Fall camp is just a day away for the Wisconsin Badgers, who will begin ramping up for the start of the season as head coach Luke Fickell prepares for his fourth year at the helm.
Ahead of camp, it’s always a fun exercise to project the depth chart based on what I saw from spring ball and where the Badgers currently stand. Wisconsin has a ton of new faces, and there should be some position battles at a couple of places in camp, namely at wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive line.
With that said,
here’s my pre-Fall camp depth chart projection for the Badgers.
Quarterback
Starter: Colton Joseph
Backup: Deuce Adams
Quarterback is pretty straightforward for the Badgers. Colton Joseph was brought in to be the team’s starter, and he was the clear guy in the spring. He’ll resume that role and look to elevate an offense that was among the country’s worst last year.
Subsequently, Deuce Adams was brought in to be the backup, and he took most of those reps in the spring. Now, fall camp will make this situation clearer, as Wisconsin has generally given most of its reps to the 1s and 2s as they ramp up for the season.
I did like what I saw from true freshman Ryan Hopkins in his first spring, but he’s still a bit away from fully being ready to be out on the field, although I’d project him above Carter Smith, who struggled earlier in the offseason.
But Adams is the projected backup, having quality arm talent and some game experience at Louisville.
Running Back
Starter: Abu Sama OR Darrion Dupree
Backups: Bryan Jackson, Nate Palmer, Julius Pope
Sama was Wisconsin’s biggest addition at running back this offseason after three standout seasons at Iowa State, where his efficiency and explosiveness stood out. He and Darrion Dupree should be the top tailbacks, though it’s notable that both have always played in a timeshare during their respective careers.
Sama and Dupree have similar skill sets in where they excel. Sama is the home run hitter; he’s explosive hitting the edges, has great speed, and is the big-play ability guy. Dupree is also best in space, which we’ve seen as a receiving threat, hence why he was considered a fit in Phil Longo’s offense. But we’ve also seen him develop to become more physical and a better runner inside the tackles as well, which is where Dilin Jones had been better ahead of last season.
That’s where Bryan Jackson comes in. At 230-235 pounds, the junior transfer from USC is the bruising between-the-tackles back that Wisconsin needs to complement their top guys. I do expect him to factor into the rotation, with those three leading the way for Wisconsin in 2026.
As for a carry distribution, we’ll see how that goes. Sama’s experience and ability should earn him regular, if not the most, carries, but Wisconsin will also want to keep him healthy. Same goes for Darrion Dupree, while Jackson’s fit might be more situational, but still impactful.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Chris Brooks Jr., Tyrell Henry, Jaylon Domingeaux
Backups: Eugene Hilton, Zion Kearney, Malachi Coleman
This group is perhaps the most open heading into Fall camp, but I also do think there will be a good amount of rotation. The top unit primarily consisted of Chris Brooks Jr., Tyrell Henry, and Jaylon Domingeaux in the Fall.
Brooks returns as a leader of the group known for his physicality and strong hands. That places him in a strong position to be a good blocking receiver for the Badgers, which will be a valuable asset on early downs. But you could see Eugene Hilton swap into his place for more receiving work.
Henry was one of the more improved players for the Badgers in the spring, working mainly out of the slot. But Domingeaux is the X-Factor of the group. He’s easily the most accomplished of the bunch, albeit at the FCS level, but he’s got the big-play ability that Wisconsin has badly needed at 6’3, 210 pounds. He could also be the red-zone threat.
Wisconsin needs a big step up from Hilton. He got a ton of opportunities in the spring and made some plays, but had far too many drops and inconsistencies. The Badgers brought him back with the idea of giving him a big role, and he’s going to have to produce for this receiver core to be productive in any way.
Wisconsin does have some more depth they added with Zion Kearney, Malachi Coleman, and Shamar Rigby, who are all bigger outside threats, but I would like to see them move their wideouts around the formation this year, which we saw a bit more during the spring.
Tight End
Starters: Jacob Harris, Ryan Schwendeman
Bench: Emmett Bork, Grant Stec
The Badgers brought in Jacob Harris and Ryan Schwendeman in the offseason, and both should play key, but very differing roles this season.
Harris is the team’s best receiving threat after going for 182 yards and five touchdowns last year. He’s a prime red zone option at 6’6, 265 pounds. Schwendeman and Emmett Bork might see some more action in blocking sequences, with the latter being one of the bigger risers during the spring.
With Jeff Grimes, we should see more 12 and even 13 personnel with more tight ends on the field, so there should be a good amount of rotation here, but these are the clear top four.
Bork also does provide some receiving ability, which is where Stec had his ups and downs last year. But all four should play in some capacity.
Offensive Line
Starters: PJ Wilkins (LT), Colin Cubberly (LG), Austin Kawecki (C), Emerson Mandell (RG), Kevin Heywood (RT)
Bench: Lucas Simmons, Blake Cherry, Ryan Cory, Stylz Blackmon, Barrett Nelson
Wisconsin brought in Wilkins, Kawecki, Simmons, Cherry, and Blackmon this offseason, who all have a chance to be starters or on the two deep.
Wilkins will be heavily depended on at left tackle, with Kevin Heywood moving to the right side, but the biggest questions in the room are the redshirt sophomore guards. Cubberly saw his ups and downs in 2025, but seemed to be better at the end of the year with more playing time. He’s in a crucial role, as the Badgers need to run between the tackles better in 2026.
Mandell’s key issue has been injuries stunting his development. He’s unfortunately gotten hurt, both during the season and in the offseason, taking away crucial reps. At center, Kawecki is the plug-and-play starter, who should be a fine fit in the offense.
The other factor is whether Cherry, who followed offensive line coach Eric Mateos from Arkansas, can push Cubberly for a starting role heading into his sophomore year. Apart from that, this group seems set.
On the two deep, if there was a flaw, it could be the swing tackle situation. Lucas Simmons was a bit inconsistent at tackle during the spring, while Barrett Nelson missed the entire spring due to injury. It’s unclear currently what his status is, which might bump Michael Roeske or Nolan Davenport up the depth chart. An injury at tackle could really hurt the Badgers or force some major shuffling again.
