Badger of Honor
Fansided

Wisconsin Football: How to Replace Tyler Marz

By Jim Oxley

Apr 23, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive linemen Jon Dietzen (67) and Ryan Ramczyk (65) talk during the Wisconsin spring football game at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Network
Apr 23, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive linemen Jon Dietzen (67) and Ryan Ramczyk (65) talk during the Wisconsin spring football game at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Network /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Wisconsin football team has a hole to fill on the offensive line

With another group of seniors departing last season the Wisconsin football team is looking for players to step up to fill gaps in the roster.

Related Story: How To Replace Joe Schobert

One of those gaps is at a very important position for a team looking to break in a new quarterback this season, as the Badgers need to replace former starting left tackle Tyler Marz.

Marz started the final 40 games of his Wisconsin career, playing in 51 games total. He’s earned some sort of All-Big Ten recognition in each of those three seasons as a starter.

More from Badger of Honor

He’s been the Badgers starting left tackle since 2013, and allowed the Badgers stability at the position the entirety of that time.

Now Marz is off trying to make the roster of the Tennessee Titans, and the Badgers have to replace a hole on the blind side.

Luckily for Wisconsin, someone has stepped up in spring ball.

Ryan Ramczyk seems to have the left tackle jobbed locked up tight. The former Stevens Point high school football star went on to play football at Division 3 UW-Stevens Point before transferring to Wisconsin.

He sat out the 2015 season due to transfer rules, but has made his presence known since joining the team in full this season.

Ramczyk stands 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds, making him a little smaller than the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Marz. He’s shown so far in spring ball that he has the skills to ably replace the graduated Marz.

Should Ramczyk get beaten out in camp, the likeliest candidate is Beau Benzschawel, who saw some starting reps on the offensive line last season and has run with the No. 2 group in spring at left tackle.

Other potential fill-ins could be Jacob Maxwell and Brett Connors, who have played right tackle with the No. 1 and No. 2 teams this spring, respectively.

Next: Breakout Candidate: Ryan Ramczyk

The job, though, appears to be firmly in the hands of Ramczyk as the Badgers look to move forward with a more consistent group on the whole in 2016 than what was out on the field in 2015.