this guy out, it’s me being ready for my moment and then gathering the information I can while they’re having theirs.”

That has changed the message surrounding the competition.

Steeples still wants players earning snaps and building trust, but he would rather have Fletcher and Scott preparing to contribute than worrying about where they sit on a depth chart.

“A lot of guys in this group are showing and earning,” Steeples said. “We still got a lot of camp to go, but they’re earning the right to play and keep earning the trust of the guys around them.”

Wisconsin also wants complete cornerbacks when those opportunities arrive. That means contributing against the run rather than treating coverage as the only meaningful part of the position.

“If they’re getting in the run game, that’s a chance to make a play and show them what you can do,” Steeples said. “If it’s in the pass game, the same thing. But I like how our guys have stayed really engaged and not only just done the dirty work but embraced and celebrated it.”

Wisconsin wants its cornerbacks thinking like veterans

The physical development matters. Steeples is equally interested in what happens between snaps.

He has emphasized what he calls mental conditioning, teaching his players to use the roughly 30 seconds between plays to process the call, study the opponent, and prepare themselves for the next six seconds of football.

“We do the weightlifting, the drills, the walkthroughs for the six-second play, but there’s 30 other seconds between the snap that a lot of people don’t take advantage of,” Steeples said.

The goal is eventually making those decisions instinctive.

Wisconsin appears to have a player capable of setting that example in J-Rob [Robinson], whom Steeples compared to Floyd Mayweather because of his preparation and ability to process information during competition.

“J-Rob’s going to know his opposition before he matches up with him,” Steeples explained. “But then also he’s going to do a good job computing while he’s out there, breaking them down while he’s in competition.”

Steeples has also noticed that mentality spreading throughout the room.

Players coming off the field are sharing what they saw with teammates. Players waiting for their opportunities are gathering information rather than simply watching. Steeples called the sideline communication more productive and “solution-based” than before. That might be the clearest indication of what Steeples eventually wants to see this room become.

Bates has taken a meaningful step. Fletcher and Scott are competing without viewing every rep as a zero-sum battle. West gives Wisconsin versatility and a high-pedigree talent in the slot, and Robinson exemplifies how Steeples wants the position approached mentally.

Wisconsin still has plenty to sort out before Week 1. But rather than searching for two cornerbacks it can trust, Steeples is increasingly trying to determine just how many of them he can get onto the field.

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The Wisconsin football program entered fall camp with plenty of options at tight end.

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Nine practices in, position coach Nate Letton is beginning to get a better idea of how many of them he can actually use.

Wisconsin has spent much of the offseason building an offense under Jeff Grimes that will lean heavily on multiple-tight end personnel. That places additional importance on a room featuring Grant Stec, Emmett Bork, Jacob Harris, Ryan Schwendeman, and others, as well as a fullback role.

For Letton, the encouraging part has been watching several of those pieces begin to establish themselves.

Here were the biggest takeaways from Letton’s fall camp media availability.

Wisconsin believes it has legitimate depth at tight end

Wisconsin relied heavily on Lance Mason at tight end last season.

Letton doesn’t anticipate needing to approach the position the same way in 2026.

“I think we have a number of guys in the room that can play at this level, who help us play at a level where we can go win on a consistent basis,” Letton said. “I know the guys watch these things, so I’m not going to say anybody’s in any place yet. We’ve got a lot of time left in training camp. There’s a lot to prove, a lot to earn.”

That competition becomes particularly important because of how Wisconsin intends to use the position.

The Badgers staff expects multiple-tight end personnel to remain a significant part of Grimes’ offense, meaning having one or two dependable options isn’t enough. Letton believes Wisconsin needs at least four tight ends prepared to contribute on Saturdays.

“We want as many as we can, but I think you have to have at least four ready to play at minimum if you’re going to play in a good number of multiple tight end personnel groupings,” Letton said. “But we’ll play as many as give us a chance to win.”

Redshirt freshman Nizyi Davis has been among the players beginning to emerge. Letton believes the talent has always been there, but improved preparation and habits are allowing it to show up more consistently.

“I think Zyi is a guy who clearly has the talent to do it,” Letton said. “Then he coupled that with the habits and the routine and the process to what he does, and that’s the result you’re seeing.”

Letton wants Wisconsin’s tight ends playing faster and more violently

There is plenty being asked of Wisconsin’s tight ends.

They have responsibilities in the running and passing games and in protection while lining up in different places within the offense. Letton believes that complexity has occasionally caused his players to overthink.

His solution has been to simplify things.

“What I’ve challenged them on is, as an offense and as a tight end group, is to make mistakes but make them fast, make them aggressive, be confident in what you’re doing,” Letton said. “Don’t get out over your skis, just keep things simple, run off the football, be a violent football player.”

That mentality is particularly important in the running game, where Wisconsin expects its tight ends to be an extension of the offensive line as it tries to reestablish a more physical identity.

Stec appears well suited for that role.

Now entering his third season in the program and second in Grimes’ system, the 6-foot-6, 258-pound Stec is coming off a season in which he appeared in all 12 games and logged 200 offensive snaps, catching five passes for 52 yards. Letton believes that experience has helped Stec develop a better understanding of what kind of player he needs to be.

“I think Grant really understands his game,” Letton said. “He’s a guy who’s got to be really, really good at the point of attack for us. And because he’s that, he creates opportunities for himself in the underneath coverage.”

The same emphasis extends to Wisconsin’s fullback role. Letton said Tyler Jansey, who began his career as a linebacker, has brought no shortage of aggression, but the next step is learning how to harness it.

“He’s an aggressive guy. He’s violent, sometimes a little bit out of control,” Letton said of Jansey. “We got no question about you wanting to go knock the crap out of somebody. But now you got to be able to stay on body with people, play with your hips connected on people.”

Wisconsin is still developing its other options

The competition isn’t limited to Wisconsin’s more established tight ends.

Bork has experienced some of the natural growing pains of his second college fall camp, particularly adjusting from the more forgiving schedule of spring practice to stacking demanding practices day after day.

Letton believes he’s beginning to respond.

“I think just that understanding of what it takes to compete and prepare and perform every day for a young guy, struggled with that a little bit early in camp, but it’s starting to get back underneath himself a little bit,” Letton said.

Harris, a Bowling Green transfer, presents a different developmental project after appearing in all 12 games last season, making three starts and finishing with 182 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

At roughly 265 pounds, Letton already shows the movement skills, hands, and spatial awareness necessary to contribute in the passing game. The question is whether Harris can become physical and consistent enough at the point of attack to avoid becoming a situational player.

“Can we make you a three-down all-purpose tight end?” Letton said. “It’s not at the consistency we want yet, but I think he’s certainly made strides showing that he can be that when he’s 260, 265 pounds.”

That’s ultimately what Wisconsin is trying to sort through.

Stec understands his role. Davis is beginning to turn his physical talent into more consistent production. Bork and Harris are developing in different areas, and the Badgers have a fullback role they intend to use.

Letton isn’t ready to establish a depth chart yet. But for an offense that wants multiple tight ends on the field regularly, Wisconsin appears increasingly confident it has enough different pieces to make that work.

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The University of Wisconsin football⁠⁠ program has reached the portion of fall camp Luke Fickell considers particularly revealing.

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The initial excitement has worn off. Players are dealing with bumps and bruises. Practices are beginning to stack up, and Wisconsin still isn’t close enough to the opener for game preparation to provide a change of pace.

For Fickell, that’s exactly the point.

“This is the grind,” Fickell told reporters. “And I think this is when everybody keeps asking, ‘What’s your identity?’ Well, this is what we’re figuring out, right? This is where we have to continue to push.”

Eight practices into training camp, Fickell believes some answers are beginning to emerge. The Badgers have established players performing consistently, several position battles creating honest competition, and some newcomers beginning to separate themselves. But there’s still plenty Fickell needs to learn about his football team before Week 1.

Here were the biggest takeaways from Fickell’s latest fall camp check-in.

Wisconsin’s next tier of players has become the focus

Fickell seems relatively comfortable with what he’s seeing from the top of Wisconsin’s roster. His concern is what happens after that.

“I think the higher-end guys right now are doing a really good job,” Fickell said. “There are some guys out there that are making plays and being consistent in what we’re doing. It’s that next tier that we’ve got to find out a lot about.”

That distinction matters because Wisconsin has learned repeatedly during Fickell’s tenure how quickly injuries can expose a roster.

The Badgers aren’t preparing to survive a Big Ten season with 11 offensive starters and a handful of defensive contributors. Fickell wants 22 to 24 players on each side of the ball whom the coaching staff can trust.

They don’t all need identical skill sets or experience. The expectation, however, of doing their job doesn’t change when they enter the game.

