When most people think of Wisconsin football they think of two things – massive running backs and massive offensive lines. As we head into Spring Football this season the Offensive Line is one of the unknown areas of this Badger team. Gone are 3 all-Big Ten linemen led by All-American center Peter Konz.
Replacing him and the battle for the right guard spot will be huge to watch overall this Spring. We’ll also get a good look at one of the most versitile players on the line in Tyler Marz who’s going to be stepping in for Rob Havenstein who’s rehabing from an offseason shoulder surger but should be back come fall camp.
Another big change comes as Bob Bostad is no longer the offensive line coach, having moved on to Pitt and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. Replacing him is Mike Markuson, who has a very good pedigree as an offensive line coach.
With all those changes Spring ball should be quite interesting along the offensive line.
Here is what your starting line should look like for the Spring Game along with others to watch:
Ricky Wagner – RS Sr. – 6’6″ 322lbs. (LT)
Ricky is the veteran on this offensive line and last year made a smooth transition from right tackle to left tackle. Look for him to be a steadying force for a whole new interior on the line. Coach Markuson has a knack for developing players and Wagner could see even more improvement on a year where he was named consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten. He’s got 24 starts in his career so his experience will be huge.
Ryan Groy – RS Jr. – 6’5″ 322lbs. (LG)
Last year Groy was kind of a jack of all trades for the offensive line, making 4 starts. Two were at center and two at left guard. He was also named an Academic All-Big Ten. He was thought of as someone that could be a replacement for Peter Konz at center, but after playing there against Illinois it became clear he just was better suited at the guard spot. Overall he’s made 6 starts and this Spring he needs to improve his push in the run game and his improvement will be one of the biggest things I’ll be watching for on the offensive line.
Travis Frederick – RS Junior – 6’4″ 328lbs. (Center)
Frederick proved his worth last year as he played great at both left guard and center (while Konz was out of action). He was named 2nd team All-Big Ten and started all but the Oregon State game. He’s probably the most “pro” ready of the offensive lineman and will be given the chance to open up as the starting center coming out of this Spring. I fully expect him to win that battle with eary entry freshman Dan Voltz.
Right Guard
This position is wide open coming into Spring practice with Coach Bielema saying Casey Dehn, Robert Burge, and Dan Voltz in the running at that spot. Dehn is back after leaving the program during the season last year because of some conflicts with Coach Bostad. So with him gone and a fresh start he very well may win this battle. In fact he’s the only one that’s even started a game, doing so against Austin Peay two years ago.
Burge is a Redshirt Senior and saw action on special teams last year, playing in 12 of 14 games. He’s a big guy and with this being his last year, expect him to fight hard for the starting role.
Voltz is the most unknown, but possibly the most gifted of all the players for this position. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him have a great camp and head into the fall as someone who’s at the top of the list to take this position. He’s also going to see time at center to find out which position best suits him.
Tyler Marz – RS Fr. – 6’7″ 319lbs. – (RT)
Marz is going to see time with the No. 1’s in spring because Rob Havenstein is out and he’s going to have an opportunity to possibly be in the mix for the right guard spot coming out of the spring with a good showing. He’s tall and athletic to be sure, but what will be interesting to see will be if he learned enough technique and communication to possibly be someone to count on to replace Ricky Wagner or be the guy at right guard. Watching his progress will also be one of the things I’ll be keeping an eye on.
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