Wisconsin Football: Top Five Position Battles in Fall Camp

#2 – Left Tackle

Michael Deiter was an All-American at left tackle last season but will be kicked inside to guard in 2018,  his more natural position and the one he will likely be playing in the NFL.

Moving Deiter inside has created a very interesting situation at left tackle, pitting a starter on last year’s line against a rising star in a battle for a position on what is arguably the best offensive line unit in the nation.

This battle likely going to come down to the wire. Luckily for the coaches, they are in the enviable position of choosing between two talented players, each of whom most teams would put on their starting line in a heartbeat.

The contenders

Jon Dietzen

Dietzen has started 20 games at left guard over the last few seasons and had been relatively solid in his play there. That experience obviously works in his favor as he looks to lock down the starting left tackle gig.

He has had some injury issues over his career. The junior missed all of spring practice and actually played through a torn labrum in his hips for the entire 2017 season. Though he is healthy at the moment, any setback during fall camp could tilt this battle in favor of Cole Van Lanen.

Cole Van Lanen 

An Army All-American and 4-star recruit out of Bay Port High School in Wisconsin, Van Lanen has the talent and potential to join the long line of outstanding linemen that have played for the Badgers and moved on to the NFL.

As a redshirt freshman last season, he appeared in all 14 games as a backup at tackle on Wisconsin’s loaded offensive line, indicating the coaching staff’s high level of trust in him despite his youth. On pretty much any other line across the nation, Van Lanen would have been a starter.

Dietzen is clearly the more experienced player, but regardless, the snaps Van Lanen received last season, especially in huge games like the Big Ten Championship and Orange Bowl, will be extremely valuable as he competes for a starting role.

Dietzen and Van Lanen have been splitting first-team reps early on in camp.