Player Previews: OT Kevin Heywood's Time has Finally Come in Madison

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with potentially the Badgers' top NFL prospect, offensive tackle Kevin Heywood.

2025 Stats

N/A (Tore ACL in spring camp)

Overview

Kevin Heywood came to Madison as part of the Badgers' loaded 2024 recruiting class. He was a consensus four-star, top-five offensive tackle in the nation. 247Sports had him as the No. 50 player in the entire country, while he checked in at No. 60 on On3/Rivals.

The Pennsylvania native is now in his third year with the program. He played on special teams as a true freshman in 2024 while seeing a handful of offensive line snaps sprinkled in, but in 2025, just as he was slated to assume the starting blindside tackle role, he tore his ACL in spring camp, wiping out his season.

By all accounts, Heywood attacked his recovery tremendously.

“The best thing that Kev did, he didn’t wait until the offseason," head coach Luke Fickell said this spring, adding that he's “already established himself as a leader."

“It’s not that surprising," new offensive line coach Eric Mateos said of Heywood's quick recovery. "It’s modern medicine. They got medicine that can make me skinny. I’m not surprised he’s back. He had very minimal limitations in his offseason training with Brady (Collins).”

Now, Heywood is positioned as Wisconsin's starting right tackle, flipping to the other side as Ole Miss transfer PJ Wilkins occupies the blindside tackle spot. He could be the Badgers' best overall pro prospect, and looks ready to explode this season.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin OL Coach Eric Mateos runs through a drill with OT Kevin Heywood. | Christian Borman.

With any player coming off a serious injury, especially one that wiped out their entire prior season, step one for Heywood is obviously to stay healthy. The tackle wasn't limited physically in any way during spring ball, so Wisconsin shouldn't have to worry about lingering knee issues this fall.

“When I got injured, I really just put the goal in my end to be involved in practice before the end of the season. I think all the trainers and all the strength staff were on the same page with me with that. We just grinded every day. I got smarter in the film room. Really, I think if I really wanted to go I could’ve went the last couple games," Heywood said.

A fully healthy Heywood should mean a dominant Heywood. The tackle was one of the most prized offensive line recruits in the nation for a reason, and now listed at 6-foot-9, 318 pounds, he appears to have only gotten bigger and stronger.

In a perfect world, Heywood is a menace in the offensive trenches this season and develops into one of the best tackles in the Big Ten, if not the nation. He hones down his technique under Mateos and becomes an immovable object on the right side of the Badgers' line. By season's end, the NFL beckons.

Worst-Case Scenario

Barring injury, Heywood's worst-case scenario simply involves him falling apart as a player, which is exceedingly difficult to see happening.

Wisconsin's staff has been waiting for years to see what Heywood can do in a full-time role; he'll get every opportunity. Even if he struggles, I expect the Badgers to stick with him through the good times and the bad. Though he said this spring he feels more natural at right tackle, I could see Wisconsin moving him to the left side if he struggles in an effort to kickstart his game.

Still, unlike last fall, the Badgers have other capable tackles ready and waiting. The first tackle off the bench looks like Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons-Johansson, who is one of the freakiest athletes on the team. Getting benched, however unlikely it appears at the moment, would probably be Heywood's worst-case scenario.

Prediction

Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Kevin Heywood. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Heywood looks like one of, if not the best, player on the entire team. He's got all of the raw talent in the world, and while he's needed to work on his technique a bit this spring, the sky is the limit for this kid.

“He’s done a nice job of learning how to play square and be efficient with his feet. When we started, we struggled a bit with being under control in our technique. He’s done a nice job of learning how to play within himself," Mateos said.

I foresee a slower start for Heywood as he gets his feet wet once again, especially against Notre Dame in Week 1. But I also see him settling in rather quickly, and ultimately becoming one of the Big Ten's most reliable offensive tackles this fall.

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