Observations from 5th spring practice (2024)

The way Luke Fickell sees it, the challenge facing each player on the University of Wisconsin football team is the same.

3 things that stood out from Luke Fickell after Wisconsin football’s 5th spring practice

“If you pull a hamstring, you go down, the reality is if somebody else goes in there, if they take it and run with it, hey, that’s part of the game,” said Fickell, the Badgers second-year coach.

Fickell, speaking Tuesday at the McClain Center after the team’s fifth spring practice, said a goal of the offseason was to “eliminate entitlement” at every level of the program. Some young players, like tight end JT Seagreaves, are serving as examples of taking advantage of chances afforded by injuries to players who may have come into the spring above you. Seagreaves caught a deep throw up the seam on Saturday and continued to play with the top offense Tuesday.

Here are four observations from the Badgers’ fifth spring practice.

Some movement on Wisconsin’s offensive line

Wisconsin doesn’t have much depth on the offensive line for these practices, and Fickell has twice referred to the “baptism by fire” that some freshmen running with the second team have had to endure. Fickell and position coach AJ Blazek appear to be creating some of their own depth by getting players in the top group reps at different positions.

Joe Brunner, who has been the No. 1 left guard, took snaps at left tackle. Joe Huber, last season’s starting left guard who’s been the top right guard this spring, worked at center for two series. JP Benzschawel moved up from the second team to play both guard spots when Brunner and Huber changed roles, and Fickell said Huber could realistically play any position on the line. Huber started at tackle for Fickell’s last Cincinnati team.

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Snaps from centers other than Renfro and Huber were an issue for parts of practice, displaying another potential issue if the injury bug ever hits the position group. The Badgers have three class of 2024 offensive linemen joining the team this summer, but could look to the transfer portal to bolster the middle classes of the line.

Max Lofy adds flexibility to secondary

Fickell may have needed to check a roster when he saw No. 12 covering slot receivers at the start of the spring. Max Lofy, listed as a fifth-year senior on Wisconsin’s roster, has been injured and only practiced once since Fickell took over in late November 2022 before this set of practices.

Lofy’s turned some heads with solid nickelback play and joined the starters today after a shuffle in the secondary. Safety Kamo’i Latu injured his shoulder on Saturday and Fickell said it’s not known yet whether Latu will be able to return this spring. Latu’s injury moved top nickelback Austin Brown back to safety and Lofy slotted into the No. 1 defense. He picked off quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and returned it for a good distance the other way during a third-down drill when Van Dyke was working with the No. 1 offense.

Lofy (5 foot 10, 187 pounds) has played in 20 games for the Badgers, with PFF crediting him for 167 defensive snaps. But his ability to play both cornerback and nickel, as well as move back to play safety if needed, gives the defense flexibility that Fickell appreciates.

“He’s gonna give us a lot of opportunities, a lot of options, I think,” Fickell said.

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Lots of work on the screen game

The Badgers have been working on being more efficient with their screen-pass plays this spring, an element of the offense that wasn’t as productive as offensive coordinator Phil Longo would’ve liked. PFF tracked Wisconsin completing 47 of 53 screen attempts last season for 235 yards, a paltry 4.4 yards per attempt.

Tuesday’s practice featured a longer-than-usual group period in which receivers and backs were drilling their footwork for a variety of screen passes. Receivers and backs didn’t secure blocks on the edge often enough or well enough last season to allow for some of the swing and bubble screens to get beyond the first defender. Will Pauling caught a rocket screen Tuesday and had one of the better gains on a screen seen this spring, but a bubble screen a series later was blown up.

Screens are a method of getting the ball in space and get a defense guessing if they’re run well, but Wisconsin’s offense still has a way to go before being a proficient screen team.

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Curt Neal appears better with his hands

Wisconsin’s defensive line is an interesting group to watch because it’s thin on experience beyond the top trio, but there are a handful of promising young players. Neal is in that top group and he’s using his hands better when pushing blockers off the line and getting shedding blocks.

Neal had a couple of strong reps during one-on-one pass-rush drills on Tuesday, and blew up a run during 11-on-11 work with a bull rush. Neal who’s entering his third season at Wisconsin, isn’t the biggest of interior defensive linemen at 6 feet tall and 285 pounds, but he has good upper-body strength when he gets his hands on blockers.

How consistently Neal can disrupt plays, particularly against the run, will likely determine his playing time this season. Wisconsin sorely missed a middle-of-the-line force in 2023, and Neal’s best can fill that void.