Wisconsin preseason two-deep depth chart prediction: Offense
Welcome to August, where we now are less than one month away from Wisconsin opening its 2023 season against Buffalo.
This offseason has felt like a decade, if not longer. At this time last year Paul Chryst, Graham Mertz, Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton had just completed Big Ten Media Days and were preparing for the season. Jim Leonhard was employed by Wisconsin at the time and Luke Fickell was at Cincinnati.
Readers of this article likely know where all of them are today.
With the Luke Fickell era set to get underway, it’s time to start ramping up season prep work here at BadgersWire. Up first, our two-deep prediction for the offensive side of the ball:
Quarterback
Starter: Tanner Mordecai
Backup: Braedyn Locke
Depth: Nick Evers, Myles Burkett
Mordecai enters fall camp as the starter. He transferred to Wisconsin to play, and Wisconsin targeted him as a veteran with years of experience. The only way Locke or anyone else starts Week 1 is injury.
Running Back
Starter: Braelon Allen
Backup: Chez Mellusi
Depth: Cade Yacamelli, Jackson Acker
Wisconsin’s rushing attack should be more of a 1-2 punch than an Allen-dominated backfield. The offense should play with pace and feature the backs heavily, which lends well towards having both Allen and Mellusi rush for 1000+ yards.
Wide Receiver (X)
Starter: Chimere Dike
Backup: Keontez Lewis
Depth: Quincy Burroughs, Chris Brooks Jr.
Like at running back, depth will be a premium at all wide receiver positions. The pace of Wisconsin’s offense will both feature the wideouts heavily, and require a steady rotation of players. Dike is the most accomplished receiver on the team and will likely lead the team in yards this season.
Wide Receiver (Y)
Starter: C.J. Williams
Backup: Bryson Green
Depth: Tommy McIntosh
Not to sound like a broken record, but the ordering of these wide receivers likely won’t reflect their final statistics at the end of the season. Both Williams and Green are relative unknowns entering the season, having both transferred in from other programs. But both are extremely talented and should make a big impact. Consider the entire wide receiver depth chart as a group without clear starters and backups.
Wide Receiver (Slot)
Starter: Will Pauling
Backup: Skyler Bell
Depth: Vinny Anthony
Pauling exploded onto the scene during spring practice after transferring in from Cincinnati. While he may lead the team in snaps at the position, expect Skyler Bell to also make a big impact. Wisconsin is deeper and more talented than ever at the position.
Tight End
Starters: Jack Pugh, Hayden Rucci
Backups: Cam Large, Riley Nowakowski
News broke earlier today that both veteran tight ends Clay Cundiff and Jack Eschenbach ‘left the program voluntarily.’ This leaves an already-thin tight end room nearly empty. It’s hard to predict how Phil Longo’s offense will utilize the position, but Pugh and Rucci figure to be the only real contributors as this currently stand.
Left Tackle
Starter: Jack Nelson
Backup: Nolan Rucci
Jack Nelson enters 2023 as Wisconsin’s most sure-fire NFL prospect on the team. As is the case with many positions, the adjustment to Longo’s attack will be interesting to watch when the season starts.
Left Guard
Starter: Tanor Bortolini
Backup: Joe Huber
Depth: Joe Brunner, Trey Wedig
Bortolini has experience at several positions along Wisconsin’s line. The depth is in good shape with Cincinnati transfer Joe Huber and several talented youngsters.
Center
Starter: Jake Renfro
Backup: Joe Huber
Renfro transferred to Wisconsin with all-conference pedigree from his time at Cincinnati. While injuries affected his spring period, he should be ready to go in September.
Right Guard
Starter: Michael Furtney
Backup: J.P. Benzschawel
Furtney is one of the more seasoned players along Wisconsin’s offensive line, having played in 44 career games including 13 starts last year. He entered the transfer portal this offseason for a brief period, though decided to stay at Wisconsin and ended up taking the job at right guard.
Right Tackle
Starter: Riley Mahlman
Backup: Trey Wedig
Wisconsin has a really strong offensive line on paper, capped off with Mahlman at right tackle. The group also has flexibility, with players like Wedig and Huber able to slot in at several positions. If the unit can adapt to the pace of Longo’s attack, it could be Wisconsin’s best lines in some time.