“You better have a solid 22, 24 guys on both sides of the ball that you can count on and trust,” Fickell said. “I didn’t say they all can do the same things. They don’t all have the same experiences, but we’ve got the same expectations for them that they can execute the things we need them to do when they go in there.”

That evaluation is happening everywhere.

Injuries along the offensive line have created opportunities for Eric Mateos to develop Wisconsin’s depth earlier than anticipated. With Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell sidelined by injuries, Lucas Simmons, Blake Cherry and Stylz Blackmon have all received opportunities they otherwise might not have gotten. Those three now appear to be part of Wisconsin’s top eight offensive linemen, in no particular order, as Mateos gets an earlier-than-expected opportunity to develop his rotation.

Nate Palmer, who has gotten some opportunities as of late, has thrown his hat into the mix for work at running back in a room that already features Abu Sama alongside Darrion Dupree and Bryan Jackson.

At cornerback, Fickell said the competition between Eric Fletcher and Jai’Mier Scott continues to go back and forth, while Cai Bates gives Wisconsin another intriguing option it can feel good about on the outside. Younger players are also being tested in larger special teams roles.

Fickell isn’t necessarily looking for stars from that second group to emerge because he’s feeling good about the higher-end guys. He’s looking for players Wisconsin can trust when it inevitably needs them.

Eugene Hilton Jr. is emerging at wide receiver

Few players have generated more consistent praise during Wisconsin’s first week and change of camp than Eugene Hilton Jr.

The sophomore wideout from Zionsville (Ind.)showed flashes during spring practice after appearing in all 12 games last season, catching eight passes for 91 yards across 158 offensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished with a 59.3 overall offensive grade.

But Fickell believes something has changed since then.

“I don’t know that I would say I’ve seen the consistency in the spring, but we saw some flashes that were really, really good,” Fickell said. “Through this fall camp, we’ve seen a hell of a lot more consistency.”

Hilton’s development didn’t begin in August.

Fickell traced the progress back to winter conditioning, when the 6-foot-2 receiver began making changes to how he approached his development. His strength and speed have improved, and the physical tools that made him an intriguing addition have started translating more consistently on the field.

Thus far, Hilton has arguably been Wisconsin’s most consistent playmaker.

“If there’s one guy that I could point to in the first seven or so practices that you say, ‘Hey, he has made plays every single day,’ it has been Gene,” Fickell said.

That’s meaningful for Ari Confessor’s wide receiver room that remains wide open entering the season. Chris Brooks Jr., Tyrell Henry, Jaylon Domingeaux and Malachi Coleman have all had their moments and figure to mix into the rotation. However, Wisconsin is still sorting through exactly how those pieces fit together.

Hilton still has another step to take. Fickell noted that he was limited after getting “a little bit dinged up,” and staying available will be part of proving he can sustain what he’s shown. But through the first portion of fall camp, Hilton has done more than flash. He’s beginning to establish himself.

Fickell feels better about Wisconsin’s competitive spirit, but the real test hasn’t arrived

Fickell has spent much of the offseason talking about identity and leadership. Fall camp has given him reasons to feel better about both.

There have been plenty of physical practices. There has been competition. There have even been moments of conflict, including a brief skirmish Fickell found himself stepping into during practice.

He doesn’t necessarily view that as a negative.

“If we don’t have conflict, if we don’t have those moments, then I do wonder,” Fickell said candidly. “But do we also have the discipline to be able to handle those moments and move on?”

That’s where Fickell sees a difference.

He believes this team can compete aggressively on the field without allowing those moments to become problems once practice ends. There’s a stronger internal leadership presence and, in Fickell’s view, less willingness to accept things that don’t meet the program’s expectations.

“That’s where we’re in a different place,” Fickell said. “There isn’t a concern that when they walk off this field, based on what happened on the field, that there’s an issue. Because there’s a difference of some things in there that guys are not going to allow the culture of acceptance in whatever it is that we’re doing.”

Still, Fickell isn’t declaring that Wisconsin has solved its problems. He can’t, not coming off a 4-8 season and back-to-back losing campaigns.

“When the lights come on, that’s when we find out,” Fickell said.

That’s the tension surrounding Wisconsin at this point in camp.

Fickell feels better about the competitive spirit. The running game is showing more consistency. Hilton is emerging at receiver. Competition has created more depth at several positions, and the coaching staff is learning which players it can trust beyond the established starters.

But after a rough start to the Fickell era, August progress only means so much. Wisconsin is still figuring out what it has. But the real answer won’t come until the Badgers’ Week 1 matchup with Notre Dame.

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The Wisconsin football⁠ secondary has plenty of experience at the top of its safety room entering 2026.

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What Jack Cooper appears increasingly encouraged by is how the pieces are beginning to fit around it.

Wisconsin has established veterans at the top, a younger defensive back pushing for a larger role, and another versatile piece who finally appears to have found a permanent home at nickel. Just as importantly, Cooper believes the Badgers are developing the understanding and trust necessary to create more turnovers after finishing last nationally with only six takeaways a year ago.

Here were the biggest takeaways from Cooper’s fall camp media availability.

Wisconsin believes it has found the right role for Raphael Dunn

Wisconsin has spent considerable time figuring out exactly where Raphael Dunn fits.

The Badgers recruited the long, athletic defensive back from Lawrenceville (N.J.) with multiple possibilities in mind and initially envisioned him at the dollar position. Since then, Dunn has bounced between responsibilities in the secondary.

That experimentation appears to be over.

“He’s definitely found a home,” Cooper said. “He’s really settled into the position. We were kind of jerking him around a little bit, playing a little bit of safety and stuff. So now we’ve been able to really focus his eyes and just focus his job descriptors and just what he’s doing schematically, and it’s just built confidence in him.”

That stability has allowed Dunn to focus on learning one position rather than several. After making five appearances primarily on special teams as a redshirt freshman and logging just 10 defensive snaps, he now has an opportunity to take a more meaningful step defensively. Cooper believes the results are showing up beyond the physical side of his game.

“His football IQ has really risen the last, I’d say, six months for sure,” Cooper said.

For a player whose 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame isn’t necessarily typical of a nickel, Wisconsin believes Dunn has the athleticism to make it work. He currently sits behind Ohio State transfer Bryce West in the slot, giving him time to continue developing specifically for that role rather than searching for where he belongs.

Wisconsin has veteran leadership at the top, but Cairo Skanes is pushing

Cooper isn’t leaving much ambiguity about who sets the standard in Wisconsin’s secondary.

He described veteran safety Matt Jung as the “undisputed leader” of the group alongside J-Rob [Javon Robinson], a significant development after the player spent last season finding his footing within the program following his transfer to Wisconsin from the Division III ranks.

The Neenah, Wis., native appeared in all 12 games and made eight starts at safety in his first season with the Badgers, logging 628 defensive snaps, the third-most on Wisconsin’s defense. Jung finished the year with 50 tackles and one tackle for loss.

“It’s been clearly defined what’s expected of him,” Cooper said of Jung’s role on the defense. “You’re the leader of the group. It’s totally on you at the end of the day. A player-led culture is always going to be stronger than a coach-led culture. He’s run with it, and he’s only grown, especially this summer, June, July, and August. He’s been great.”

Wisconsin also likes pairing that leadership of Jung with another experienced safety in Missouri transfer Marvin Burks Jr. Burks brings multiple years of starting experience in the SEC, including starting all 13 games for the Tigers last season and finishing with 49 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

Cooper pointed to that experience, along with the adversity Burks has already encountered, as reasons he doesn’t become rattled easily.

That doesn’t mean the rotation is settled.

Cairo Skanes continues to make a push after Wisconsin moved him from cornerback to safety this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back appeared in all 12 games as a true freshman, recording five tackles while logging 80 defensive snaps at cornerback. Now playing safety, Skanes is trying to turn that early experience and versatility into a larger role in Wisconsin’s secondary.

“He’s a quick learner. He’s a quick study,” Cooper said. “And just as far as making plays on the ball, he’s probably one of our best guys from a ball-skill standpoint.”

Those ball skills have Skanes pushing for work at field safety and putting himself in position to become a rotational piece.

Creating turnovers starts with understanding the defense

Wisconsin doesn’t need to look far to identify one of its biggest defensive shortcomings from last season.

The Badgers forced just six takeaways, finishing last nationally. Cooper believes fixing that problem begins before anyone gets his hands on the football.

“Confidence in leverage, confidence in the defense,” Cooper said. “If you’re playing unsure and you’re playing at 60%, 70% of knowing what you’re doing, you’re playing a little bit more in survival mode.”

The difference Cooper wants is a secondary that understands not only its assignments but where the potential problems within each call can arise. That requires trust between safeties, corners and linebackers because those responsibilities routinely overlap.

