There were rumors swirling all week around the Wisconsin fanbase that Kevin Heywood had torn his ACL, and that's why he was initially listed as "doubtful" on the first injury report of the week. However, Fickell never confirmed it and wouldn't speak about it. However, during the Rutgers game, the Big Ten Network announcers mentioned it while talking about the Wisconsin offensive line.
Then John Steppe, a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, dug in and reached out to the Wisconsin athletic department. They confirmed that Heywood is done for the season and has torn his ACL.
It is not known whether it's his left leg or his right. Heywood missed all of last season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. He suffered the torn ACL during spring practice on April 10, 2025. He then had surgery and didn't return to the Badgers until Spring of 2026. He was a pivotal part of the offensive line.
Now what for the Badgers? Wisconsin is already running low on offensive linemen and is digging deeper and deeper into the reserves.
A team spokesman has confirmed that #Badgers OL Kevin Heywood is out for the rest of the season. https://t.co/zXZ0LofzYl
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) November 7, 2026
Wisconsin must turn to their depth to replace their starting left tackle, Kevin Heywood
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Luke Fickell clearly knew about this all week and had been preparing for the Rutgers game and then the rest of the season. However, this game has featured a variety of options to replace Heywood.
At the start of the game, it was PJ Willkins at left tackle. However, midway through the first half, Lucas Simmons-Johansson got a chance to show what he can do. This wasn't the only shuffling on the offensive line during the game. Blake Cherry came in and took over for Colin Cubberly at left guard.
The problem Wisconsin has right now is that multiple players are banged up or out. Austin Kawecki broke his snapping hand and is unable to play center. They gave him a club for a hand, and he's slid over to guard, but that's not ideal. That put Stylz Blackmon at center and moved him off of guard. Cubberly has been helping there, but Barrett Nelson has also stepped in until he got injured.
Nelson was unable to go for the Badgers against Rutgers, making it all sorts of shuffling for offensive line coach Eric Mateos. So, where does Wisconsin go without Heywood? Seems like there may be a bit of an open tryout between Wilkins and Simmons. However, don't be surprised if Mateos slides Emerson Mandell over to left tackle, as he's the top lineman left.
It's terrible news for Heywood as a person, since he truly can't stay healthy. The poor guy seems to be thrown onto the injured list every single season. Now, he's gone again, and if it's his left knee all over again, that's going to be a brutal blow for his future.
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