Luke Fickell never shies away from talking about his players and what they are working on or how he sees them fitting into the team or whatever happens to come to mind. When a question was asked about Kerry Kodanko, he was effusive in his praise for whom he called one of the most critical players on the team, which may come as quite a surprise.
Kodanko has never started a game and has only ever played in one, according to his bio on Wisconsin athletics. He isn't some heralded recruit as he was a former walk-on, and he isn't getting any of the press clippings, yet, Fickell said that the team would be in a world of trouble without him.
"The value of those fourth and fifth years, especially the big guys is so critical. You might not hear a ton about them, who knows whether he'll start games or not but to not have him we'd be in big trouble. Those are the guys that make programs what they are...If you don't have guys like Kerry Kodanko, it's going to be really difficult. "Luke Fickell
Kerry Kodanko's experience and versatility is a huge key to Wisconsin's offensive line
Fickell's compliments for Kodanko center around his ability to be a veteran presence. He's now a graduate senior and he's been around the program for a long time. He knows what's expected of him, and he's developed a lot in his five years at Wisconsin.
Fickell also raved about Kodanko's versatility, saying that he's already played every offensive line position in camp over the week, which will be an asset to the Badgers this season as needed.
Kodanko may end up being the starter at right guard in 2025. Evan Flood thinks that's a likely scenario and that he's showing why in camp this week. He was listed as the backup center last season behind Jake Renfro, and he may still be the backup to Renfro even if he's the starting right guard. It's that versatility that causes Fickell to shout him out as a player they'd "be in big trouble without."