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Projected Wisconsin Badgers offensive depth chart after 2025 spring practices

The Badgers found an offensive scheme that better fits the identity of the program, but questions still remain at a few positions with summer conditioning mere weeks away.
Jake Kocorowski|
Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers found an offensive scheme that better fits the identity of the program, but questions still remain at a few positions with summer conditioning only weeks away.

UW will now run an “NFL-style” system under new coordinator Jeff Grimes. It’s one that emphasizes a wide zone rushing attack that was complimented well with a downfield passing game during portions of their 15 spring practices.

There were several standouts from each side of the ball, but the Badgers also dealt with some notable injuries and departures via the transfer portal. That makes depth charts hard to nail down, but we can make some educated guesses based on how each unit has faired since mid-March.

Wisconsin’s QB1 is definitive

Player

Starter

Billy Edwards Jr.

Backup

Danny O'Neil

This isn’t a situation like last year where there was a competition between Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke, though Wisconsin’s quarterback two-deep will once again likely be two players who initially didn’t sign with the program out of high school. 

Edwards is the starter unless injury or other unforeseen circumstance arises. The redshirt senior from Maryland possesses the arm talent, ability to extend plays with his legs and leadership for this offense. He wasn’t perfect with some interceptions thrown over the course of spring practices, but he also made explosive plays through the air.

O’Neil started as a freshman last season at San Diego State and appeared to improve over the course of the spring while adjusting to a new scheme. He has plenty of arm talent for this offense, though maybe not as strong as Edwards. O’Neil also showed escapability when scrambling away from pressure.

As for four-star freshman Carter Smith, his dual-threat nature is apparent on the field though he’s still adapting to playing quarterback at the college level. Grimes succinctly told reporters April 11 that Smith’s “really raw and really talented.”

Wisconsin’s running back room is a strength

Players

Starting-caliber running backs

Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree, Cade Yacamelli

Capable backup

Gideon Ituka

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It really could be a 1A/1B situation with Jones and Dupree, both former four-star recruits in the 2024 class. And Yacamelli's experience and explosiveness could really make him 1C.

Jones emerged further within this wide zone scheme after Dupree went down with an injury during the April 10 practice and looks like a seamless fit. But Dupree’s all-purpose abilities catching the ball out of the backfield while still running strong between the tackles makes him a valuable tool within this offense.

Yacamelli continued to produce when his name was called, which included a 55-yard touchdown during the spring showcase. Ituka also took advantage of snaps with injuries in the backfield this spring and ran hard downhill with speed and power.

Feel good about the top 5 of Wisconsin’s receivers

Player

Starting-caliber receivers

Vinny Anthony II, Jayden Ballard, Chris Brooks Jr., Trech Kekahuna, Tyrell Henry

Potential contributors

Eugene Hilton Jr., Joseph Griffin Jr., Kyan Berry-Johnson

Anthony and Ballard give Wisconsin a 1-2 punch of downfield threats, which can keep opposing defenses honest against the run. Brooks stayed healthy this spring and became “the standard of the room,” according to wide receivers coach Jordan Reid. His 6-foot-2 frame allows him to make contested receptions, and he showed good hands in the spring.

Kekahuna was injured for most of spring practices, though his speed and hands will definitely help the offense when he returns. His absence opened the door for Henry, who caught only one pass in five games last season but had a more-than-solid spring both catching and running the ball.

It will be worth watching who steps up behind those five in preseason camp and if Wisconsin wades into the transfer portal to grab some depth after the departures of Quincy Burroughs and Mark Hamper.

Hilton turned heads early on this spring and was a key freshman standout. Griffin made a couple of notable receptions during the spring, including reeling in a deep throw from O’Neil during the spring showcase.

Tight ends need to be more productive this season

Players

Starting-caliber tight ends

Jackson Acker, Tucker Ashcraft, Lance Mason

Potential contributors

Grant Stec, Jackson McGohan, JT Seagreaves

The Tanner Koziol transfer experience didn’t pan out for Wisconsin, but UW did find some potential answers for its tight ends’ receiving woes this spring. Ashcraft put together a solid spring as he enters his third season in Madison, and Acker’s versatility will allow him to line up in and out of the backfield. And yes, Acker did score a touchdown on a fullback dive during the spring showcase.

Wisconsin essentially swapped out Koziol for senior Lance Mason from FCS Missouri State, who caught 34 passes for 590 yards receiving and six touchdowns in 2024. Stec received some first-team reps this spring, and McGohan most notably showed his potential as a receiving threat in later practices.

One big question for Wisconsin’s offensive line that could have ripple effects on the rest of the group

Players

Veteran starters

Joe Brunner (left guard), Jake Renfro (center), Riley Mahlman (right tackle)

Who locks down right guard?

JP Benzschawel, Kerry Kodanko or Emerson Mandell?

Who will start at left tackle Week 1 against Miami (Ohio)?

Brunner? Leyton Nelson? Davis Heinzen? Others?

The ACL injury to first-team left tackle Kevin Heywood was a significant blow to the continuity of Wisconsin’s projected starting offensive line, and it also makes projecting any form of a two-deep difficult after spring practices. Add in a couple of other injuries, and it becomes tough to confidently predict a pecking order.

It would be simple if assistant AJ Blazek could elevate and plug in someone behind Heywood, as it would allow the combination of Brunner-Renfro-Kodanko/Mandell/Benzschawel-Mahlman to gel further during preseason camp. But he has a few options.

Leyton Nelson, who didn’t play last season after suffering his own injury last summer, received first-team reps after Heywood went down but didn’t appear to lock down the spot. At one point, Brunner bumped outside to left tackle during the April 23 practice. He's likely best suited for his natural position of left guard, however.

Fickell name-dropped Mandell when discussing the left tackle spot, but the redshirt freshman appears to be in a battle for right guard. Mandell’s potential gives him a higher ceiling than the sixth-year senior Kodanko, and we’ll see if Benzschawel can challenge at that spot as well after missing time this spring.

Then there’s Central Michigan transfer Davis Heinzen, who is also a candidate for the left tackle spot. Heinzen played both left tackle and left guard for the MAC program in 2024, but PFF credited him with four sacks and 27 pressures allowed last season.

Redshirt freshmen Colin Cubberly (left guard) and Ryan Cory (center) received a significant chunk of second-team reps during spring ball.

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Jake Kocorowski
JAKE KOCOROWSKI

Jake Kocorowski has covered the Wisconsin football program since the 2013 season for a few outlets, most recently at the Wisconsin State Journal/BadgerExtra. He wrote, directed and edited BadgerExtra’s “Rags to Roses” series about the 1993 Wisconsin football team that won second place in the 2023 APSE Division C Project category.

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