MADISON – That Wisconsin’s defensive staff felt more depth was needed on the defensive line was evident in spring recruiting efforts.
UW pursued several linemen who entered the transfer portal and at least four committed to other schools.
UW finally secured a commitment from Brandon Lane, who played one season at South Dakota State and two seasons at Stephen F. Austin.
As a result, the staff feels a little better entering the season.
James Thompson, a fifth-year senior, and Curt Neal, a redshirt sophomore who came on late last season, were on the No. 1 unit in the spring when UW deployed a 2-4-5 scheme.
The third lineman was fifth-year senior Ben Barten, who lined up at end in a three-man front. The fourth option was Elijah Hills, a transfer from Albany.
Lane, 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, is expected to be no less than a key reserve. Could he earn a starting spot in a three-man front? That likely will be determined in camp.
His best overall season came in 2023 when he played in 11 games and finished with 1 ½ sacks, 6 ½ tackles for loss and 44 total tackles.
Hills, 6-3 and 287, generally worked against the No. 2 offensive line in the spring. He showed quickness off the ball but whether he can hold up against double-teams is a significant question.
“Right now, you would feel good about being at least four deep,” head coach Luke Fickell said at the close of spring ball, before UW added Lane. “Now we’ve got to find out who five and six are.”
E.J. Whitlow, in his first season as UW’s defensive line coach, has been tasked with retooling a unit that saw end Rodas Johnson and nose tackle Gio Paez transfer to Texas A&M and LSU, respectively.
In addition, reserves T.J. Bollers and Mike Jarvis transferred to California and Liberty, respectively.
Reserve Cade McDonald, a fifth-year senior from Hudson, decided to stick it out at UW.
Tackle Jamel Howard, a redshirt freshman who did not play last season, worked mostly with the No. 3 defense in the spring. Ditto for promising freshman end Ernest Willor. Of the two, Willor might be closer to earning playing time in camp.
UW is bringing in two more freshmen – Dillan Johnson from Illinois and Hank Weber from Tennessee.
“Everybody starts (with) a blank canvas,” Whitlow said during the spring. “There’s no preconceived notions of who has done this or who has done that.
“You’ve got to earn it every single day. You just keep making steps and improving every single day.”
James Thompson Jr., Curt Neal must help bring others along
Whitlow expects much from Thompson and Neal.
“Those guys are good leaders,” Whitlow said. “They work hard. As veteran guys, I talk to them all the time. There is an expectation. There is pressure. But pressure is a privilege. That means things are expected of you.
“Those guys have got to lead and they’ve got to set the tone for the rest of the unit.”
Thompson is the most experienced member of the unit and last season led all UW linemen in tackles (29), sacks (three) and tackles for loss (5 ½).
Neal battled back from a torn meniscus suffered in camp to take over as the No. 2 nose tackle and played well late in the season.
“That kind of delayed my process of getting back in the rotation,” Neal said. “I was out pretty much the whole fall camp…
“I’m expecting a great season. I’ve been taking a leadership role and trying to bring the young guys up with us. I’ve put in a ton of work, film study.”
Ben Barten acknowledges Wisconsin’s defensive linemen have to post better numbers in 2024
Barten was asked to list the areas in which the linemen must improve in 2024.
His answer was blunt.
“We have to create more production this year,” he said. “Last year we were getting to the quarterback but we weren’t bringing him down.
“And then you’d see a lot of QB run yards because we weren’t bringing the quarterback down. We need to find a way to finish plays.”
Barten did see improvement in the spring.
“We were getting to the quarterback quicker,” he said. “That was another problem last year. Whitlow is huge on building a box around the quarterback.”
E.J. Whitlow explains what he expects from the linemen
What does Whitlow expect to see from the linemen play after play?
“You’ve got to be violent with your hands,” he said. “They’ve got to be your weapons of mass destruction. When you punch people, when you strike people it’s got to show up on tape.
“You have to see offensive linemen’s helmets snapping back. That is the type of mentality you’ve got to play with.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin defensive linemen want to be more disruptive
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