“Turnovers are going to come when we have trust and belief in the system and confidence in our leverage and how we’re playing defense,” Cooper said.

Cooper believes Wisconsin is getting there, although he isn’t pretending the work is finished. The Badgers have reached the portion of fall camp where repetition can become tiresome. That’s precisely why Cooper believes the details matter now.

“They can’t get bored with the basic things,” Cooper said.

Wisconsin has experience on the back end with Jung and Burks, while Skanes is among the younger players pushing for a larger role after moving to safety. Iowa State transfer Carson Van Dinter and former Neenah high school standout Grant Dean provide additional competition and depth, giving the Badgers more options throughout the secondary.

Turning that depth into more takeaways will require Wisconsin to play with considerably more confidence in the secondary than it did a year ago. For Cooper, that starts with getting his players comfortable enough within the defense to trust what they see, play fast, and attack the football rather than simply trying to survive each snap.

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The biggest thing Ryan Hopkins is trying to avoid during his first fall camp with the Wisconsin football program is looking like a freshman.

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That doesn’t mean the mistakes haven’t come.

Hopkins has already experienced some of the natural ups and downs that come with being a first-year quarterback in the Big Ten. But the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Mater Dei product isn’t interested in using his age as an excuse, particularly while competing with Louisville transfer Deuce Adams for the backup job behind Colton Joseph.

“I just think the mentality of not having that freshman mindset of just being the young guy and taking every rep, just like Colton would,” Hopkins told reporters. “Being a young guy, I came from high-level football in California. I’m an older guy, too. I’m 19 going into my freshman year, so I think that helps with the maturity mindset and just being able to be coachable.”

That mindset has helped Hopkins make the backup quarterback competition considerably more interesting than Wisconsin might have anticipated.

Hopkins arrived in Madison as a consensus three-star prospect from Mater Dei, one of the country’s premier high school programs. The Newport Beach (Calif.) native accounted for 2,410 total yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior while regularly competing against top programs.

He believes that background has helped make the adjustment to college football less dramatic.

“Every day of practice was just high tempo, high speed,” Hopkins explained. “The transition to the next level was just so much easier. It helped a lot.”

The transition hasn’t been seamless.

Hopkins spent much of spring practice taking third-team reps before pushing his way into second-team opportunities by the end of the spring, setting the table for a competition with Adams for the backup job this fall. He has continued to earn more reps in the rotation during camp, although Hopkins acknowledged that some recent practices haven’t gone the way he wanted.

That response to adversity might be as important as anything Wisconsin learns about him this fall.

“The last two practices haven’t been my best, and it’s a mindset of moving on to the next one,” Hopkins said. “Tomorrow is a whole new day, and I think it’s just taking coaching and just relaxing. I think I’m just too excited and I’m too eager right now.

“I want to have the chance to be on this field, and I want to play. I want to make a difference on this team,” Hopkins continued. “But I think it’s just a matter of settling down and letting everything come to me, being a leader on this offense and keeping my emotions in control.”

There’s a reason for that eagerness.

Hopkins didn’t sign with Wisconsin expecting to sit indefinitely. The Badgers earned his commitment over offers from Missouri, Kentucky, UCF, Utah, Washington, and others despite their offensive struggles last season and other programs trying to flip him. Hopkins saw the opportunity to develop under offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton, but he also saw a potential path onto the field.

“I stuck with them because I knew that those factors and my development and just being a leader in this offense and just growing as a quarterback and being able to play,” Hopkins said. “I also saw a chance to maybe play early, especially here in the Big Ten.”

That opportunity has arrived sooner than expected.

Joseph is Wisconsin’s unquestioned QB1, but Guiton has described the competition between Hopkins and Adams as legitimate. Adams brings college experience after appearing in six games (one start) at Louisville last season, while Hopkins’ maturity and consistency have helped compensate for his lack of experience.

Guiton has specifically praised Hopkins’ leadership, including his willingness to organize meetings with other freshmen away from the facility to help them learn the offense.

“Just the maturity level that he comes in with as a true freshman, it’s just outstanding,” Guiton said of Hopkins. “It’s really above the line. He’s a guy that can naturally go out there and lead on a consistent basis.

“You know what to expect out of him. He’s not going to come out and be two different guys one day to the next.”

There are plenty of people inside the program who believe Hopkins could eventually become part of what Luke Fickell has called a “really bright” future in Wisconsin’s quarterback room. That doesn’t mean he needs to become that player immediately. Joseph, who has two years of eligibility remaining, gives Hopkins time to develop and wait in the wings, but even earning the backup job this fall won’t simply be handed to him.

Adams hasn’t done anything to remove himself from the competition, either. He has continued to make his own case during camp. For all the excitement surrounding Hopkins and what he could eventually become, Wisconsin still has a legitimate decision to make about who sits behind Joseph this season.

That said, Hopkins’ approach to quarterback play also suggests he understands what Wisconsin is looking for. For all the arm talent and playmaking ability required at the position, Hopkins said some of his favorite plays aren’t the ones that generate highlights.

“My favorite plays are the ones that are just the easy ones where you just take what the defense gives you,” Hopkins said. “You have pressure in your face, you take the checkdown. It doesn’t always have to be the big flashy plays all the time. I think doing what’s told of you, doing what the defense gives you, taking the simple stuff, that’s good football.”

That might also be the clearest indication of where Hopkins is in his development.

Hopkins wants to play. He believes he can play early. And he’s competing for an opportunity to put himself one snap away from doing exactly that.

But Hopkins is also learning that earning Wisconsin’s backup quarterback job isn’t necessarily about proving he can make every play.

Sometimes it’s about knowing which ones he doesn’t need to make.

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The Wisconsin football program doesn’t have a quarterback competition at the top of its depth chart entering 2026.

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Colton Joseph is the guy. What quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton is still trying to determine during fall camp is what Wisconsin has behind him.

True freshman Ryan Hopkins and Louisville transfer Deuce Adams are legitimately competing for the backup job. At the same time, Carter Smith is continuing to develop, and Danny O’Neil is gradually working his way back from injury. Through the early portion of camp, Guiton has started getting a clearer picture of what each quarterback brings to the room.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Guiton’s media availability.

Colton Joseph looks considerably more comfortable leading

Joseph, who was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, signed with Wisconsin this offseason, knowing he would be expected to take control of an offense desperately in need of improved quarterback play.

Guiton believes that responsibility initially weighed on him.

“I kind of felt like he came in the spring with the world on his shoulders, feeling like he had to do everything,” Guiton said. “And you can just see him hit his stride where it was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go out here and play ball, lead my guys.’”

That comfort has carried into fall camp.

Joseph remains a newcomer, but Guiton believes the work he put in during winter conditioning, spring practice and summer workouts helped establish the relationships necessary for him to become the unquestioned leader of the offense.

The next step is finding the balance between what makes Joseph dangerous and what Wisconsin needs from its quarterback.

“We want the aggressiveness,” Guiton said. “But smart aggression, right?”

That means understanding when to attack downfield and when the defense has taken something away. Guiton considers decision-making one of the most important responsibilities of the position because the quarterback touches the football every snap.

Joseph’s physical tools give Wisconsin plenty of options. He accounted for 34 total touchdowns last season while finishing with 2,624 passing yards and 1,007 yards on the ground. Guiton now wants him making the correct decision often enough for that dual-threat ability to matter.

Ryan Hopkins is making the backup competition interesting

Wisconsin didn’t bring Hopkins in expecting him to look like a typical true freshman.

Even so, his early maturity has stood out.

“Just the maturity level that he comes in with as a true freshman, it’s just outstanding,” Guiton said. “It’s really above the line. He’s a guy that can naturally go out there and lead on a consistent basis. You know what to expect out of him. He’s not going to come out and be two different guys one day to the next.”

Hopkins has even organized meetings with fellow freshmen outside the facility to help receivers and tight ends learn the offense.

That maturity has put him squarely into a competition with Adams. The Louisville transfer offers something Hopkins can’t yet replicate: college experience.

“You can just tell [Deuce has] played college ball,” Guiton said. “No moment gets too high for him. No moment, he’s going to get too low on himself if there is a bad play. He’s just a guy that kind of stays neutral.”

Guiton wants Adams to become more vocal as a leader, but his ability to remain composed has helped keep the competition legitimate. Adams appeared in six games for Louisville last season, while completing 15-of-21 passes for 112 yards and adding 33 yards on the ground.

And Guiton isn’t rushing the decision.

“Those are game days for those guys,” Guiton said of fall camp practices. “Twenty-five games worth, I promise y’all I’ll have enough film to know exactly which direction we want to go.”

