Wisconsin Badgers Offense Takes off at Spring Football Practice No. 3

MADISON, Wis. -- Spring football is well underway for the Wisconsin Badgers, who are sporting a significantly different look entering Year 4 under Luke Fickell.

There was a major overhaul at almost all position groups this offseason, while coaching changes were made in all three units.

But as the 2026 Badgers continue to stack days, the comfort level should grow. On Tuesday, just their third practice, Wisconsin's pass game was clicking, and there are some roles possibly being defined at key position groups.

Related: Four Standouts from Wisconsin Badgers Third Spring Football Practice

Badgers QBs make big plays, show upside

Old Dominion transfer and assumed QB1 Colton Joseph's primary calling card is his athleticism. He's a deep ball threat and a dangerous runner, but sometimes, the touch and minor details lacked.

He dazzled in drills from inside the 10-yard line, floating passes over the defense into the waiting hands of wideouts like Jaylon Domingeaux (Southeast Louisiana transfer) and Zion Kearney (Oklahoma transfer), and he hit Tyrell Henry on a pair of big-time touchdowns.

One of the scores to Henry was on a true deep ball, which traveled around 40 yards. The other, a tight window into double coverage, which Henry impressively brought in.

Joseph also showed his mobility, hitting Eugene Hilton in stride 15 yards downfield while rolling right. He also scored a short touchdown on a QB keeper.

Deuce Adams also made impressive downfield throws, linking up with Chris Brooks on multiple occasions. Carter Smith had a nice scramble TD from inside the 10 and also threw touchdowns to Nyizi Davis and Kash Brock.

Considering the major offseason at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, seeing these guys click early is encouraging.

Wisconsin Football: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 👐 pic.twitter.com/J9f4w1xfoL
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 23, 2026

Offensive line doesn't do much switching

Wisconsin lost arguably its top three offensive linemen from 2025 in Jake Renfro (Illinois), Joe Brunner (Indiana) and Riley Mahlman (graduation). Beyond that, they replaced offensive line coach AJ Blazek with Eric Mateos, formerly of Arkansas.

Yet, the offensive line felt quite settled Tuesday morning.

Kevin Heywood, who would have been the Badgers' starting left tackle last season if he hadn't torn his ACL in spring camp, slotted in at right tackle, PJ Wilkins (Ole Miss) handled left tackle duties and Austin Kawecki (Oklahoma State) filled the center spot.

At guard, Emerson Mandell, Collin Cubberly saw most of the work, with Blake Cherry (Arkansas) occasionally mixing in.

For the third spring practice, this presumed starting group really didn't have much alterations. But even so, it was a surprise to see Heywood on the right side, and Wilkins playing tackle.

Wilkins, per PFF, had exclusively played guard at Ole Miss. However, Wisconsin, while still in the evaluation phase, is giving him a look on the outside.

"As we got to know him and started recruiting him... We felt like he was a guy that really, even though he had played guard and sort of has a big, physical guard's build, he's got tackle feet and an incredible wingspan," offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said.

Grimes followed up by saying that Heywood and Wilkins aren't locked into their respective sides, and the team is just looking to find which spot both are most comfortable at.

At the guard spot, Cherry is a player to monitor going forward. A sophomore who appeared in all 12 games last season for Mateos at Arkansas, Cherry has already shown an ability to play beyond his age.

His best shot at a starting role would be by supplanting Cubberly, as Mandell started in all 12 of Wisconsin's games last season and had a strong finish to the campaign.

Wisconsin could replace Reiger/Peterson in the aggregate

The Badgers lost their top two pass rushers from 2025 in Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson. But with that, they returned some key pieces and added a few players through the portal. While it's quite early in the preseason, it's uncertain if Wisconsin has a player who can produce at the elite rate that Reiger did.

But the mix of depth and different skill sets could be enough to prevent Wisconsin's edge rushers from taking a step back in 2026.

Life on the EDGE!! 🦡🦡🔥🔥✊✊ pic.twitter.com/idfq4JkaBu
— Matt Mitchell (@Coach_Mitch_) March 20, 2026

Micheal Garner, who played less than 40 snaps in 2025, had an excellent practice Tuesday and saw plenty of action with the supposed first unit. He fills the jumbo edge rusher role that Corey Walker held last year. Justus Boone (Arkansas), holds a similar build, but was off to the side for sections of practice Tuesday.

Then, the Badgers have an impressive mix of speed rushers, Sebastian Cheeks is likely the top dog in the room, but Nick Clayton looks to have taken a step forward and both Tyrese Fearbry and Liam Danitz (Hope College) flashed their abilities Tuesday.

Expect the competition to be fierce among this group, and if things go right for Wisconsin, they might not need one or two players OLB/DEs to make a leap in order to be an effective unit.