The Wisconsin Badgers have spent most of the 2026 season attempting to identify their five best offensive linemen. Injuries and inconsistent play at various positions have made it difficult for head coach Luke Fickell to find a group that can consistently stay on the field together.

The Badgers improved to 6-3 on the season after a 31-10 win over Rutgers on Saturday. Freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins made his first career start and completed 18-of-24 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Wisconsin is now bowl eligible after missing out on a bowl game the past two seasons.

But while the offense looked better against Rutgers, the biggest question right now for Wisconsin is whether the current offensive line can get the job done for the rest of the season. The Badgers have games against Maryland, Purdue and Minnesota left on their schedule.

Wisconsin Has Tried Just About Everything on the Offensive Line

Injuries to various offensive linemen have forced the coaching staff to try a variety of different combinations throughout the season.

The Badgers started the season with PJ Wilkins at left tackle. Kevin Heywood started the season at right tackle but eventually moved to left tackle, and is now lost for the year with another knee surgery. Emerson Mandell then started at right tackle.

Austin Kawecki’s hand injury was another problem for the Badgers. Stylz Blackmon moved to center, and Wisconsin tried a number of different combinations at right guard.

Heywood suffered his season-ending injury against Iowa, and Wilkins was inserted back at left tackle for the Rutgers game, where the Badgers started Wilkins at left tackle, Colin Cubberly at left guard, Blackmon at center, Kawecki at right guard and Mandell at right tackle.

Mandell played all 58 snaps against the Scarlet Knights, the only offensive lineman to do so. Wilkins played 40 snaps, with Lucas Simmons-Johansson playing the remaining 18 snaps at left tackle.

Blackmon, Cubberly and Kawecki each played 54 snaps in the game for the Badgers.

The group did show some signs of life, however, as it allowed only four pressures on the day and kept freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins clean on more than 82% of his drop-backs.

The line showed some good signs of protection for the quarterback on Saturday, but the group has to show it can put together a performance like that consistently.

One game is not enough to say that the Badgers have finally figured things out on the offensive line.

The Final Three Games Will Tell Wisconsin What It Has

The biggest positive from the Rutgers game was the protection that Hopkins received in his first career start.

The Badgers were able to throw the ball effectively for much of the game. The freshman looked very comfortable in his first start as the Badgers’ quarterback.

The running game was another story.

Wisconsin had 122 yards on 29 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. This is a far cry from the kind of rushing production that Wisconsin has traditionally expected from its offensive line.

Wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. had the most rushing yards for the Badgers with 39 on three carries, followed by Abu Sama III with 35 yards, Bryan Jackson II with 32 yards and Darrion Dupree with 12 yards.

While the Badgers’ running game was not stellar, they need to get more consistent play from their running backs in order to support a freshman quarterback in Hopkins.

Fickell and his staff will get another chance to evaluate the offensive line in games against Maryland, Purdue and Minnesota, the three remaining regular-season games for the Badgers.

The Badgers will travel to Maryland this Saturday for a noon Eastern kickoff before traveling to Purdue and hosting Minnesota in the final two regular-season games.

While Wisconsin is already bowl eligible, that does not mean that the Badgers can be satisfied with where they are.

The offensive line has been a problem for Wisconsin throughout much of the season, and while the Rutgers game was a step in the right direction, three more games will determine if the changes that the Badgers made can be sustained.

If the Badgers are still moving players around on the offensive line by the end of November and the running game is still struggling, then Fickell will have some tough decisions to make for next season.