Guiton likes the development happening throughout the room

Wisconsin’s quarterback room has some options they like beyond Joseph, Hopkins and Adams.

O’Neil has begun working his way back from injury after appearing in seven games and making three starts for Wisconsin last season. He completed 61-of-90 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns while adding 58 rushing yards and another score.

Although his availability has been limited during fall camp, Guiton has been impressed by how the veteran has handled the situation.

“He’s been a guy that hadn’t sat in the back and pouted or anything like that,” Guiton said. “He just stood tall. He’s leading. You can see him in the huddle at times, just telling guys it’s time to go.”

Smith has also caught Guiton’s attention.

The redshirt freshman quarterback has made mechanical adjustments and, according to Guiton, has responded particularly well to individualized coaching during camp.

“I don’t coach them all the same,” Guiton said. “Carter gets what he needs. And I thought Carter has done a really good job this fall camp in taking on the coaching.”

That’s ultimately what Guiton likes most about the room.

Joseph has separated himself as QB1. Hopkins and Adams are giving Wisconsin a legitimate decision to make behind him. O’Neil remains engaged while returning from a lower-body injury, and Smith continues to develop further down the depth chart.

“You got five guys in there that want to be coached, that want to open their heart and say, ‘Coach, come coach me, man,’” Guiton said. “As a coach, that is something that you really relish and cherish.”

Wisconsin already knows who will lead its quarterback room onto the field this fall. What Guiton is learning now is that the competition behind Joseph might give the Badgers more options than they initially expected, which would be a welcome growth for a position group that has been snakebitten by injuries during the Luke Fickell era.

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Charles Perkins had a decision to make this offseason.

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After spending his first season with the Wisconsin football program in a limited role, the veteran defensive lineman briefly explored his options in the transfer portal before ultimately deciding to return to Madison.

Five practices into fall camp, that decision looks increasingly important for both sides.

The 6-foot-2, 333-pound redshirt senior has emerged alongside Hammond Russell at the top of Wisconsin’s defensive line rotation during fall camp, with position coach EJ Whitlow praising Perkins for more than what he’s providing between the tackles.

“I would say that the biggest thing with Perk right now is his leadership,” Whitlow told reporters. “He’s done a heck of a job this offseason, this summer, of putting himself in position, taking care of the team, taking care of his body, getting stronger, getting bigger. And it’s really showing.

“He’s playing with an edge. He’s playing with aggressiveness right now, and he’s really leading that unit.”

It’s a considerably different role than Perkins occupied a year ago.

The Memphis (Tenn.) native arrived at Wisconsin after earning first-team All-Big South-OVC honors at UT Martin in 2024, when he recorded 40 tackles, 19 pressures, nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 14 games.

That production didn’t immediately follow him to the Big Ten.

Perkins appeared in eight games last season but logged just 73 defensive snaps, finishing with six tackles and two tackles for loss. Four of those tackles and both TFLs came during a breakout performance against Indiana late in the season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Perkins earned a 62.9 overall defensive grade, including a 61.5 mark against the run and a 57.1 pass-rush grade.

Now Wisconsin is asking him to turn those flashes into consistency.

“Each and every day I bring my A game,” Perkins said. “I try to stay very consistent. Every day I want to elevate my game, not drop my game. So being very consistent, I feel like I had a great first week.”

Perkins also understands that his fifth season of college football comes with different expectations.

“Be a leader and a role model to the guys in the room,” Perkins said. “It’s my fifth season of college football, so I know what it feels like to put the energy on the guys. I know what it feels like to be a role model. I know what it feels like to be a leader.”

Wisconsin doesn’t necessarily need that leadership to come with 50 or 60 snaps every Saturday.

Whitlow wants a legitimate rotation up front. Russell and Perkins have established themselves as key contributors, while Buffalo transfer Junior Poyser and Nolan Vils are among the next options. Dillan Johnson and Appalachian State transfer DeNigel Cooper give the Badgers additional bodies with different skill sets that they can mix and match with.

Perkins believes that’s precisely what can make the group work.

“Having a mismatched D-lineman, that’s a W for us,” Perkins said. “I take pride in every D-lineman that we got in the room.”

His partnership with Russell should remain central to that rotation.

“Me and Ham always told ourselves, every time we step on the field as a duo, we’re going to stop the run and stop the pass as well,” Perkins said. “Nobody is running through our gap. We bleed that. That’s our DNA, that nobody comes through that A or B gap.”

That’s the opportunity Perkins returned to Wisconsin for.

A year ago, Perkins was trying to carve out snaps in a reconstructed defensive line while battling through some early injuries of his own. Now he’s 333 pounds, playing with what Whitlow describes as a different edge and being asked to set the tone for everyone rotating behind him.

For a player who considered finishing his career somewhere else, Perkins has instead positioned himself to play his biggest role yet at Wisconsin.

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The Wisconsin football program doesn’t appear interested in asking one or two defensive linemen to carry the workload in 2026.

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Defensive line coach EJ Whitlow believes the Badgers finally have enough options to avoid doing that.

Charles Perkins and Hammond Russell have emerged at the top of the room during the early portion of fall camp. Even so, Wisconsin has built a rotation behind them that includes Buffalo transfer Junior Poyser, Nolan Vils, Dillan Johnson and Appalachian State transfer DeNigel Cooper.

For Whitlow, the names at the top matter, but the number of players he trusts might matter even more. Here were the biggest takeaways from his fall camp media availability.

Charles Perkins is becoming a leader Wisconsin can build around

Perkins had an opportunity to leave Wisconsin this offseason.

Instead, he returned, and Whitlow believes the redshirt senior has taken a meaningful step forward since deciding to stay put.

“I would say that’s the biggest thing with Perk right now is his leadership,” Whitlow said. “He’s done a heck of a job this offseason, this summer, of putting himself in position, taking care of the team, taking care of his body, getting stronger, getting bigger. And it’s really showing.

“He’s playing with an edge. He’s playing with aggressiveness right now, and he’s really leading that unit.”

Perkins appeared in eight games for Wisconsin last season, logging 73 defensive snaps and finishing with six tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pressure. He and Russell have since established themselves as the leading options up front, but they bring different personalities to the group.

Russell, a West Virginia transfer, gives Wisconsin an experienced veteran who Whitlow believes approaches the position like a professional. Perkins provides something different.

“Perk does a good job of bringing that emotional burst and energy that the unit needs,” Whitlow said.

That’s important to Whitlow, whose message to the room is pretty straightforward.

“Energy is contagious,” Whitlow said. “If you’re juiceless, you’re useless. So every single day, we make sure that we come out here with the right mindset, that we’ve got to have energy, we’ve got to fly around. I’ve got to feel you. I’ve got to feel that energy when we hit this turf.”

Wisconsin believes it has enough bodies to rotate

Whitlow said during spring practice that he wanted six defensive linemen he could trust.

That plan appears to be taking shape.

Poyser and Vils have positioned themselves among the next options behind Perkins and Russell, while Johnson and Cooper provide additional pieces Wisconsin expects to use.

“We know that one, two guys can’t go out there and play 50, 60 snaps,” Whitlow explained. “Not with the style of defense we want to play. We’re playing physical and straining and getting to the ball and effort. You need a committee to be able to do it.”

Cooper gives the rotation a particularly different skill set. The Appalachian State transfer finished last season with 23 tackles, 19 pressures, 12 stops, one tackle for loss and half a sack across 395 defensive snaps. After arriving undersized for the position, Whitlow said Cooper has added weight (277 pounds) and strength without sacrificing the quickness that made him productive in the first place.

“You got guys that are gonna beat you up and knock things back, and the next thing you know you throw that fastball in there, and it’s, ‘Whoa, he’s on you in a hurry,’” Whitlow said. “His skill set is a good value to the room.”

Johnson, a member of Luke Fickell’s 2024 recruiting class, has also taken a step entering his third season in the program. He appeared in 10 games and logged 139 defensive snaps last season, and Whitlow believes his improved confidence and understanding of the defense are allowing him to play considerably faster.

The larger point is that Wisconsin doesn’t want its defensive line rotation viewed traditionally.

“For me, I don’t view it as first, second, third,” Whitlow said. “It’s a unit. Because the standard is the standard.”

Wisconsin wants its depth to change how the defensive line plays

Having six or more playable defensive linemen only matters if Wisconsin can use that depth to play differently.

That’s what Whitlow is after.

The Badgers want their defensive front playing with enough physicality and effort that rotating becomes necessary rather than optional. If Perkins, Russell, Poyser, Vils and others can provide that without a meaningful drop-off, Wisconsin can keep fresher bodies on the field and ask each player to empty the tank during his opportunities.

