Wisconsin Football: Top 3 position battles to watch this spring

No. 2 – Offensive Line

Projected depth chart

LEFT TACKLE

1.Cole Van Lanen

2. Michael Furtney

LEFT GUARD

1.David Moorman

2. Alex Fenton

CENTER

1.Tyler Biadasz

2.Jason Erdmann

RIGHT GUARD

1. Kayden Lyles

2. Josh Seltzner

RIGHT TACKLE

1.Logan Bruss

2.Tyler Beach

Also in the mix: Logan Brown, Joe Tippmann

What to watch for

In most cases, an offensive line replacing nearly its entire starting unit from the previous season probably isn’t set up for a ton of success. Wisconsin’s 2019 group is definitely an exception to that rule.

Gone are Michael Deiter, David Edwards, and Beau Benzschawel, who will all be playing on Sundays next season, and Jon Dietzen, who stepped away from the game for health reasons. However, Wisconsin fans should not expect much, if any, of a drop off given the talent that is set to replenish the ranks this season. There are several players capable of filling those vacancies, and it should be one heck of a battle this spring as they duke it out to set themselves up for prominent roles in 2019.

Three of the five starting spots are probably locked up already, with All-American center Tyler Biadasz returning at center, rising star Cole Van Lanen at left tackle, and Logan Bruss at right tackle. Biadasz and Van Lanen look to be sure-fire future pros, and Bruss looks to have that potential as well after seeing him play in all 13 games last season, including three starts at right tackle after Edwards went down with his injury.

On the other hand, the starting guard positions are up for grabs, as are the primary reserve roles along the entire line. Spring practices will offer the contenders a chance to begin to establish their places in the pecking order.

The favorite at left guard heading into the spring is David Moorman. Moorman played in every game last year and finished the season behind Dietzen on the two-deep at that spot. On the right side, my money is on Kayden Lyles locking down that job now that he has moved back to offense after spending last season as a defensive lineman, as the former 4-star recruit has flashed star potential early in his Wisconsin career.

That being said, Moorman and Lyles are by no means shoo-ins. Jason Erdmann has the versatility to play either guard spot in addition to center and has been rock-solid in reserve duty over the last few seasons, and the coaching staff is also high on Josh Seltzner, a former walk-on who has since been put on scholarship and played in 12 games last season.

The backup tackle spots on the depth chart will also be hotly contested. Tyler Beach is probably the primary reserve there, but Michael Furtney could be poised to make a jump this spring after redshirting in 2018. They won’t be enrolling until the summer, but expect highly-touted true freshmen Logan Brown and Joe Tippmann to compete for primary reserve roles as well.