Current and former Wisconsin Badgers linemen both named 'sleeper' breakout players by ESPN

A current Wisconsin offensive lineman and a former Badgers defensive linemen are both set to have big years in 2025 and will face each other later in the season.

Wisconsin offensive lineman Jake Renfro (57) is shown during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, November 18, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Nebraska 24-17 in overtime. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Linemen don't get nearly as much attention as the players who have the ball in their hands, but Wisconsin has a healthy appreciation for the big guys who do the dirty work.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg is doing his part to highlight some of the lesser known players in college football who could have their versions of a breakout season, and both a current and former Badgers lineman made the list.

Center Jake Renfro is someone both ESPN and Wisconsin are expecting big things from in 2025.

A first-team All-AAC selection in 2021, Renfro started for the Cincinnati team coached by Fickell that became the first from the Group of 5 to reach the four-team College Football Playoff. But he sat out the 2022 season because of injury and then, after following Fickell to Wisconsin, only appeared in the ReliaQuest Bowl during the 2023 season. Renfro returned to the lineup last season, helping an offensive front that protected well against the pass. He enters this fall as one of the nation's more experienced centers.

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

New for ESPN: I've been spending the past six weeks asking coaches about under-the-radar players on their teams to watch for the 2025 season.

Here are 43 sleepers and why they're poised to break through. https://t.co/d9Au5Z1XFh

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) August 20, 2025

According to PFF, Renfro allowed only one sack, one hit and eight quarterback hurries last season on 375 pass blocking snaps. He's among their five highest-graded returning centers in the Big Ten this season.

His status for the Badgers' season opener against Miami (OH) is still in question after he left fall camp practice with a knee injury earlier this month, but that didn't stop him from landing on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Award.

In addition to Renfro, a former Badgers lineman on the other side of the ball is also on Rittenberg's list for breakout candidates.

James Thompson Jr. was a three-star recruit for Wisconsin in the Class of 2020 who transfered to Illinois this winter to play for Bret Bielema.

Sep 22, 2023; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Wisconsin Badgers defensive end James Thompson Jr. (90) celebrates after sacking Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card (1) during the first half at Ross-Ade Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Thompson played in only one game last season due to injury, but he led all Badgers defensive linemen in tackles back in 2023.

Bielema has been impressed by the lineman's combination of size and speed, setting Thompson up to be a breakout candidate this season for his new team.

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