Wisconsin Badgers spring football: six players on offense that could take the next step

An overview of six players from Wisconsin's offense that could breakout this spring.

Each spring the Wisconsin Badgers football team has a handful of players on each side of the ball that string together strong practices and elevate their standing on the depth chart.

Contents

1. Tanor Bortolini
2. Markus Allen
3. Jackson Acker
4. Jack Pugh
5. Chimere Dike
6. Logan Brown

This spring will likely be no different. On offense, the Badgers are replacing key starters at multiple positions, and with turnover comes more opportunities for young players to step up and fill the void.

Nearly two weeks into spring practice, let's look at six players primed to potentially take the next step this spring and earn a larger role on Wisconsin's offense come next fall. 

Tanor Bortolini

Tanor Bortolini enters this spring as one of the most experienced offensive linemen on the roster despite only being a redshirt junior. 

Bortolini was surprisingly thrown into the fire as a true freshman due to injuries, and he was a swing lineman for the team a year ago, playing in 10 games and making a couple of spot starts. 

With both Logan Bruss and Josh Seltzer off to the NFL, the Badgers are looking to replace two starters along the offensive line, and Bortolini is a player that could compete for a starting spot at multiple positions on the line. 

First-team OL, LT to RT: Nelson, Beach, Bortolini, Furtney, Brown

— Jake Kocorowski (@JakeKoco) March 29, 2022

According to those in attendance, the 6-foot-4 sophomore has been taking the starting reps at center while Joe Tippmann is unable to practice. 

However, given Bortolini's experience at both right guard and right tackle, he could be a top candidate to start somewhere on the right side of the offensive line when Tippmann returns. 

Markus Allen

Markus Allen was a big recruiting win in the 2021 class, and at 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, he gives Graham Mertz a bigger receiving target in the passing game. 

Wide receiver Markus Allen is one of a handful of young wide receivers looking to earn playing time this spring.  / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

After making the most of his opportunities against Rutgers and Arizona State last season, Markus Allen should have a bigger role in 2022 with Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor, and Jack Dunn no longer on the roster. 

Allen has plenty of competition for a starting role in the wide receiver room though. The additions of Keontez Lewis and Dean Engram, as well as the return of fellow redshirt freshman Skyler Bell, give Wisconsin plenty of options. However, the tape from a year ago stands out in favor of Allen.

Playing in only three games, Allen caught three passes for 65 yards. While those numbers are not overly impressive, each of the receptions went for over 10 yards, and two exceeded 20 yards. Considering Wisconsin's inability to stretch the field in 2021, the hope has to be that Allen can give the Badgers a big-play threat down the field. 

Jackson Acker

Originally committed to play running back for the Badgers, with the possibility of growing into a linebacker or fullback down the road, Jackson Acker was an athlete that Wisconsin just wanted on their roster. 

While the Verona (Wis.) native wound up redshirting in 2021, he did become more involved in the game plan as the season progressed and the fullback depth chart thinned. 

Acker is still technically on the roster as a running back this spring, but he might have the inside track as the starting fullback in 2022. 

A very talented athlete with the size to play either position at the Big Ten level, Acker's athletic ability as a runner and receiving threat could make him a versatile fullback for the Badgers. 

Wisconsin has a long history of former scholarship running backs and linebackers making the switch to fullback and going on to find success in college and the NFL. Acker could be next.

Jack Pugh

The Wisconsin tight end room is once again ravaged by injuries this spring. With the Badgers needing to replace long-time starter Jake Ferguson, the timing is not ideal. 

One of the few healthy options on the roster, Jack Pugh, could benefit from the situation though.

Another high-profile recruit from the 2021 class, Pugh redshirted last season. Entering his first spring with the Badgers, the Ohio native is already making plays this spring, according to reporters in attendance. 

#Badgers spring practice 5 is in the books. First in full pads we've seen and team looked a little rusty. We'll have observations later, but some that won't make it:

-TE Jack Pugh is coming along. Still learning, but has lot of potential

-New IOL combos need more reps together

— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) March 31, 2022

Pugh has the size at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, and the former basketball standout is one of the most athletic tight ends on the roster. 

If Pugh can continue to make plays in the passing game, he could follow the same path as Jake Ferguson and earn playing time as a receiving threat in year two. 

While it is still a long shot that he leaps to a starting role considering the number of more experienced options ahead of him on the depth chart, the tight end room is under new leadership, and Pugh is available, unlike many other candidates. 

Chimere Dike

Chimere Dike is by far the most established player on this list. The junior wide receiver has been one of the top-3 receivers the past two seasons and has totaled 31 receptions for 461 yards and two touchdowns.

Chimere Dike is the top returning wide receiver for the Badgers this spring.  :: Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

However, Dike is taking on a very different role as the top receiver on the roster this spring. A local star from Waukesha, Dike is a smooth runner and excels with the ball in his hands on crossing routes. 

Wisconsin has frequently been at its best when the passing game has a definitive go-to guy, and Dike could be just that in 2022 with a strong off-season. 

Considering how poorly the throw game was for the Badgers a year ago, if Dike and Graham Mertz can get on the same page and build a strong rapport, it could go a long way in fixing some of the issues from 2021. 

Logan Brown

We are inching closer to "now or never" territory for Logan Brown. 

A heralded five-star recruit out of Michigan in the 2019 class, Brown enters his fourth year in the program with a chance to secure the starting right tackle spot. 

So far through spring camp, he has earned the starting reps at that spot, but now the question is can Brown deliver the consistency and overall quality of play necessary to hold off the other challengers? 

Only time will answer that question, but Brown is finally healthy, and the hope has to be that he can put it all together this spring. 

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Want to read more about Wisconsin's defense, catch up on our spring position previews below.

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Offensive line
• Tight ends and fullbacks
• Wide receivers
• Defensive line
• Inside linebackers
• Outside linebackers
• Cornerbacks
• Safeties

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