“All these guys are going to have a piece in the pie,” Whitlow said. “They do a good job of holding each other to the standard, and there’s no drop-off regardless of what combination you have out there. And that’s what we’ve talked about from day one.”

That’s ultimately the encouraging part of Wisconsin’s defensive line entering 2026.

Perkins and Russell appear to have separated themselves at the top of the depth chart, but Whitlow doesn’t want this room defined by two players. He wants a committee capable of playing with the same physicality, effort, and standard regardless of who’s on the field.

For a position group that needed to replace several proven contributors, Wisconsin believes it has built enough depth to withstand those losses.

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Colin Cubberly doesn’t need anyone to explain what playing offensive line for the Wisconsin football program is supposed to mean.

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He also knows the Badgers haven’t lived up to that standard recently.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound redshirt sophomore was thrown into the middle of those struggles last season, appearing in 11 games and making seven starts at right guard. Now, with Wisconsin rebuilding its offense with a new-look roster under coordinator Jeff Grimes and offensive line coach Eric Mateos, Cubberly believes that the room has something to prove.

“100%. There’s a chip on our shoulder,” Cubberly told reporters. “When Coach Mateos came in here, he said that from the jump, nobody believes in us. We have not lived up to the Wisconsin offensive line standard. And that is what we are working every single day to prove and to gain back.”

For the Lagrangeville (N.Y.) native, that isn’t some abstract perception from outside the program. He heard the frustration last season.

“You can’t turn your ears off,” Cubberly said. “You can hear it. So we know that nobody trusts in us. Nobody believes in us. And that’s good. Let’s go. That’s what we want.”

Cubberly experienced plenty of growing pains firsthand.

After appearing in one game and redshirting in 2024, Cubberly logged 393 offensive snaps as a redshirt freshman last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Cubberly earned a 59.2 overall offensive grade, including a 64.9 pass-blocking grade and a 57.4 mark as a run blocker.

There were encouraging moments, including Wisconsin rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns in Cubberly’s first career start against Middle Tennessee State. But there were enough difficult stretches along the way for him to learn what playing an entire Big Ten season demands.

“It was a huge learning period for me, lots of ups and downs,” Cubberly admitted. “I learned so much from that experience. We had some games in there in the middle that we were playing great, and we had some that we weren’t. It was just the ups and downs and being able to learn the flow of the season, how to not get too high, not get too low, and just being able to deal with the adversity that comes throughout the season.”

Mateos is now trying to manufacture some of that adversity before Wisconsin ever plays a game. His early fall camp practices have intentionally pushed the offensive line room both physically and mentally, something Cubberly believes the group needs.

“In the moment, it might suck,” Cubberly said of Mateos’ tough love. “Everyone’s going through it, but we have to be able to push through it, push ourselves and push each other through it, and be able to lean on each other through the ups and downs of practice and fall camp.”

That challenge comes while Wisconsin is sorting through its starting five.

Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell — both viewed as the preferred starters at right tackle and right guard have been unavailable early in camp, creating some additional opportunities throughout the rotation.

Cubberly is expected to earn one of the starting jobs on the interior, likely at left guard, alongside Oklahoma State transfer Austin Kawecki at center. Ole Miss transfer PJ Wilkins has positioned himself as the starter at left tackle.

At the same time, Blake Cherry, who played for Mateos at Arkansas, appears to be the next man up at guard, filling in at right guard. At tackle, Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons has emerged as the top option behind Wilkins and Heywood, who is expected back from injury.

Cubberly, a member of Luke Fickell’s 2024 recruiting class, has made his case for playing time with the kind of physicality Mateos wants this offensive line to embody. During spring practice, Mateos even called him a “dirtbag” in the complimentary offensive line sense, a reflection of the toughness and edge he brings to the position. And Cubberly doesn’t think restoring Wisconsin’s reputation up front requires anything complicated.

“When you turn the tape on, you can feel the nastiness and the toughness,” Cubberly said. “That’s our biggest goal for this fall. When you turn on the tape, you should watch the tape and feel it. You should feel how nasty we are.”

That’s ultimately how Cubberly believes Wisconsin earns back what has been lost. The history of offensive line play in Madison isn’t going to make this group successful. Neither will the reputation attached to the uniform.

“This is Wisconsin football,” Cubberly said. “It’s got to be led up front with the offensive line.”

Cubberly understands the standard. After getting an early education from Mateos in what happens when Wisconsin doesn’t meet it, he’s now trying to help build an offensive line capable of earning that reputation back.

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PJ Wilkins knew what he wanted when he entered the transfer portal following one season at Ole Miss.

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The 6-foot-6, 335-pound offensive lineman from Atlanta (Ga.)wanted to develop. He wanted to play somewhere that valued the offensive line. And after spending his college career moving between programs and positions, Wilkins wanted an opportunity to establish himself.

For Wilkins, the Wisconsin football program checked those boxes.

“O-line U, really,” Wilkins told reporters when asked what drew him to the Badgers. “I wanted somewhere where I can go to be developed, where the team is surrounded by the offensive line, we are the leaders, and that’s where I want to be. I want to be in a place like that.”

Now Wisconsin is asking Wilkins to become something he hasn’t been at the college level: its starting left tackle.

Wilkins played tackle throughout high school but began his college career at Charlotte, where he redshirted in 2023 before appearing in 11 games with two starts the following season. He logged 142 offensive snaps and earned a 61.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, including a 63.5 run-blocking grade.

He transferred to Ole Miss ahead of 2025 to play on the interior.

Wilkins appeared in nine games for the Rebels, starting the first two at left guard and logging 186 offensive snaps. He finished with a 60.9 overall offensive grade from PFF, including a 67.1 pass-blocking grade and a 57.7 run-blocking grade, while allowing three pressures and no sacks across 98 pass-blocking opportunities.

Now he’s moving back outside to offensive tackle, where Wisconsin believes his physical tools are better suited to the player offensive line coach Eric Mateos wants him to become.

“He is just an angry man when he plays,” Mateos said. “He’s got an attitude about him. He’s got a certain level of toughness and competitive nature to him. He wants to get after people, and that’s who he is deep down. He needs to work on his confidence with who he is as a player.”

Wilkins isn’t arguing with that assessment.

“Every day I bring that,” Wilkins said.

The challenge is getting him to play like it consistently.

Mateos has stressed that Wilkins shouldn’t try to become a finesse tackle. At 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds with an 86-inch wingspan, the staff wants him to embrace his size and power rather than attempting to mimic offensive linemen with different physical traits.

Wilkins believes that style can become his calling card.

“Just being dominant in the run game. Really just being dominant overall,” Wilkins said about what makes him unique. “I like to move people off the ball. I like to finish blocks. I think that’s going to be my identity this year.”

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The University of Wisconsin football offensive line isn’t operating under ideal circumstances five practices into fall camp.

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Eric Mateos doesn’t particularly care.

With Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell unavailable, Wisconsin has been forced to move pieces around earlier than anticipated. Lucas Simmons has shifted to right tackle, while players further down the depth chart are receiving opportunities they otherwise might not have gotten with the first-team offense.

For Mateos, that’s not necessarily a problem.

That was one of several things that stood out from Wisconsin’s offensive line coach when he met with reporters during fall camp.

Wisconsin is using its injuries to build offensive line depth

Wisconsin entered camp expecting to rotate offensive linemen. The absence of Heywood and Mandell has accelerated that process.

“All O-line coaches are grinding out to make number seven, number eight on the roster viable to go win football games,” Mateos said. “This to me gives us an opportunity to do that even earlier and more frequently than we already anticipated.”

Instead of having five established starters take virtually every first-team rep, Wisconsin is getting an extended look at its next wave.

Simmons has been among the most notable examples. The Florida State transfer added 20 pounds after spring practice and is now up to 323, all while adjusting to right tackle despite never playing the position before.

“He’s playing strong,” Mateos said. “He’s getting tougher. He’s never done right tackle in his career. That’s a big change, and some people don’t think it’s a big change, but — try wiping after you go to the bathroom with your opposite hand and tell me how it goes. So he’s working through it.”

There has been competition behind him, too.

Mateos called Hardy Watts his biggest surprise since spring practice, praised Ryan Cory’s improved football IQ and execution, and said Stylz Blackmon has continued adjusting to the speed of the college game.

Not everyone is where Mateos wants them.

“Not all five of the twos are pushing how they need to,” Mateos acknowledged. “But some of them are certainly doing that.”

The goal is making sure Wisconsin isn’t scrambling if and when attrition inevitably arrives during Big Ten play.

Mateos wants Wisconsin’s running game to deliver ‘body blows’

Jeff Grimes’ arrival has brought an obvious philosophical shift to Wisconsin’s offense, and nowhere is that more apparent than up front.

