The newcomers stood out on a chippy day on Tuesday for the Badgers.
The Wisconsin Badgers concluded their third practice of the spring on Tuesday, marking their final open practice before spring break.
Wisconsin’s first two practices were last week on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, but I wasn’t physically present, as I was instead at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
So, Tuesday was my first taste of Wisconsin football this spring, and I came away with a few observations. Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s third practice of the spring.
Competition at RG?
Right guard was the lone question mark along the offensive line heading into the offseason.
The Badgers returned left guard Joe Brunner, center Jake Renfro, and right tackle Riley Mahlman as starters. And Kevin Heywood was expected to be the successor to Jack Nelson at left tackle.
Initially, J.P. Benzschawel seemed to be the favorite to earn the starting job, having been in the program for the last four years patiently waiting his turn. But, Wisconsin also has younger talent eager to hit the field, which raised the question of whether a competition would come together.
Benzschawel started the first day at right guard, but Kerry Kodanko saw right guard snaps on Day 2, while Emerson Mandell was the top right guard on Tuesday.
Mandell, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, spent last year seeing action at tackle in practice. But, he’s been projected as an interior offensive lineman coming out of high school, so it made sense that he got right guard snaps on Tuesday.
It’s too early to gauge whether a competition will actually brew out because the Badgers like to experiment with players at different spots early in camp. But, there are questions about where exactly the young offensive linemen fit and at which spots.
Mandell is the most intriguing of the pack, and he seems to be a realistic option to consider at right guard heading into the rest of the spring.
Things are getting chippy
Perhaps no newcomer has made his presence known more than Ohio State transfer wide receiver Jayden Ballard.
Labeled as a standout on Saturday by BadgerBlitz’s Donnie Slusher, Ballard caught the eye of social media with a few deep passes coming his way. But, the former four-star wideout isn’t catching eyes only with his play.
He’s also been one of the more talkative players in practice, engaging in friendly battles with top cornerbacks Nyzier Fourqurean and Ricardo Hallman. That competitive spirit has fueled some back-and-forth trash talk to the point where it came after nearly every play involving Ballard on Tuesday.
Nothing has come close to being excessive, but there is that competitive flair starting to ooze at spring ball, and Ballard is at the forefront of that.
Wide receiver seems to be an open competition as the Badgers try and figure out who their top wideouts will be in 2025. To make matters even more open, top slot receiver Trech Kekahuna was ruled out for the remainder of the spring with a lower-body injury after being seen in a boot on Tuesday.
Edge rusher making waves
The Badgers made quite a number of moves with their front seven this offseason, adding seven players who were either seen as defensive linemen or edges.
This spring will be telling to see how Wisconsin views that group of newcomers alongside their returnees, as there is ample opportunity to earn reps in the room currently.
On Tuesday, albeit a day that didn’t have the normal physicality without full pads, there was one newcomer who stood out off the edge: Kentucky transfer Tyreese Fearbry.
Playing with a number of different variations of players along the defensive line, Fearbry had a couple of plays in the backfield, getting quickly off the edge to make an impact.
He combined with Ernest Willor Jr. on a sack of Danny O’Neill in the backfield on a play. Later, he beat right tackle Collin Cubberly off the edge to record a tackle for loss in the backfield.
Then, he beat freshman right tackle Nolan Davenport off the edge on a different play, getting to quarterback Carter Smith.
It’s way too early and Fearbry will be tested against more experienced competition, but it was a productive day for the edge rusher, showing off his ability to get off the line of scrimmage.