Observations and Takeaways from Wisconsin Football Spring Practice No. 5

After a week off for spring break, the Wisconsin football team was back on the turf at the McClain Center for spring practice No. 5 of the offseason.

The Badgers went a little lighter on Tuesday morning, practicing in just shells rather than full pads. But even without going full contact, there was still plenty to take away from the Badgers' latest practice.

The "Big Picture" Takeaway

Obviously there is only so much you can take from a practice in April while the regular season is still five months away, but there were still some players and plays that caught my eye during practice.

I think the 'big picture' is that this offense is still very much a work in progress. There are tons of new faces on this roster. Despite studying ahead of time, I still have to reference the roster constantly to remember who was who on the field.

The defense almost always gets off to faster starts in the spring and beginning of fall camp. The offense has been revamped this offseason with only a few returning familiar faces, so naturally, things are going to take a bit of time.

While the offense had some positive plays, it's hard to say they looked good when they weren't even in pads.

Quarterback Breakdown

Quarterbacks for the Wisconsin football team go through drills. | Christian Borman

Colton Joseph

The Good: Joseph flashed his "big-play" arm with a 25-yard strike to a diving Jaylon Domingeaux and showed his willingness to do the little things, like be the lead blocker on a Eugene Hilton Jr. run. His running ability is apparent, too. He navigated the pocket relatively well and tucked it and ran when his first read or two weren't there, making something out of nothing.

The Bad: The session was marred by a few negative plays, including an interception by Matthew Jung, a fumble on a pitch to Darrion Dupree, and a significant overthrow caused by a spacing miscommunication.

Joseph is going to give the Badgers and athlete at the quarterback position they haven't had in a long time. He can make some explosive plays with his legs but also showed he has plenty of talent in his arm with some of the throws he made.

Deuce Adams

The Good: Adams looked relatively comfortable in the offense. He made some plays with his legs, which surprised me a bit. His athleticism allowed him to escape a collapsing pocket multiple times.

Adams is proving to be a high-IQ backup who can manipulate defenders with his eyes and feet; he currently looks like a "high-floor" option who keeps the offense on schedule.

Ryan Hopkins

The Good: Despite facing the most aggressive pass rush of the day, Hopkins stayed tall in the pocket and maintained his composure through the whistle. Like Adams, he was a lot more elusive than I thought he would be. He made a few impressive plays for an incoming true freshman.

The Bad: His unit struggled with protection, leading to a "would-be" sack by Jaylen Williams before Hopkins could get through his first progression. He also made an iffy throw off his back foot with a defender in his face, which cornerback Cai Bates essentially fair caught in the end zone for an interception.

After practice, Luke Fickell was very complimentary of Hopkins, giving him praise for his maturity level as an early enrollee.

Play of the Day

Wisconsin receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. takes part in drills during practice. | Christian Borman

Eugene Hilton took an end around hand off only to be cut off by the defense entirely. The problem is, the defense swarmed to that side of the field a little too well. The sophomore wide receiver was able to put on the brakes, reverse course, and bolt in the other direction where he had plenty of green grass ahead of him.

And Colton Joseph.

When Hilton bounced back and took it the other way, QB1 was his lead blocker going down the sideline. Granted, they weren't in pads and no one is going to hit the quarterback, but Joseph wasn't afraid to lead the way. Joseph initiated contact with cornerback Javan Robinson up the sideline, allowing Hilton to turn the broken play into a huge gain for the offense.

Getting Hilton back is going to be a huge bonus for the Wisconsin offense. It looks like offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is going to do whatever he can to get the ball in Hilton's hands this season, even running the ball, which is something we saw a lot of in his offense a season ago.

Other Standouts

Wisconsin edge Nicolas Clayton takes goes through drills at practice. | Christian Borman

There were a few other players I thought stood out today as well.

Jaylon Domingeaux had a nice day, making a few impressive catches, including laying out and hauling in a 25-yard completion from Joseph.

Jon Jon Kamara was all over the place, making plays. He had multiple plays where he blew a play up either at the line or behind the line. His speed is going to be a big asset for the Wisconsin defense. This isn't the first time Kamara's name has come up this spring as a standout.

Nicolas Clayton was another defender who was everywhere today. When I noticed pressure being put on in the backfield, there was a good bet Clayton was there.