3 key questions facing Wisconsin football following spring practices (2024)

The University of Wisconsin football team that broke spring practices Thursday won't be the same as the one that starts training camp in late July.

That's a reality of the new world of college football— Wisconsin's got a couple of scholarships it still can award in the summer as it looks to the transfer portal for some help and has some of its highest-rated freshmen joining the roster in June. But the makeup of the team isn't the only question facing the Badgers this summer.

Fifteen spring practices didn't answer some key questions that will need further investigation this fall. Here's a look at the most pressing matters that weren't clearly addressed this spring.

Can tight ends provide the necessary threat?

Wisconsin's offense doesn't need the tight end to be a big producer of catches and yards, but tight ends do need to threaten defenses in ways that simply weren't there in 2023.

Some of Wisconsin's top options at tight end such as Tucker Ashcraft, Riley Nowakowski and Jackson McGohan were the most consistent playmakers, but Ashcraft didn't look like himself until the very end of April after dealing with a hamstring injury. Nowakowski can accomplish just about any task asked of a tight end, but he lacks the top-end speed to be a down-field option. McGohan possesses that kind of speed but he's an inconsistent blocker, particularly when he's on the front side of a zone run.

A healthy Ashcraft may be the cure-all, as he already has the receiving chops and he said a good deal of his offseason work has been in an effort to improve as a blocker.

Wisconsin coaches showed last season they would move away from tight end snaps if they weren't producing much through the air. The Badgers used four-receiver formations more the last month of the season, taking the tight end off the field. The team's two best receivers this spring, Will Pauling and Trech Kekahuna, both play in the slot and having both on the field could create advantageous situations for the Badgers. It's up to the tight ends to force coaches’ hands and keep them in the game.

How will Tackett Curtis change the defense?

One of the Badgers’ most notable transfer additions this winter was limited throughout the spring. Tackett Curtis, an inside linebacker who started his college career at Southern Cal, participated in 11-on-11 work infrequently and was mostly held to individual and group work as he recovered from an offseason surgical procedure. The 6-foot-2 Curtis has speed that’s rare for an inside linebacker, but he wasn’t able to prove himself with his new teammates on a consistent basis.

Curtis is a case-in-point of the coaches’ desire to inject the roster with length and athleticism, but not getting a full workload this spring allowed Jake Chaney to stake a claim to the No. 1 mike linebacker spot for which Curtis is challenging. Chaney’s not only a solid tackler, but he’s emerged as one of the vocal leaders of the team this offseason.

If Curtis is able to get healthy for summer conditioning and be full-go during training camp, it’ll help solidify how he fits with the new faces on defense. His speed will be an asset, particularly in pass coverage, but he may have to split some snaps with a veteran in Chaney.

How many running backs can realistically be featured?

Running backs coach Devon Spalding gave a short, direct answer when asked how many players in his group will play this fall.

“I think truthfully that’s up to the room,” Spalding said. “I think it’s up to their ability to be able to learn and be able to perform out on the field when we have our scrimmages and when we go into fall camp and being able to show their information retention and being able to put good things on tape.”

Spalding has a challenge in attempting to keep eight scholarship players happy. Seniors Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker look like the 1-2 punch that has been common for offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s teams, but limiting touches to two players strips away the value of loading up at running back.

Jackson Acker’s experience, physicality and size might make him the best short-yardage option, and Cade Yacamelli has speed and receiving ability that stands out. Nate White has steadily improved and added needed weight and strength, and the three freshmen joining the team have been tapped as possible contributors.

The spring didn’t give many hints at who would be next up behind Mellusi and Walker, but that answer might not be clear until well into training camp, or even early in the regular season.