Wisconsin Football: Spring Practice Spotlights Glaring Weakness

When Badgers spring practice kicks off, there isn’t a position group I’m more uncertain about or excited to monitor than the development of the Wisconsin football team’s defensive line — and how that room shakes out.

How the dynamics within that group unfold will play a significant role in determining whether Mike Tressel’s run defense can take a step forward after finishing 39th in 2023, allowing 135.1 yards per game.

This offseason has seen a lot of changes along the defensive line. Still, the question remains: Can the new position coach, E.J. Whitlow, mold this inexperienced group into impactful players?

“I’m excited to have E.J. join our staff,” Luke Fickell said in a press release on February 26. “E.J. is a fantastic coach and person, and he has Midwest ties that will help our recruiting and player development efforts.”

Wisconsin Football Defensive Line to Look Much Different 

When the Badgers take the field this spring, the defensive line will be without 46% of the snaps played a year ago. But is that such a bad thing when that group produced just 59 pressures and 4.5 sacks all season? 

Wisconsin football returns just one defensive lineman who registered more than one sack last season for the Badgers: James Thompson Jr., who had 3.5. According to Pro Football Focus, he was also the team’s second-highest-graded defensive lineman.

That’s a good starting point, but there’s a noticeable drop-off afterward.

Experienced options like Rodas Johnson and Gio Paez opted to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Needing a veteran plug-and-play option to fill that gap, the Badgers added Albany defensive end Elijah Hills. 

Last season for the Great Danes, Hills made 31 tackles, with 15 pressures, 9.0 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks while playing 779 snaps. He still has one year of eligibility remaining and should slot into a starting role. 

But then what? Wisconsin football will need some younger options to step up and claim those vacated snaps to keep Thompson and Hills fresh.

The Badgers Need Young Players From This Group to Emerge

While this position group is largely unproven, there is a nice mix of returning players who saw the field in some capacity in 2023 and some high-upside recruits who could push for snaps.

Curt Neal played an expanded role in the ReliaQuest Bowl to end the season and has a chance to be an asset in the run game. Neal played 263 snaps last season and became a rotational fixture.

The Badgers also return Ben Barten — a converted offensive lineman who showed flashes of being a disruptive pass-rusher. You’d have to think he’s someone who could be in line to earn more playing time.

Other options, such as Cade McDonald, Mike Jarvis, and T.J. Bollers, could provide depth but haven’t shown they’re capable of more.

This leads me to redshirt freshman nose tackle Jamel Howard. Despite not cracking the rotation for Wisconsin football last year, I’m still high on his ability to make an impact, given his stature and skill set. This will be a big spring for Howard because plenty of opportunities are available.

It’s never wise to count on true freshmen to make an impact, but the Badgers’ incoming recruits, four-stars Ernest Willor Jr. and Dillan Johnson, stand out as options who could climb the depth chart quickly. I could see a world where one or even both find a way to see the field. Three-star defensive end Hank Weber will also join the mix this fall.

Final Thoughts on the Wisconsin Football D-Line

The Wisconsin football program enters spring practice needing to be better on the defensive line. Period. Especially with all the talent the Badgers added at linebacker this offseason. 

Spring practice offers us our first look at where Luke Fickell and his staff see this group in the broader landscape — and who they see as potential contributors. I could be way off base, but there’s a lot of potential among this group — I just don’t know how likely it is that it all comes together in 2024. 

Thompson, Woods, Johnson, Willor, Neal, and Howard all excite me to some degree. But how many can play now? It’s the guys in between who will ultimately decide this group’s ceiling. 

A source told me that Willor is someone who’s looked even better than advertised during offseason workouts. Feels like he’s a keeper and could even be on the fast track to cracking the Badgers two-deep. 

To me, a win from the Wisconsin football defensive line would produce an average Big Ten unit—with a few players who prove capable of being above-average players that the Badgers can build around for the future. 

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