There are a lot of position battles worth watching at Wisconsin fall camp and going into the season. The running back one is undoubtedly at the forefront of most fans' minds. We looked into who could be emerging as the clear-cut starter there. However, the other very important offensive position is left tackle. While Luke Fickell continues to experiment, a favorite seems to be emerging as the starter in 2025.
Transfer Davis Heinzen from Central Michigan was seen taking plenty of reps with the first team offense. He seems to be the one to watch as the potential starter. It also could be last year's starter, Leyton Nelson, who took the job when Kevin Heywood went down with an injury. Or even Heywood himself, who was billed as the starter last season.
Davis Heinzen was the left tackle with the 1s. JP Benzschawel also saw time at LT for the first time. Asked if he moved there for good, Fickell said that they are just trying some things and looking at different options. pic.twitter.com/3XOKiGfzTi
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) July 29, 2025
Davis Heinzen, a 3-year starter from Central Michigan, may be the favorite to win the LT starting role
Luke Fickell has told reporters that they are just trying things out and experimenting with different looks at that LT position, so don't read too much into who's playing right now with the starting unit. offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes emphasized that Heinzen wasn't brought here to not play.
"“He certainly hasn't earned his stripes with the other guys in the offensive line room as well as some other people have, but we didn't bring him here to not play. So he's going to get a lot of opportunities to win that starting job.”"Jeff Grimes
It really does seem to be an open battle between the player who was supposed to start last year, the player who ended up starting last year, and the senior transfer who has three years under his belt at the position. This fall camp will give answers to the coaching staff about who that ends up being. The depth at the position is now a luxury.
There is now a wealth of options, and if injuries do creep up, the Badgers won't be throwing undeveloped players into the fire. Now, they can work off a strength in the offensive trenches.