4 observations from 3rd spring practice

Thursday’s spring practice at the McClain Center featured another scuffle between teammates and this one took a bit longer for the participants to settle down than ones seen in earlier practices. Outside linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. was one of the stars of the unpadded session, repeatedly getting around the edge and into the backfield against Wisconsin’s returning starting tackles Riley Mahlman and Jack Nelson. But he drew the ire of Nelson when he had a sack, appeared to turn to say something to Nelson, and tripped quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in the process.

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Nelson exchanged words with Lowery and the two got helmet to helmet before left guard Joe Brunner shoved Lowery and created a mosh pit of sorts. Fickell and offensive line coach AJ Blazek gave Brunner an ear full before sending him on a pair of laps around the field, which featured more jawing between the Whitefish Bay native and multiple defenders.

Transfer linebacker Jaheim Thomas, who played under Fickell and other Wisconsin coaches during his career at Cincinnati, said this is the type of intensity that existed at that program’s practices.

“He always says, ‘We want to be able to put a leash on guys, we want to hold guys back. We don’t want to tell them to come on,'” Thomas said.

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Here are four observations from Wisconsin’s third spring practice.

Mahlman and Nelson have their hands full dealing with Lowery and John Pius, the transfer outside linebacker tandem that is opening the most eyes this spring as they ascend to the top defensive group. Mahlman and Nelson are likely itching to get pads on — NCAA rules mandate the first padded practice can’t occur until the team’s fourth session — to get a true shot at Lowery and Pius, but the Badgers’ starting offensive line isn’t the biggest issue with the group.

Wisconsin’s lack of depth on the offensive line is glaring, as the drop-off between the first and second groups is almost as big as the gulf between the second and third. The third offensive line Thursday featured one scholarship player, early enrollee freshman Colin Cubberly, and four walk-ons, two of whom are players trying out for the team with no guarantee of a roster spot. Wisconsin has three scholarship offensive linemen arriving this summer in freshmen Ryan Cory, Derek Jensen and Emerson Mandell, but the lack of depth on the line affects development of multiple positions.

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“I think for us to get better, and I mean that as a whole program, we have to be able to rep three groups in the spring,” Fickell said. “Without having some of those guys, it makes it really difficult. How do you get enough reps for the third quarterback, or the second quarterback, or the guys that are competing for that next tailback? Or those guys that you’re going to expect, hopefully, to be able to contribute, whether it’s this year or in the future.”

How quickly the Badgers’ young O-linemen can improve will be a storyline to watch the rest of the month.

Depth at cornerback was an issue last season, with Ricardo Hallman and Jason Maitre taking almost every regular-season snap because they didn’t have a backup ready to play. Toledo transfer RJ Delancy was brought in to help and he had played both cornerback and nickel, so his versatility was seen as his top asset. He’s been playing boundary corner in the early portion of the spring and he’s shown consistently good technique, particularly when needing to cover receivers deep.

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One of Delancy’s best attributes is his body control in coverage. He is appropriately physical down the field, making receivers feel and deal with his body, but not so much that it would draw a flag. He’s also done a good job of keeping himself on the top hip of his receiver and using his arms to close passing windows.

Delancy’s battling with Nyzier Fourqurean and others for that boundary cornerback spot, but he’s done well against the top two groups of receivers thus far.

Practices thus far have been focused on the Badgers’ run game, as so much of the passing attack is based off of run looks and using play-action. So it’s been difficult to get reads on the progressions of a receiver group, particularly on the outside, that’s deep with talent and looking to make a more consistent impact.

CJ Williams, who transferred in from Southern Cal last winter, is trying to improve on a season in which he had 15 catches on 29 targets and 148 yards. He looks more sure-handed and continues to display his ability to make contested catches on the sidelines after two sideline grabs Thursday. The first came on a free play following an offside penalty on the defense — quarterback Braedyn Locke lofted the ball down the right sideline, Williams boxed out cornerback Jace Arnold, caught the ball and got his feet in before stepping out of bounds.

Williams ran an intermediate, out-breaking route and caught a pass from Van Dyke while dragging his right foot to complete the play.

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Practicing in the McClain Center limits what the Badgers can do on special teams, but they got some field goal/point-after work in Thursday that gave a look at a key new specialist.

Long snapper Peter Bowden, who played 39 games from 2021-23, is chasing down a shot at the NFL, so the Badgers brought in transfer snapper Cayson Pfeiffer to replace him. Pfeiffer was placed on scholarship and has been the No. 1 snapper for both punts and field goals this month, so it’s clear that it’s his job to lose. He had no issues snapping for with first field-goal unit, which saw returning kicker Nathanial Vakos go 4-for-4, making kicks from 27, 32, 39 and 44 yards. Backup punter Gavin Meyers was Pfeiffer’s batterymate.

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Another special-teams mystery that might not be solved this spring is who will handle kickoffs. Gavin Lahm kicked off the most last season for Wisconsin (32) but had the lowest average distance (61.1 yards) of the three specialists to record kickoffs. Wisconsin in February landed Portland State transfer kicker Gianni Smith, but he won’t report to the team until the summer.