Mateos, who has worked with Grimes in the past, wants the Badgers to become increasingly difficult to deal with as games progress.

“We want to be delivering body blows,” Mateos said. “Those first-quarter runs that are three and four yards, second quarter they become five and six. Second half, fourth quarter they become 9-12 explosive plays. We’re just trying to train that mentality.”

That’s significant for a Wisconsin offense that struggled to establish the run last season, finishing 116th nationally and 16th in the Big Ten in rushing offense.

Mateos has been encouraged by the early returns, particularly when the Badgers have created clean running lanes during fall camp. But installing the scheme is only part of what he’s trying to accomplish right now.

Practices five through eight are intentionally designed to test his group mentally and physically.

“Practice five is all about I’m trying to kill them. I’m trying to break them down like a wild bronco,” Mateos said. “There’s a wall in the mind that they have to understand is built of soft thoughts. We all have it, and we’re attacking that. You’ve got to cut the flowers down a little bit if you want them to grow a little bit bigger and more beautiful, and that’s what I’m trying to do right now.”

That approach isn’t one-size-fits-all, either. Mateos believes part of pushing players that hard is understanding how each individual responds to it.

“I think one of the strengths of a good coach is that he can talk to players in a way that connects with them and what they need in that moment,” Mateos said. “I don’t treat everybody the same. That’s an old football coaching adage, ‘Treat everybody the same.’ I think that’s bogus because not everybody’s the same. My job is to figure out how to connect with each of them and make sure we understand each other on a deeper level. So when I do have my foot up their ass, it’s not personal, it’s business.”

The language is colorful. The objective is pretty straightforward.

When Wisconsin takes the field, Mateos wants five offensive linemen comfortable operating without him.

“On September 6th, I’m not going to be out there,” Mateos said. “It’s going to be five guys versus the world.”

Mateos believes turning Wisconsin around starts up front

There are few position groups facing more pressure to improve in 2026.

Wisconsin’s offense averaged just 12.8 points per game last season, the lowest mark by a Big Ten team this century. The offensive line was rebuilt around Grimes’ vision, and Mateos came to Madison understanding exactly what he was being asked to help fix.

Asked whether turning the program around starts with his position group, Mateos didn’t hesitate.

“That’s how I think about it every day,” Mateos said. “That’s why I took the job.”

Mateos compared the opportunity to his previous stop at Baylor: joining a defensive-minded head coach whose offense needed significant improvement and believing he could directly influence the trajectory of the program.

Now Wisconsin is asking him to do exactly that.

There are still questions about what the starting five will ultimately look like, particularly while Heywood and Mandell work their way back.

Oklahoma State transfer Austin Kawecki appears to have the center job locked down, while Ole Miss transfer PJ Wilkins should be similarly secure at left tackle. Colin Cubberly and Blake Cherry are among the options competing for spots on the interior, with Simmons emerging as the preferred option at right tackle while Heywood is sidelined.

Notably, Heywood is expected back before too long, but his absence has forced Wisconsin to test its depth earlier than anticipated. For Mateos, that’s part of the process rather than something preventing the Badgers from establishing what he wants the group to become.

Build enough depth to survive the Big Ten. Develop a running game capable of wearing teams down. And create an offensive line tough enough to handle what happens when nobody on the sideline can help them. For Mateos, that’s where Wisconsin’s offensive rebuild starts.

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There are plenty of reasons to believe the Wisconsin football program could look considerably different in 2026.

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The schedule is more manageable. The roster appears deeper, particularly on offense. Colton Joseph gives the Badgers a dynamic skill set at quarterback they haven’t consistently had during Luke Fickell’s tenure, and a defense that showed meaningful progress late last season returns promising building blocks in Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.

From the outside looking in, the pieces are there for Wisconsin to take a step forward. Of course, anyone who has followed the first three years of the Fickell era can be forgiven for wanting to see it before believing it.

Wisconsin is 17-21 under Fickell, has posted consecutive losing seasons and missed a bowl game in back-to-back years after a 22-year postseason streak. Last season’s offense was the lowest-scoring Big Ten unit this century, averaging just 12.8 points per game.

So yes, there’s optimism again. There’s also considerably less patience.

Perhaps the most interesting difference entering Year 4 is that Fickell now answers to someone who wasn’t responsible for bringing him to Madison.

Shawn Eichorst replaced Chris McIntosh as Wisconsin’s athletic director this offseason, giving Fickell a new boss at arguably the most consequential point of his tenure. Their relationship is still developing, and Fickell said the initial conversations intentionally haven’t centered around explaining away what happened during the previous three seasons.

“He [Eichorst] kind of sat down and said, ‘Well, is there anything that you want to tell me?’ And I’m like, ‘No, I don’t want to dwell upon the past,” Fickell said during an interview with NBC Sports. “I want you to take a good look at who we are and what we’re about. It’s not hard to figure out where we’ve been.

“But I want you to understand that we’re all in this. The guys and coaches in this program understand it hasn’t been up to the standards of what we expect, what anybody expects. But there is no idea of there being another route. There is no escape plan. As I’ve said before, this is burn the boats. Everybody that’s a part of this, from me and my family to every coach and player, understands where we are and what we’ve got to do.”

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Thomas Heiberger has spent much of his first two seasons with the Wisconsin football program waiting for his body to cooperate. Now the Badgers are getting an opportunity to see what he can do when it does.

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Heiberger arrived in Madison as an intriguing developmental prospect in Luke Fickell’s 2024 recruiting class. The Sioux Falls (S.D.) Jefferson product had the frame and athleticism Wisconsin believed could eventually translate as an edge rusher, and the staff considered playing him as a true freshman before a lower-body injury derailed those plans.

His path has changed since then.

Heiberger has moved to inside linebacker, where the 6-foot-4, 230-pound redshirt sophomore is now competing for snaps in one of Wisconsin’s deeper position groups. More importantly, four practices into fall camp, he’s finally feeling healthy.

“It feels good so far,” Heiberger told reporters. “To be through four days now, it’s probably as good as I’ve felt in a long time. And putting together four straight so far has been good for me, and I’m excited to see where the next few weeks and months go for me.”

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy.

Heiberger appeared in 11 games for the Badgers last season and made three starts, but injuries continued to limit him. He logged only 95 defensive snaps, finishing with seven tackles and two pressures while beginning to show what he could provide down the stretch.

According to Pro FFF, Heiberger finished with a 65.6 overall defensive grade. His best work came as a pass rusher, where he earned a 73.2 grade, while posting a 64.7 run-defense grade and a 61.9 in coverage.

Tackling was less consistent. Heiberger earned a 41.6 grade in that area and missed 18.2% of his attempts. The sample was small, but there were enough flashes for Wisconsin to continue developing him inside.

“I was kind of battling through some things injury-wise in the season and really wasn’t feeling like 100% myself,” Heiberger said. “But then to be able to get out there on the field and kind of continue to build confidence and start to feel 100% was really big for me.”

Another setback followed during spring practice. Heiberger responded by spending much of the summer working with Wisconsin’s training staff and developing a daily routine to keep his body healthy.

Now he’s trying to turn availability into opportunity.

Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have established themselves as two of Wisconsin’s most important young defenders. At the same time, Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara has positioned himself for a notable role and gives the Badgers another athletic option. Wisconsin also expects to have opportunities to deploy three inside linebackers together.

That leaves Heiberger firmly in the mix for snaps, particularly because inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland trusts him at multiple spots.

“I’ve been excited kind of bouncing back and forth between Mike and Will so far in the fall,” Heiberger said. “Really been feeling comfortable now, kind of being in the room for what it’s been almost like a year and a half now.

“I’ve had a lot of practice under my belt, and I’m excited for that role to just be able to bounce around wherever they need me.”

That versatility could ultimately become Heiberger’s path onto the field.

Borland has praised his ability to handle multiple responsibilities and recently said Heiberger continues to earn the coaching staff’s trust.

“He’s had a great camp so far. Credit to him,” Borland said. “He’s faced some adversity throughout his career to this point, battled through some injuries, and he just keeps coming back. He’s continued to earn trust, providing versatility to the room, playing multiple spots and doing a really good job at it. We’re excited about him.”

This staff has also spoken about how important having a healthy Heiberger could be for keeping Wisconsin’s rotation fresh.

Heiberger doesn’t need to become a focal point of the room for his presence to matter. After spending much of his first two seasons navigating injuries, simply being healthy enough to compete consistently gives Wisconsin another long, athletic linebacker you can plug and play.

That depth could also give Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel the personnel flexibility to lean more heavily into the 3-3-5 principles they used together at Cincinnati, particularly with players like Posa, Catalano, Kamara and Heiberger offering different skill sets at linebacker.

