What are the 5 big Fall camp battles for the Badgers?

Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins (10) is shown during spring football practice Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co

Fall camp is underway for the Wisconsin Badgers, as they prepare for the team’s season opener on September 6th against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

While a lot of the dust has settled for the Badgers, there are still several position battles to be determined, with a couple of places on the depth chart especially standing out early on in training camp.

What are the main camp battles taking place right now ahead of the season?

No. 1 wide receiver

The Badgers exited the spring without true certainty at receiver, although the players we saw get the most snaps at wideout in spring ball were returners Chris Brooks Jr., Tyrell Henry, and Eugene Hilton.

Now, Wisconsin brought in a bevy of newcomers at the position. That included transfers Jaylon Domingeaux, Malachi Coleman, Shamar Rigby, Zion Kearney, and freshmen Zion Legree, Keeyshawn Tabuteau, and Kash Brock.

Rotation was often with the group in the spring, with most of the transfers and returners getting some action with the 1s and the 2s at some point. Heading into the Fall, I expected Domingeaux to get more in the mix, as he was the most productive wideout of the group last year, albeit at the FCS level. But his size and big-play ability would factor in two ways: blocking on early downs and explosive plays.

I also thought Eugene Hilton would get a good shot at taking over as the WR1 after an inconsistent spring, given the need for one heading into the Fall.

So far, it seems like this battle is playing out, with the returners getting a ton of snaps, while some of the transfers are starting to push for more time with the 1s as well.

No. 2 cornerback

Wisconsin revamped its cornerback room in the offseason, bringing in Javan Robinson, Bryce West, Eric Fletcher, and Cai Bates to compete in the two-deep. Their three starters from a season ago were gone, and the room was extremely thin and young in 2025.

Well, Robinson, a two-year starter at Arizona State, immediately became a clear starter at the boundary corner spot, while West took over the nickel as a natural fit. Bates, with his length and size at 6’3, 200 pounds, also felt like a natural fit at the boundary spot, which meant the field corner position was open for grabs.

And redshirt freshman Jai’mier Scott pounced on the opportunity and put his name in the mix there during the spring, having one of the best camps of any player. Now, in the Fall, he’s battling it out with the speedy Fletcher for that starting spot opposite Robinson.

Regardless of who starts, it feels like Wisconsin has five players at cornerback it can rotate, with the field position potentially being more of a rotation, especially.

No. 1 tight end

The Badgers brought in transfers Jacob Harris and Ryan Schwendeman in the offseason to replace the departing Lance Mason and Jackson Acker at tight end in a very young room.

But it was a pretty quiet spring overall for the position group, aside from one riser who has continued to make strong strides in his early career: Emmett Bork.

Bork flashed a ton during the offseason as a true freshman, and he’s put a ton of work in with his body to get stronger while remaining one of the most athletic players at the position. Without anyone really standing out in the group, Bork took advantage of the opportunity and got some No. 1 reps at tight end in the spring.

With how much Wisconsin will use its tight ends in heavier packages this season, there are a lot of snaps to be had here, and Bork, Harris, Schwendeman, and Grant Stec all should play this year. Fall camp will decide who could be the true passing threat at the position.

No. 2 guard

The Badgers had their offensive line set for the most part in the spring, with PJ Wilkins taking over at left tackle and Kevin Heywood shifting to the right side. On the interior, Colin Cubberly and Emerson Mandell returned at the guard spots, with transfer Austin Kawecki filling in at center.

Heading into the season, while injuries have been a factor early in fall camp, it feels like this might be the group, set aside some potential competition at guard. The Badgers brought in young transfers Blake Cherry and Stylz Blackmon at guard this offseason, and both have had their moments in practice so far, getting reps with both the 1s and 2s during the spring.

This could be a true battle for the Badgers as to who would be the top guard off the bench, or potentially even in a rotation, with Cherry having seen more reps at left guard and Blackmon at right guard. With how injuries have played out, it’s likely one, or maybe both, will see the field at some point this year.

No. 2 quarterback

One of the more fun and unexpected battles has been true freshman Ryan Hopkins inserting himself into the quarterback conversation.

No, Hopkins won’t start this year after the Badgers brought in Colton Joseph, but he definitely opened some eyes in the spring with his confidence, usurping Carter Smith on the depth chart. Now, could he even push Deuce Adams as the No. 2 quarterback?

That’s a competition that has gone on at the beginning of Fall camp, with Wisconsin’s staff clearly liking what they see from Hopkins. Now, the No. 2 moniker doesn’t matter unless the No. 1 actually gets hurt, but it would be quite impressive to see the true freshman truly take that opportunity, although Adams has shown to be a very capable No. 2 option so far.

Defensive tackle

The Badgers brought in some big bodies along the defensive line, and they should rotate a ton there again, just like they did last season. Rolling five deep on the interior seems like a good idea for defensive line coach EJ Whitlow, and there are a couple of names pushing for starting roles in the room.

From the spring, Russell Hammond IV, Charles Perkins, and Junior Poyser seemed like the top three options fr...

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