Wisconsin Badgers offensive line returning to high standard of toughness, hard work and grit

Sometimes you have to go backward in order to move forward. For the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line, that means using the past to set clear goals and expectations for 2025 and beyond.

They've done exactly that leading up to fall camp in Platteville, sitting down as a unit to examine film of the early 2010's Wisconsin offensive line — a strategy which guard Joe Brunner and center Jake Renfro have found particularly impactful.

"We take pride in the people that have played here before," Renfro said after Monday's practice in Platteville. "It's important to know where this place was and where we need to get back to."

Wisconsin took a detour from its tradition of hard-nosed, run-heavy offense when Luke Fickell hired Phil Longo as offensive coordinator. In the two years that followed, the Badgers went 12-13 while enduring questions of toughness and culture.

It looked like the Wisconsin of old was fading fast, but entering 2025, the Badgers offensive line is doing all they can to get back to their roots.

"We've came to this camp and worked our butts off," Brunner said of the offensive line group. "Every single day, no slowing down. Usually, Day 7 of camp, guys start to get their bodies hurt but, man, for three years I haven't seen it [like this], Guys come in and they work their butts off every day, and it's awesome."

Wisconsin offensive lineman Jake Renfro (57) is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The linemen know change won't come about without hard work, and that was emphasized by the film sessions. Brunner noted the diligence of the offensive line units that had great success over a decade ago. Despite their individual talents, it was their work ethic that elevated them into greatness.

"You look at the [2010], '11, '12, those teams, that is the standard of offensive line play... phenomenal players." Brunner continued. "But you watch the film and it's not necessarily pancakes all the time but it's the strain to finish."

Strain and finish were frequent points of emphasis during Monday's offensive line availability.

That looked like the willingness and ability to hold a block all the way through the whistle, no matter where a player is in relation to the football. It might seem like a minor portion of the complex tasks offensive lineman are asked to complete, but offensive line coach AJ Blazek believes it can make a massive difference.

"Once you're into that play for a second or two, you know who you have, he knowns who he's tied up with, and it's that battle for six to eight seconds," Blazek said. "It's how long you can stay attached. I don't care if I'm far away from the play, I never just stop and jog and watch."

"That's the difference in the four and six and eight-yard runs, and the 22 and 24 and 48-yard runs."

Wisconsin football offensive line coach AJ Blazek works with players during practice Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium in Platteville, Wisconsin. | Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The grit required to strain and finish every play echoes the core beliefs of new offensive coordinator Jef Grimes' scheme. Noted as a reliable, violent offense, Grimes' system uses the run game as a foundation to set up play action and other explosive plays.

"The finish, the competitive drive, the physicality," Blazek said of the differences in Grimes' schemes compared to Longo's. "As an O-lineman, I get it, pass pro is great and you gotta work all that stuff, but you like running the football."

The changes have certainly translated onto the field this offseason, much to the excitement of Wisconsin's returning offensive linemen.

"It's been physical, really physical, and it's awesome," Renfro said. "I think that's going to be the biggest change that people haven't seen the past couple years."

While they make be overlooked on a national scale, especially considering the Badgers' difficult schedule, expectations from within the program are high. Players are aware of their shortcomings and know where they need to get to, particularly in the offensive line room.

"We have a chip on our shoulder," Renfro said. "We know what we were, and we know what we are now, and we got something to prove."

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