For Heiberger, that’s an opportunity he’s been waiting a long time to have.

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Mason Posa didn’t need much time to prove that he could make plays for the Wisconsin football program.

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Now the challenge is proving he can make them everywhere.

Posa emerged as one of the Badgers’ biggest bright spots as a true freshman last season, finishing with 61 total tackles, 14 pressures, four sacks and two forced fumbles in just 11 games. His impact earned him third-team All-Big Ten honors and established the 6-foot-3 linebacker as one of the foundational pieces of Wisconsin’s defense entering 2026.

Most of that damage, however, came near the line of scrimmage.

Inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland recently pointed out to Posa that essentially all of his plays were made within five yards of the line of scrimmage. So while Wisconsin’s coaching staff isn’t trying to take away the downhill aggression that made the New Mexico native productive, Posa’s offseason has focused on becoming a more complete linebacker.

Specifically, Posa wants to become more dangerous as a pass rusher and considerably more comfortable in coverage.

“I’ve texted Mason Reiger, and I’ve also hit up a guy that went to my high school named Connor O’Toole [linebacker]. He was a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks,” Posa told reporters. “So I try to get advice from older guys and guys who obviously are getting paid at that position on how to work on my craft and how I could be that dual threat.”

That growth matters beyond Posa’s individual development. Wisconsin finished last nationally in takeaways last season, forcing just six all year, making creating more turnovers a point of emphasis for the defense.

“We lacked in the turnover department last year,” Posa said. “Just kind of having the mindset of, ‘Get the ball, get the ball. That’s our ball. The offense can’t have this. It’s ours.’ That mentality is really huge for us. When you win the turnover battle, you pretty much win the game.”

Posa got one himself during fall camp, intercepting Colton Joseph after narrowly missing another opportunity the previous day.

“The coverage game, Coach Tuf really emphasizes vision on the quarterback,” Posa said. “I was just reading Colton’s eyes and just seeing where he was going, and it led me to a pick today. So that definitely boosted my confidence up in the passing game for sure.”

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The Wisconsin football program didn’t have to wait long last season to learn what it had in Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.

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Both grew into significant roles as freshmen and quickly became two of the most important pieces on a defense that improved considerably as the season progressed. Posa earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, while Catalano started five games and established himself alongside him.

Inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland isn’t asking either player to become dramatically different in Year 2. He wants them to understand considerably more about why they’re doing what they’re doing.

That was one of the biggest takeaways from Borland’s media availability during fall camp.

Wisconsin wants Posa and Catalano to become students of the game

Posa and Catalano made plenty of plays last season because they’re instinctive football players. Even so, Borland doesn’t want Wisconsin relying exclusively on those instincts anymore.

“We got to be situational and formational masters,” Borland said. “A lot of times they’re playing off feel, and they made a lot of plays. They have instincts, but you can’t rely on instincts all the time, right? You’ve got to be able to anticipate what the offense is giving you pre-snap and play ball that way too.”

Posa might be the clearest example.

Borland challenged him this offseason after noticing that much of his production occurred near the line of scrimmage. Posa finished with 61 tackles, 14 pressures, four sacks and two forced fumbles in just 11 games, establishing himself as a disruptive downhill player. The next step is becoming more effective when offenses force him to play in space.

“You look at his plays last year, I told him that all his plays are made within five yards of the line of scrimmage,” Borland said. “And it’s just continuing to grow. Situational football, okay, what are those little things from a situational standpoint? What depth of the routes are coming? Formationally, okay, what am I seeing? What can I pick up on?”

Wisconsin already knows Posa can attack downhill. Becoming equally comfortable diagnosing what’s happening around him could unlock another level.

Their leadership styles couldn’t be more different

Luke Fickell has repeatedly pointed to Posa and Catalano as young players who helped change the internal leadership of the program last season.

Borland sees two players accomplishing that in very different ways.

“I think, naturally, Posa is a little bit more outspoken, leads a little bit more through what he says, the energy he brings and plays with, and Coop’s a little bit more of that rock-solid, steady, lead-by-example type guy,” Borland explained.

The challenge is getting each player outside his comfort zone. For Catalano, that means becoming more vocal. For Posa, it’s making sure the emotion and energy are accompanied by down-to-down consistency.

“At the end of the day, leaders are seen, heard and felt,” Borland said. “And you strive to hit all three of those benchmarks.”

That’s significant for a position group Wisconsin will lean heavily on in 2026. Posa and Catalano aren’t being treated like young players who might eventually become leaders anymore. They’re being asked to become two of the people setting the standard now.

Wisconsin believes there’s legitimate depth behind them

Posa and Catalano headline the room, but Borland doesn’t want Wisconsin’s linebacker depth to end there.

Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara continues to flash athletically, although Borland wants greater consistency.

“I think the athleticism, it’s really fun to coach,” Borland said of Kamara. “Guy flashes and makes a ton of plays, and just trying to continue to hone in the details of what we’re doing and continuing to be more consistent. Coach Fickell always talks about being consistently good over occasionally great. And that’s what we’re striving to do with Jon Jon.”

Thomas Heiberger has also impressed the coaching staff after injuries interrupted some of his opportunities early in his career. He appeared in 11 games last season, making three starts at linebacker, but logged just 95 defensive snaps and finished with seven tackles. His ability to handle multiple linebacker spots has helped him continue earning Borland’s trust.

Then there’s Iowa Central Community College transfer Taylor Schaefer, a native of Sturgeon Bay (Wis.) who Borland believes fits the mold of what Wisconsin has traditionally valued at linebacker.

“He’s rock steady,” Borland said. “He fits the Wisconsin mold, Wisconsin culture of what these linebackers’ corps have been. Tough, physical, nasty. As he’s gained more experience, he’s looked more comfortable.”

Even walk-on Drew Braam from Oak Creek (Wis.) has worked into the conversation. Braam, now a redshirt sophomore, knows all three linebacker positions and is expected to contribute on special teams.

That’s important because Borland has made the expectations for anyone outside the primary rotation pretty clear.

“We pride ourselves on being deep. Everybody’s got to pull their own weight. There’s no such thing as free lunches,” Borland said.

“Even guys that you don’t see, they’re competing, they’re fighting. At this point, it’s kind of an NFL model for linebackers and special teams. If you aren’t the guy, if you aren’t one, two, three, you better be on three, four teams. Make an impact in some way, somehow, adding value to the team.”

Wisconsin enters 2026 feeling considerably different about its inside linebackers than it did a year ago. Posa and Catalano have already proven they belong and could become cornerstones of this team. Now Borland wants them diagnosing offenses rather than relying solely on instincts, expanding their leadership roles and becoming more complete players.

And behind them, Wisconsin finally appears to have enough competition that earning snaps won’t be easy. That’s exactly how Borland wants it.

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Nate Palmer didn’t transfer into the Wisconsin football program because he was promised a wide-open path to carries.

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Quite the opposite.

The former TCU running back joined a room Wisconsin completely rebuilt around Darrion Dupree, adding Iowa State transfer Abu Sama, USC transfer Bryan Jackson and, later, JUCO transfer Julius “JuJu” Pope. Three practices into fall camp, first-year running backs coach Jayden Everett is still searching for a bell cow while finding roles for everyone else.

For Palmer, that’s part of what made Wisconsin appealing.

“I feel like we all have different games, different styles, but we all stand out in our own way,” Palmer told reporters. “We didn’t have a deep room like that in my old school. But here, I feel like we have a deep room that can do a lot of things with the ball and a lot of things for this offense.”

Palmer’s role is beginning to come into focus.

The 5-foot-10, 205-pound redshirt sophomore describes himself as more of a scat back, someone Wisconsin can create favorable matchups for in space, whether that’s releasing out of the backfield or lining up in empty formations.

“As you can see, I can run the ball as well, but I feel like where I stand out is in space,” Palmer said. “I can make people miss and just let my game talk for itself when I’m out in space.”

There wasn’t much opportunity for Palmer’s game to do that at TCU.

The Decatur (Tex.) product appeared in two games as a freshman and logged 23 offensive snaps before playing in 10 as a redshirt freshman last season, making one start. Palmer carried the ball just 30 times for 139 yards (4.6 YPC) in 2025, with his best performance coming in the season opener against North Carolina, when he rushed seven times for 61 yards.

Still, there were some encouraging signs within the limited sample.

According to Pro Football Focus, Palmer logged only 58 offensive snaps last season but earned a 69.4 overall offensive grade and a 73.6 rushing grade. Of Palmer’s 139 rushing yards, 107 came after contact. He forced nine missed tackles and produced four runs of at least 10 yards.

