4 takeaways from Wisconsin football's 12th spring practice: Christian Alliegro shows his speed
MADISON – Twelve down and just three to go.
Wisconsin football held its 12th practice of the spring Thursday morning inside the McClain Center.
Here are a few observations/highlights from the practice:
Christian Alliegro brings speed to inside linebacker position
Christian Alliegro played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2023, albeit mostly on special teams until late in the season.
Alliegro, an all-American lacrosse player in high school, moves exceptionally well for a player who carries 240 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame.
He showed that during one rep of 11-on-11 work Thursday with the No. 1 offense facing the No. 1 defense.
Tailback Chez Mellusi took the handoff and cut quickly to the right, behind the right guard. A hole opened and it appeared Mellusi would get into the open field but Alliegro pursued from inside-out and made the tackle just past the line of scrimmage.
Braedyn Moore getting valuable work at safety
One player who has gained from the absence of safeties Kamoi Latu (shoulder) and Preston Zachman (hip) is redshirt freshman Braedyn Moore.
Moore played in the final four games last season but did not record a tackle. He has worked mostly with the No. 2 defense this spring but has gotten some work with the No. 1 unit when safety Austin Brown has moved to nickel cornerback.
“He wants to put pads on people,” said Alex Grinch, co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach. “He is one of those guys that got a lot of reps this spring.”
Luke Fickell isn’t concerned about Aaron Witt’s latest injury
Outside linebacker Aaron Witt missed nearly three full seasons because of persistent problems with his right foot and ankle.
Witt had been working mostly with the No. 2 defense this spring and was playing well until he suffered an apparent right-shoulder injury. He has missed the last three practices and likely won’t return this spring.
“It’s good to see that it’s not something that has been lingering,” head coach Luke Fickell said, referring to the injuries that began in the spring of 2021. “Yes, it stinks. But you can tell he is in a completely different mindset. This is not anything that takes him back to where he was the last couple years.”
Freshmen linebackers Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele getting plenty of work
The top four outside linebackers for most of the spring have been Leon Lowery Jr., Darryl Peterson, John Pius and Witt.
With Witt sidelined and the staff rotating Lowery, Peterson and Pius in on the top unit, freshmen Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele have gotten plenty of work with the No. 2 unit.
Heiberger, 6-4 and 218, is taller and leaner than Lafaele, who is 6-2 and 237.
Both players play hard and have shown the ability to rush the passer and the coaches like their potential.
One caveat is that they often are going against freshmen tackles, and freshmen offensive linemen often struggle early in pass protection.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's Christian Alliegro brings speed at inside linebacker
