Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator hints at preferred plan to fill hole at LT

The Wisconsin Badgers are still figuring out their plan to replace injured left tackle Kevin Haywood, who tore his ACL during spring practice.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes made it sound like the staff knows their preferred option, but the job will still have to be earned.

Offensive lineman Davis Heinzen transferred in from Central Michigan after spring practices wrapped up, and it will likely be his job to lose this fall.

"He’s going to get a lot of opportunities to win that starting job," Grimes said at the team's local media day Monday. "He certainly hasn’t earned his stripes with the other guys in the offensive line room as well as some other people have, but we didn’t bring him here to not play."

Heinzen transferred to Wisconsin to play, not to sit on the bench.

Davis Heinzen will obviously get every opportunity to be the left tackle. Fickell said there has also been some discussion about Emerson Mandell being able to play there. Could also move Joe Brunner.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) July 23, 2025

He does have the ability to play multiple positions, which could change the equation on the offensive line.

He played both guard and tackle at Central Michigan, so it's not out of the question that Grimes could plug him in on the interior of he feels that will give them their best offensive combination.

"He’s done a great job learning the offense. He’s a really smart kid and a quick study," Grimes said. "There are a number of things that we’re asking him to do that are different than he’s done before, and that’s where the learning curve really has to speed up when we get to camp.”

The staff experimented with left guard Joe Brunner kicking out to left tackle in the spring.

The easiest option would be to plug Heinzen in at tackle next to Brunner and leave the OL mostly in tact from where it was before Haywood's injury.

Younger options like Leyton Nelson or Emerson Mandell could also be in the left tackle battle, but Heinzen seems like the most likely option until further notice.

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