Luke Fickell Updates the Health of Kevin Heywood, Emerson Mandell as Fall Camp Ends

The Badgers wrapped up their fall camp with a live scrimmage on Sunday, meaning focus is now soley on the massive opener against Notre Dame in Week 1.

Wisconsin now has a week to transition between camp mode and the start of the regular season. A big part of what this next week will entail for the Badgers' staff? Piecing together their Week 1 lineups and rotations, which of course includes Wisconsin's banged up offensive line.

The right side of Wisconsin's starting offensive line has missed essentially all of fall camp. Guard Emerson Mandell, who underwent foot surgery during spring ball, has yet to play ever since. Tackle Kevin Heywood, meanwhile, suffered a lower body injury during practice No. 2 and also has yet to return to action.

Badgers On SI has observed both players at practice throughout the course of fall ball. Heywood in particular has been very active with the rest of the offensive line, staying nearby for drills and still being a vocal leader for that room. Both, however, have worked off to the side, absent from team periods.

Speaking to reporters after practice No. 15 of fall camp, Luke Fickell provided an update on the key injured starters.

Fickell's final Heywood, Mandell update before Week 1

Wisconsin OT Kevin Heywood. | Christian Borman.

"They’ve been out on the side, doing some real work, we’ve just kinda kept them out of most of the team stuff. There’s some things we’ve gotta figure out probably in the next five days, as far as which route we go for game one," Fickell said.

"I don’t think we know that now, I’m not sure we’ll know that tomorrow or the next three or four days. It’s one of those things, next week, we’ll have to make some decisions.”

As much of a non-update as this is, that's par for the course with Fickell — you have to read in between the lines. The head coach insinuating that they've been ramping up their individual work separate from team drills tracks with what Badgers On SI has observed towards the end of camp. Still, Fickell either doesn't know or doesn't want to divulge a timetable for a return.

As for the decisions Fickell referenced, that involves deciding who would step into the starters' shoes against the Fighting Irish. Heywood's replacement is pretty set in stone: it'd be Lucas Simmons-Johansson, who's played starting right tackle in his stead throughout camp.

As for Mandell, he could feasibly be replaced by either Blake Cherry or Stylz Blackmon, the latter of whom got more and more reps as fall camp wore on.

"We know them, that’s the good thing. You take a guy like Shamar (Rigby), who we’ve only had since January who we don’t really know. Then you take two guys like Kevin and Emerson, we’ve had here for over two years. We know a lot more about them. Sometimes you have to save them from themselves. If you gave them an opportunity to get out here today and go live, I guarantee you both of those guys would’ve said ‘I’m going,'" Fickell continued.

The fact that both players would've played if Wisconsin let them is perhaps a good sign, but again, it's tough to gauge at this juncture. Ultimately, Heywood and Mandell's statuses are still very much in the air for the opener.

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