Wisconsin football fall camp preview: Interior offensive line
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It is mid-July, which means we are just weeks away from Big Ten Media Days and the beginning of fall camp for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.
The Badgers enter the 2022 season looking to improve upon their 9-4 record from a year ago and aim to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game after missing out on a Big Ten West title in 2021.
After a busy off-season filled with coaching changes, recruiting news, and transfer additions, football is nearly back. With that in mind, it is time to preview each position group leading up to the start of fall camp.
Previously covered positions:
Staying on the offense, next in our rolling series of position previews, we break down the interior offensive line of the Badgers ahead of fall camp.
The Wisconsin Badgers offensive line works through individual drills during spring practice.
Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Roster breakdown
Coaches:
- Bob Bostad (offensive line coach)
Returning players:
- Tyler Beach (RS SR) 6-foot-6, 316 lbs.
- Michael Furtney (RS SR) 6-foot-5, 315 lbs.
- Joe Tippmann (RS JR) 6-foot-7, 317 lbs.
- Trey Wedig (RS SO) 6-foot-7, 310 lbs.
- Dylan Barrett (RS SO) 6-foot-5, 318 lbs.
- Tanor Bortolini (RS SO) 6-foot-4, 306 lbs.
- Sean Timmis (RS SO) 6-foot-4, 300 lbs.
- Kerry Kodanko (RS SO) 6-foot-2, 303 lbs.
- JP Benzschawel (RS FR) 6-foot-6, 297 lbs.
Newcomers:
- Barrett Nelson (FR) 6-foot-6, 277 lbs.
- John Clifford (FR) 6-foot-5, 260 lbs.
- Drew Evans (FR) 6-foot-4, 255 lbs.
Projected depth chart
Starters
LG: Tyler Beach
C: Joe Tippmann
RG: Michael Furtney or Tanor Bortolini
Backups
LG: Dylan Barrett or JP Benzschawel
C: Tanor Bortolini or Dylan Barrett
RG: Trey Wedig
Returning career production
- Tyler Beach: 46 career games with 20 starts
- Joe Tippmann: 13 career games with 10 starts
- Tanor Bortolini: 12 career games with five starts
- Michael Furtney: 31 career games with two starts
- Trey Wedig: 12 career games
- Dylan Barrett: three career games played
- JP Benzschawel: one career game played
Position overview
Former Wisconsin starters Josh Seltzner and Logan Bruss are just weeks away from their first NFL training camp, which leaves the Badgers needing to replace two experienced starters along the offensive line.
After spring practice, the left side of the line seems fairly settled when it comes to the interior, with Tyler Beach at left guard and Joe Tippmann at center. However, the right guard position is still wide open, with several possible candidates vying for the starting spot.
Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Bostad's decision to shift Tyler Beach inside from left tackle to left guard seemed to pay off in the spring, as Beach looked more comfortable and effective inside. Unlike last year, the sixth-year veteran enters fall camp healthy, which should make him one of the more reliable linemen on the roster in 2022. He has earned All-Big Ten honors in each of the last two seasons, so he has the talent to help the team as the starter at left guard.
Behind Beach, Dylan Barrett earned the bulk of the second-team reps in spring practice. A redshirt sophomore from Illinois, Barrett moves well, and I think he could be a viable option to not only back up Beach but also earn some time as a reserve center potentially now that the ever versatile Cormac Sampson is no longer on the team.
Speaking of center, Joe Tippmann enters fall camp as the No. 1 center, after earning consensus honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition last season. Tippmann is one of the team's best offensive linemen and should be one of the top centers in the Big Ten next season. He missed the entire spring with an injury, but at 6-foot-6 he is a mauler in the middle for Wisconsin in the run game. Just a redshirt junior this season, Tippmann is already on NFL Draft watch lists, and the Badgers expect him to take another big step this season.
Tanor Bortolini (No. 63) celebrates with Braelon Allen after a rushing touchdown against Nebraska.
MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK
With Tippmann unable to go in the spring, Tanor Bortolini took all the starting reps. Bortolini is one of the more fascinating players in Wisconsin's offensive line room because of his versatility. In just two seasons in Madison, he has played center, guard, and tackle in games for the Badgers and is in contention for a starting spot on the right side of the line. Offensive line coach Bob Bostad mentioned in the spring that he sees Bortolini as an interior player, and I believe that if Tippmann were to go down with an injury, Bortolini would be the starter at center, regardless of how things shake out at right guard. Wisconsin is very high on the Kewaunee native, and his athletic ability makes him one of the most valuable offensive linemen on the entire roster.
Bortolini will battle with senior Michael Furtney at right guard in fall camp. Furtney has played in each of the last three seasons and made multiple emergency starts at guard in the past. With Bortolini at center, Furtney dominated the first-team reps in the spring and played well. Furtney has bided his time in the offensive line room for this opportunity, and it will be fascinating to see if he can hold on to the starting role in the fall.
The other interesting name to keep an eye on is Trey Wedig. He is one of the biggest interior options along the offensive line at 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds per the spring roster. Wedig spent time as the second-team right guard in spring ball and also took reps at tackle on occasion. The highest-rated recruit for the Badgers in the 2020 recruiting class, Wedig has the talent to be a starter, and I am excited to see where he fits into the equation on the line. I think there is a strong chance the former four-star recruit winds up in the two-deep for the opener.
Young player to watch
While sophomores Tanor Bortolini and Trey Wedig are pushing for additional playing time this season, JP Benzschawel is another exciting interior offensive lineman to watch in fall camp. A former four-star recruit out of high school, Benzschawel wasted little time in committing to Wisconsin as part of the 2021 recruiting class, following the same path as his two older brothers.
After a redshirt season a year ago, the younger Benzschawel added some nice weight and earned additional opportunities in the spring as a result. The Badgers used Benzschawel at guard in the spring, and I think that is a natural landing spot for him in the future. He is an exciting prospect at 6-foot-6 and around 300 pounds, and he could make a run at a spot in the two-deep with a strong fall camp. Offensive linemen traditionally use the initial redshirt season as a springboard, and I could see Benzschawel finding a role given his talent level and proof of concept with his older brother Beau taking a similar path during his career.
I still think there are more established players ahead of him in the depth chart entering fall camp, but Benzschawel has some nice upside as a prospect and is a player to watch. He is another player that could take some snaps at center in the fall to help build depth at the position.
Wisconsin guard Michael Furtney blocking in front of Graham Mertz against Penn State.
Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Biggest question
The biggest remaining question for the interior of the offensive line is at right guard. The Badgers have two capable and experienced options at the position in Michael Furtney and Tanor Bortolini, each having made starts at the spot in the past, but only one can win the starting job.
So which one of those two emerges in fall camp will be interesting to watch.
Furtney has played in the second-most games of any interior offensive lineman on the roster but has only started two games in his four years in Madison. Now a redshirt senior, is it finally his turn to snag a starting spot?
Redshirt sophomore Tanor Bortolini is more athletic and has a higher potential ceiling for the position but has played in fewer games. However, Bortolini has made more starts in the past two seasons and is one of the top young interior offensive linemen. Can he win the right guard role outright?
I could see Bob Bostad going in several directions at right guard, which makes the battle for the starting role so intriguing. Add in the fact that the right tackle spot has some questions as well, and Tanor Bortolini has started games there as well, and the right side of the line remains in flux.
I still think that Bortolini has a strong chance to win one of those two starting spots, but his versatility as a swing offensive lineman, capable of playing anywhere as needed, could make him just as valuable as a key reserve.
Former four-star offensive lineman Trey Wedig is also a contender after playing in every game last season as a redshirt freshman. Like Bortolini, he could be a factor at either position on the right side of the line. He worked at right guard and right tackle in the spring, though he spent most of his time with the second-team at right guard.
Related links:
- Five seniors who could become full-time starters in 2022 for Wisconsin
- Senior OL Cormac Sampson leaving the program
- Six sophomores ready to contribute in the 2022 season for the Badgers
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