Wisconsin Spring Practice Report: March 30, 2023

MADISON — Wisconsin was back on the practice field Thursday morning for the third time in spring.

Play of the Day:

Chris Brooks Jr. continues to stand out in 50-50 ball situations. He had the play of the day in the first practice and was back at it again on Thursday. This time, Braedyn Locke looked for him down the left sideline in tight coverage. It appeared it was going to be incomplete, but Brooks Jr. took advantage of cornerback Avyonne Jones, who was not looking for the ball, reaching over him and plucking the ball away. It would have been about a 25-yard gain at a minimum and it’s likely he would have gotten into the end zone.

The good: Tanner Mordecai

It was a little bit of a ho-hum first two practices from the SMU transfer but things started to click for him on Thursday. He dropped an absolute beauty on Will Pauling in tight one-on-one coverage, and then hit Jack Eschenbach for a pair of touchdowns in red zone drills. That included a fastball down the middle as the tight end beat safety Travian Blaylock.

The not so good: Going under center

For nearly the entire three practices, we had not seen a quarterback take a snap from under center. Then, near the goal line, Mordecai went under with Tanor Bortolini snapping. It didn’t go great, with Mordecai never really looking comfortable and fumbling before he even got control of the snap.

Standouts:

Pauling — The transfer keeps making plays with his unique skillset of speed and quickness. On the bomb from Mordecai mentioned above, Pauling tracked the ball perfectly as he cradled it just inside the side of the end zone. The sophomore made a diving grab in team drills and was targeted several more times after beating his man. Pauling also got some time with the first-team offense in the slot in place of Skyler Bell.

Preston Zachman — The safety made the play of the day on defense, picking off Locke in a red zone drill. The junior is currently the fourth safety behind Hunter Wohler, Blaylock and Kamo’i Latu.

CJ Goetz — With shoulder pads on, we got some 1-on-1 pass rushing drills and Goetz shined, including a couple wins against right tackle Riley Mahlman.

Seen from the sideline

— After going out late in practice on Tuesday with what appeared to be a leg injury, RB Braelon Allen did not take part in any full speed team portions of practice. Jackson Acker left practice early, leaving Chez Mellusi, Julius Davis and Cade Yacamelli to take most of the RB reps.

Guys not taking part due to injury:

LB Jake Chaney (boot on right foot)
LB Kaden Johnson
LB Jeff Pietrowski
TE Clay Cundiff
QB Cole LaCrue
CB Max Lofy
LB Aaron Witt
TE Cam Large
DL Darien Varner
LB Aidan Vaughn

— Transfer WR Bryson Green made his return to the field after missing the first two practices with a leg injury. He did not take part in any team drills.

— Mordecai continues to take all the first-team reps at quarterback, while Locke oversees the second unit. Coach Luke Fickell said Locke’s mastery of the offense is a big reason he’s been able to take that spot over the likes of Nick Evers, Myles Burkett and Marshall Howe.

— Wisconsin switched up some of its offensive line rotations, with Tanor Bortolini taking over for Jake Renfro with the first-team unit at center. Trey Wedig replaced Bortolini at left guard. Renfro was with the second group, while Barrett Nelson replaced Wedig at right tackle with the backups.

1st team: LT Jack Nelson, LG Trey Wedig, C Tanor Bortolini, RG Michael Furtney, RT Riley Mahlman
2nd team: LT Nolan Rucci, LG Joe Brunner, C Jake Renfro, RG Joe Huber, RT Barrett Nelson

— WR CJ Williams took offense to Amaun Williams taking him down after a catch, throwing the ball at the cornerback. But he ducked, and the ball hit another player behind him. It led to some pushing and shoving between the offense and defense before order was restored.

— Reporters got their first look at the kicking competition. Nathanial Vakos split the first-team reps with Nate Van Zelst. Vakos went 2-for-2 (28 yards, 35 yards), while Van Zelst also hit both of his kicks (31 yards, 38 yards). Gavin Lahm and Vito Calvaruso were up next. Lahm was 2-for-2 (28 yards, 35 yards), while Calvaruso split his two attempts (32 yards, miss from 38 yards)

— Wisconsin may not have a traditional rugby style punter on its roster but during Thursday’s practice both Jack Van Dyke and Gavin Meyers worked on rolling out to their right before kicking the ball.

— Whether due to injuries or just a choice, junior Spencer Lytle was with the outside linebackers during practice. Lytle started his career at outside linebacker before moving to inside linebacker last season.

What’s next?

Wisconsin will return to the field on Saturday for the fourth practice of spring.