Projecting Wisconsin Football's Depth Chart: Offense

NCAA Football's spring transfer portal window has closed and so has Wisconsin's stretch of 15 spring practices, leaving the Badgers roster with a bit more certainty. Having lost what felt like key players such as TE Tanner Koziol and WR Mark Hamper to the transfer portal and having starting LT Kevin Heywood go down with a season ending injury, Wisconsin had to be proactive in the portal.

After adding five transfers, here's how the offense is shaping up:

Quarterback

This group is pretty clear-cut. The Badgers weren't secretive with their plans to name Maryland Transfer Billy Edwards QB1, and by bringing over sophomore Danny O'Neil, they have a clear backup.

And, as Luke Fickell alluded to throughout camp, they added another arm to the room from the portal. Hunter Simmons, a transfer from Southern Illinois University, joins Blake Rolan, his former OC and QB Coach, who's now an assistant wide receivers coach with Wisconsin. Simmons threw for 852 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, including a pair of 300-yard performances. He'll add experience to the room and operate as the No. 3 signal caller.

Simmons' addition shouldn't be looked at as a knock on any of the other quarterbacks, rather a life jacket for a scenario where both Edwards and O'Neil go down with an injury. Carter Smith, like all freshmen quarterbacks, will need time to develop, but he had some flashes during the spring.

Running Back

The running back position may be where I'm furthest from consensus, but I feel really confident in my assessment here. Dilin Jones ran away (literally) with the starting job during spring camp, showing impressive quickness and vision, making cuts on a dime and seemingly always hitting the hole. Darrion Dupree did miss a significant chunk of camp due to an injury, but when both backs were healthy, Jones still looked like the lead back.

Jones and Dupree may not be the prototypical thunder and lightning one-two punch, but it does seem like the staff will use them complimentarily. Dupree took turns returning punts, and he could be the type of player Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes tries to get into open space as a pass-catcher.

If that's the case, what happens to Cade Yacamelli? I continue to point back to what Luke Fickell said about Gideon Ituka late in camp. "We got the utmost confidence in him, whether he's the one, two or three back, whatever that is in the midst of what we've got."

I'm going to take the liberty of reading between the lines here and say there's a very real chance that Ituka winds up as the No. 3 tailback this year. Ituka's really the only power back on this team, and his bowling ball-like frame and never-ending motor makes him unique -- and potentially more valuable than Yacamelli, whose skillset may overlap more with Jones or Dupree.

Regardless, it feels like carries will be dominated by Jones and Dupree this fall, it's just unknown if there will be a defined number one or merely a 1a/1b rotation.

Wide Receiver

Losing Mark Hamper and Quincy Burroughs to the portal hurt the depth of this group, but I'm not sure it would have had too much of an impact on the first unit. Jayden Ballard may have been the biggest surprise of spring practices, as the Ohio State transfer flashed exceptional speed and shook open for deep touchdowns on several occasions against the ones. He's likely to fill the perimeter wide receiver spot opposite Vinny Anthony and could be a real X Factor this Fall.

The Badgers brought in Hawaii transfer Dekel Crowdus to offset the losses of Hamper and Burroughs. Crowdus spent his first three collegiate seasons at Kentucky, but he was primarily a special-teams player before tallying 16 catches for 402 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Rainbow Warriors. He has a murky path to regular-season snaps.

Chris Brooks has dealt with injuries throughout his college career, but he's fully healthy and saw plenty of reps with the first team during spring. He didn't have an exceptional camp, but he seems to have a leg up on the others for a spot with the twos. Opposite Brooks, I have a hard time imagining it'll be anybody other than Eugene Hilton. The true freshman made impressive catch after impressive catch throughout the spring and, with some refinement through the summer and early fall, it'll be hard to keep him off the field.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Joseph Griffin push for snaps, though. At 6-foot-4 with freakish athleticism, Griffin provides a skillset that's unique in this group. If used right, Griffin could be a lethal redzone threat.

Tight End

Koziol's arrival and sudden departure left some question marks at the TE spot. Junior Tucker Ashcraft and running-back-turned-tight-end Jackson Acker eased those concerns with strong spring camps, but it was clear the Badgers needed to add another body.

That's exactly what they did in grabbing Lance Mason from Missouri State (FCS). Mason compiled 590 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2024 and is entering his fourth collegiate season.

As previously mentioned, Ashcraft looks like he's taken a step forward physically. His strong frame and well-rounded skill set make him the frontrunner for tight end snaps. Past him, it's a bit foggy. However, I don't think there necessarily has to be a clear No. 2. Acker won't be a typical tight end, but rather filling the role of an H-Back and Swiss Army knife. Jeff Grimes uses plenty of 12 personnel, and while I think Mason will get the first crack at being Wisconsin's second traditional tight end, Grant Stec saw plenty of looks with the ones during spring.

Then, there's players like JT Seagreaves and Jackson McGohan, who have strong flashes but haven't put it all together yet. It might be a cumulative effort, but I expect Wisconsin to lean on Ashcraft heavily.

Offensive Line

The Badgers may have missed out Joe Cotton, who many believed to be the top offensive lineman in the portal, but Central Michigan transfer and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, native Davis Heinzen is more than a consolation prize. Heinzen started 36 straight games for the Chippewas, 30 at left tackle and six at left guard, and is expected to fill the starting LT spot vacated by Kevin Heywood.

Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro and Riley Mahlman are locks for their respective positions, leaving right guard as the only position worth talking about. JP Benzschawel, who seemed likeliest to win the position pre-spring camp, missed most of the team's practices, allowing Kerry Kodanko to come out of nowhere and become the frontrunner. It's unclear who will get the first go once Benzschawel is healthy.

The bigger concern with the offensive line is depth. The injury bug bit hard among the OL, and it may have exposed the lack of secondary options. Leyton Nelson struggled while filling in for Heywood, Ryan Cory couldn't consistently place shotgun snaps, and the rest of the group were injured. Emerson Mandell also dealt with a nagging injury, often limping during practice, but he figures to be important this fall. Mandell has the versatility to play inside and out, and he played both guard positions during the spring.

Coming out of Spring, the offensive line seemed to be the biggest question mark. Can Heinzen and Kodanko fill the holes? Will the group have enough depth to make it through a tough Big 10 schedule? I have to see more before feeling confident about either.