5 takeaways from Wisconsin football's seventh spring practice: Looking for a third WR

MADISON – Wisconsin held its seven practice of the spring Saturday, a session that was held on the grass field north of Camp Randall Stadium and lasted 2 hours 40 minutes.

Observations from that session follow.

Luke Fickell looking for consistency from many candidates for UW's third wide receiver spot

Barring injury, Bryson Green will man one of the two outside receiver spots next season. The battle to join Green, and slot receiver Will Pauling, on the No. 1 unit could extend well into preseason camp.

UW’s staff generally has been giving CJ Williams, Quincy Burroughs and Vinny Anthony Jr. time on the top two units this spring, looking for the player best equipped to complement Green on the outside.

Chris Brooks could eventually join the battle but he has been limited this spring while coming back from a left leg injury suffered last year.

Burroughs, who had just four catches for 30 yards last season, had several impressive plays Saturday.

His best effort came on a throw from Braedyn Locke, who continues to split time with Tyler Van Dyke in the battle for the starting quarterback job.

Locke threw deep toward the right sideline but the ball was short and behind the wide receiver. Burroughs adjusted to the underthrown ball, however, and made a difficult catch while falling backward.

UW must replace wide receiver Chimere Dike, who transferred to Florida, on the outside. Dike last season had only 19 catches, tied for the No. 5 mark on the team. However, his average of 17.3 yards per catch was the No. 1 mark on the team.

Asked recently to evaluate the players battling to fill that void, head coach Luke Fickell said the staff needed to see someone consistently execute their assignments to win the job.

Again, look for that battle to continue into camp.

Tight end Jackson McGohan, a transfer from LSU, displayed soft hands and surprising burst

UW’s top two returning tight ends are Tucker Ashcraft (eight catches, 86 yards) and Riley Nowakowski (seven catches, 57 yards).

With Ashcraft limited because of an apparent leg injury, the staff has given plenty of work to JT Seagreaves and Jackson McGohan, who played eight games on special teams at LSU last season.

McGohan, 6-3 and 225, showed impressive speed on several plays Saturday. His best play came during a red-zone drill when he caught a pass in the flat turned up the field and used his speed to reach the end zone.

Saturday marked the first time one of the inexperienced tight ends flashed in that manner. Now can McGohan build on what he showed?

Freshmen Kevin Heywood and Colin Cubberly both working on the No. 2 offensive line

Kevin Heywood has manned the left tackle spot on the No. 2 offensive line all spring.

Fellow freshman Colin Cubberly, who had been the No. 3 center, recently joined Heywood on the No. 2 line. Cubberly, 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, has been working at left guard.

Redshirt freshman James Durand is now working at center on the No. 3 line.

Walk-on Kerry Kodanko, a fifth-year senior from De Pere High School, continues to work at center on the No. 2 line. His shotgun snaps have been erratic, however.

Led by Nathanial Vakos, kickers open practice with 8-for-8 performance

UW opened practice Saturday with a quick field-goal segment.

Nathanial Vakos, who hit 15of 19 attempts last season, hit all four of his attempts Saturday. His kicks came from 29, 33, 38 and 44 yards.

Nate Van Zelst hit from 29 and 33 yards and Gavin Lahm hit from 38 and 44 yards.

Vakos got another kick at the end of a live move-the-ball segment near the end of practice but missed to the right from 38 yards.

Can Vinny Anthony Jr. or Trech Kekahuna spark the Badgers' return units?

Special teams coordinator Matt Mitchell recently noted he believes UW has several candidates to provide a boost to the return units.

Anthony got work on punts and kickoffs last season after Dike suffered a knee injury in the loss to Ohio State. He responded by averaging 9.4 yards on nine punt returns and 19.7 yards on 11 kickoff returns.

Trech Kekahuna had a 37-yard kickoff return against LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

When UW worked on punts/punt returns Saturday, Anthony and Kekahuna were the first two players fielding punts.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin looks for a third wide receiver in spring football practice