What Wisconsin Football Not Releasing a Depth Chart Against Notre Dame Really Means

Since my very first year covering Wisconsin football — which, admittedly, isn't nearly as long ago as some of the veteran, talented writers on this beat — the Badgers have always released a depth chart in Week 1.

My frame of reference only goes back to the late Paul Chryst days, but between him and Fickell, Wisconsin has never failed to release a depth chart in its weekly game notes. That's no longer the case.

No depth chart released in today's Badgers game notes. UW Brand Communications made the decision because: "The in-season depth charts are based off the previous game’s usage ... made the decision not to speculate on this prior to the season."

SIDs' call, not coaches, per them.
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) August 31, 2026

Even when Wisconsin did release a weekly depth chart, it made sure to indicate that it wasn't an official document by any means, and that it was based on the previous game. Nevertheless, that didn't stop the Badgers from releasing a Week 1 depth chart last season.

According to Colten Bartholomew of Badger Extra, the decision to withhold a depth chart from the game notes was the decision of the sports information directors, not the coaches. Of course, head Luke Fickell and his staff have their fingerprints all over what gets released to the public; it's incredibly hard to believe that this was a decision made exclusively by UW communications.

The Badgers have over 50 new players on the roster this year, sure. But it's not like Wisconsin didn't sign a robust transfer portal class ahead of last season as well, resulting in new starters up and down the roster.

This feels like a very tactical move from the Badgers. If Fickell hadn't previously released Week 1 depth charts, it'd be a different story. But decisions like this don't happen in a vacuum, and they certainly don't happen outside of the head coach's discretion. Here's a few prevailing thoughts from the curious decision:

Key roles are still undecided

Wisconsin QB Deuce Adams. | Christian Borman.

A few key positions for Wisconsin, including field cornerback and backup quarterback, are likely still without a firm top option. At quarterback in particular, Fickell indicated that he may never name a QB2.

"Today, we continued to have both of those guys rep with the twos. I don’t know that we’ll ever designate a whole lot of who’s the No. 2," he said at his Week 1 presser.

A lot of the time, college coaches simply bypass this predicament with an "OR" on the depth chart. That would be an easy way for Fickell to not have to name a backup quarterback, but I imagine this decision has to do with unsettled roles and rotations at a handful of positions.

Injuries make Week 1 murky

Wisconsin right tackle Kevin Heywood. | Christian Borman.

The Badgers' high-profile injuries to starting right guard Emerson Mandell and starting right tackle Kevin Heywood got a lot of the attention at fall camp. Monday, Fickell says he still doesn't know where each player stands:

“Those guys have been back in some capacity, but I couldn’t tell you where we are today, right now. It’ll probably be closer to a game-time decision. Both of them took reps today," he said.

Including the linemen on the depth chart as starters, when the team appears to legitimately not know their status for Sunday, would be irresponsible. But omitting them when there's a chance they could play would likely cause a panic amongst Badgers fans, which also isn't an ideal outcome.

It's also possible Wisconsin is dealing with additional, yet-to-be reported injuries that would come to light if an honest depth chart was published. In conference play, the Badgers now must release four total injury reports each week, but against a non-conference foe like Notre Dame, Wisconsin doesn't have to reveal anything.

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