Luke Fickell’s new offensive line experiment vs. Michigan has high risk to backfire

The offensive line for the Wisconsin Badgers has been the worst part of this flailing team since the beginning. The Badgers were able to pull off two non-conference wins, but it was mostly in spite of their offensive line. It's only gotten worse with stronger opponents, and a big reason is Jake Renfro's injury and the youth forced into the spotlight.

Luke Fickell has a new idea for the formation of the offensive line, and it's extremely risky. Moving transfer left tackle Davis Heinzen to center. Fickell said in his weekly press conference ahead of the Michigan game that Heinzen has been getting reps at center this week.

The problem is Heinzen came in with the idea he could be the starting left tackle, and he's proven he can't, not at this level. This thrust a redshirt freshman, Emerson Mandell, into the right tackle spot so Riley Mahlman could play left tackle. Heinzen went to the bench.

Fickell is running out of ways to fix this team and it may already be too late

This feels a lot like grasping at straws. Fickell clearly wants a veteran body along the line. He's talked about the frustration with having freshmen on the line. However, Heinzen hasn't been good, so maybe he could play center? That can't be a recipe for disaster... wait...

Sure, there's a chance that Heinzen can fill the center role and maybe be that veteran presence that Fickell wants on the line. Maybe he truly is the missing piece to the puzzle, but it seems extremely doubtful. If he couldn't block on the outside, making him now snap and then block, it seems like it could go bad. Real bad.

Heinzen has never played center, at least not at the college level, but it's doubtful he even played it in high school. He's had starts at left guard in his college career, but he's really only ever been a tackle. Center is not a position you can pick up and learn; yet, here we are. The state of Wisconsin football.