For his TCU career, Palmer finished with a modest 41 carries for 164 yards. That’s part of what brought him to Madison.

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The University of Wisconsin football program enters fall camp with no shortage of options at running back. What first-year position coach Jayden Everett wants now is separation.

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Wisconsin added Iowa State transfer Abu Sama, USC’s Bryan Jackson, TCU’s Nate Palmer and JUCO transfer Julius Pope to a room where Darrion Dupree is the lone returning scholarship back, giving the Badgers considerably more depth and a variety of skill sets to work with.

But Everett, who joined Luke Fickell’s staff this offseason after coaching running backs at Minnesota, isn’t necessarily looking to divide the workload evenly. He wants someone to become Wisconsin’s bell cow.

That was one of several things that stood out from Everett’s media availability during fall camp.

Wisconsin is searching for a bell cow

Jeff Grimes made his preference clear before fall camp began. In an ideal world, Wisconsin identifies a primary ball carrier and builds the rotation around him.

Everett sees the room similarly.

“You need a bell cow, and then you need a guy after that that has a change of pace,” Everett said. “There will be a guy that will get a bulk of the carries, and then there will be guys that earn the rest of the way.”

Sama appears to be the most obvious candidate after rushing for 732 yards and five touchdowns on 140 carries at Iowa State last season. Still, Wisconsin has enough viable options to make the competition meaningful.

Dupree flashed some explosive ability last season, appearing in 10 games with two starts while leading Wisconsin with 363 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 83 carries. The Mount Carmel High School product averaged 4.4 yards per attempt, highlighted by an 84-yard touchdown run against Illinois, and Everett praised his development as a tackle-to-tackle runner. Jackson, meanwhile, was singled out as perhaps the player who made the biggest jump between spring practice and fall camp.

Everett called Jackson “the heart of our room” and praised how rarely he makes mistakes with the football.

Then there’s Pope, a late addition who gives Wisconsin something different. A former four-star linebacker who began his career at Arkansas, Pope later landed at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he transitioned to running back before arriving at Wisconsin this summer. He wasn’t around for spring practice and remains a work in progress technically, but his natural ability has already caught Everett’s attention.

“Juju’s a work in progress, Everett admitted, “but he’s doing a really, really good job. But his vision, he has natural vision. He feels things the way they need to feel in terms of just where the ball should hit. But there’s just certain things that you’ve got to coach him up on. Glad to have him.”

There are options. Now Wisconsin needs someone to separate himself.

Playing running back at Wisconsin requires more than carrying the football

Everett’s definition of a bell cow goes considerably further than rushing production.

He wants someone he can trust regardless of situation.

“Every-down back,” Everett said. “Someone I can put in any situation. Doesn’t matter what it is. Someone that understands down and distance. Someone who understands the moment.”

That’s why pass protection has become such an important part of fall camp.

Everett said Wisconsin’s recent blitz pickup work represented the best collective pass-protection day that he’s seen from the room, which matters because he has created individualized development plans for each running back based on what they need to improve.

The eventual goal is removing situational limitations altogether.

“I’d like to have everybody be every-down backs so they can stay in,” Everett said. “I don’t have to utilize this guy on this down, utilize this guy on this down, but everybody just be universal to be able to be in there.”

That applies to physicality, too. Everett hasn’t left much room for interpretation there.

“It’s not a choice,” Everett said. “You got to do it, or you’re not going to play.”

That’s particularly relevant for a Wisconsin offense attempting to restore its ability to control games on the ground after finishing 116th nationally in rushing offense last season. The importance is difficult to overstate: Wisconsin is 16-0 under Fickell when rushing for at least 150 yards and 1-21 when it fails to reach that mark.

Having several players who can carry the football creates depth. Having multiple backs Grimes can trust to run between the tackles, protect Colton Joseph and contribute in the passing game creates something far more valuable.

Everett wants to restore the standard that comes with playing running back at Wisconsin

Everett knew exactly what job he was accepting when he left Minnesota for Wisconsin.

He also understands the history attached to his position room.

“If I wasn’t confident about it going back to that, I wouldn’t have taken this job,” Everett said. “I know how big this season is for us. I know how big the running back position has been here.”

Everett has intentionally brought former Badgers back around the program, including Ron Dayne, Melvin Gordon and Brian Calhoun, hoping their presence helps the current room understand what playing running back at Wisconsin has traditionally meant.

For Everett, this isn’t about nostalgia as much as establishing expectations.

“What a great opportunity we have to resurrect an RBU-type room,” Everett said. “You’ve got to put your big boy pants on, your big shoes on when you come to the running back room in Wisconsin. They know what it’s about.”

That’s an ambitious standard for a room that still has plenty to prove.

Wisconsin hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard rusher since Braelon Allen in 2022, and the Badgers’ entire offense struggled to establish any consistent physical identity last season.

Everett isn’t running from those expectations.

His message through the opening portion of fall camp has been pretty straightforward: Wisconsin will find a primary runner, everyone else will have to earn their role, and carrying the football is only one part of becoming someone this staff trusts.

The depth appears to be there. Now Everett has to find out whether there’s a bell cow somewhere within it who can move the needle.

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The University of Wisconsin football program didn’t bring Colton Joseph in to simply stabilize the quarterback position. The Badgers staff is betting on him to change what their offense is capable of becoming.

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After Wisconsin finished 135th nationally in total offense and scored just 12.8 points per game last season, Joseph arrives with the kind of proven production the Badgers have desperately lacked at quarterback.

The Old Dominion transfer earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors as a redshirt sophomore after throwing for 2,624 yards, rushing for another 1,007 and accounting for 34 total touchdowns.

Joseph averaged 302.6 total yards per game, eighth-most nationally, while ranking second in the country at 15.2 yards per completion and 12th at 6.4 yards per carry. He was also one of only two quarterbacks nationally to eclipse 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in 2025.

Now he’s being handed the keys to Jeff Grimes’ offense, along with the responsibility of helping lead the younger quarterbacks behind him in Kenny Guiton’s room.

Joseph understands what comes with that.

“I feel like there’s always pressure,” Joseph said. “There’s a privilege to that. If there’s not much pressure on you, then that’s kind of a thing where there’s not much expected. So I think I like to embrace the pressure.”

That’s probably the right mindset considering what Wisconsin is asking him to do.

The Badgers feel good about the long-term potential of true freshman Ryan Hopkins and Louisville transfer Deuce Adams, but Joseph is the player who will determine what this offense is capable of in 2026.

His ability to create outside structure is a major reason why.

“Just being able to escape and find ways to create plays and to get out there, I think it definitely helps me and helps keep play callers confident in me that we can make something happen out of nothing,” Joseph said.

Wisconsin hasn’t consistently had that luxury during the Fickell era. Tanner Mordecai gave the Badgers some mobility, but Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke and Billy Edwards weren’t threats with their legs.

But Joseph’s transition from the Sun Belt to the Big Ten involves more than trying to bring his Old Dominion production to Madison. Grimes’ system asks considerably more of him before the snap, including protection checks and responsibilities Joseph acknowledged are “a lot different” from what the California native previously handled.

That’s why spring practice became so important.

Joseph admitted that adapting to a new football program while trying to establish himself as a leader was initially challenging. By the end of spring practice, however, things began slowing down.

“Once I kind of got comfortable with the offense, comfortable with all the guys out there, and trying to lead them, and them leading me when I was down, I think just the comfortability with that, and really studying the plays, and kind of dialing into what I need to do every day to be really good, I think it just helped a lot in that area,” Joseph said.

The physical preparation has changed, too.

Joseph, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, said he added roughly 10 to 15 pounds this offseason and developed his own routine centered around flexibility and strengthening vulnerable areas of his body. That’s particularly important for a quarterback who rushed 158 times last season and whose legs will remain an important part of Wisconsin’s offense.

Grimes referred to Joseph as “the total package” and a “workhorse,” noting he’s never seen the moment or workload become too much for him.

Joseph sees that approach more simply.

“I just push my all every time,” Joseph said. “You’re never guaranteed to wake up tomorrow. So I think just doing your best every day and always working to be the best person you can be, whether it’s on the field, off the field, working out, learning the playbook. I just take that approach to life where I’m going to go a hundred percent in everything I do.”

Wisconsin’s coaching staff has spent a lot of the offseason explaining why this offense should be different. The roster is deeper. The offensive line has been rebuilt. The running back room has more options, and Grimes believes the receiving corps has much more size and athleticism.

But eventually, most of those conversations lead back to Joseph.

He came to Wisconsin because Joseph saw what he called “the biggest opportunity for me to come out and show what I can do.”

The opportunity is certainly there. So is the pressure. Wisconsin appears comfortable putting both in Joseph’s hands.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.