Badgers reveal depth chart for Week 7 vs. UCLA

Fresh off their bye week, the Wisconsin Badgers are taking on the No. 12 UCLA Bruins in Week 7, looking for their fourth win in six games against ranked opponents.

Earlier this season, the Badgers knocked off the then-No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions on the road. Now, they’re looking to travel cross-country again and do the same, only this time on the West Coast.

The Bruins are undefeated at 5-0, coming off a road win over the Oregon Ducks in an upset. The win came with some unfortunate news, however, as quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

Wisconsin should hopefully be healthier here in Week 7 after getting the bye week to rest and reset following their 31-3 beatdown of the Michigan State Spartans in Week 5.

Here’s the Badgers depth chart for Week 5, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Mark Stewart.

Back in Week 5, we got to see Ryan Hopkins take snaps for the second time this season. He remains as the co-backup on the depth chart with Deuce Adams.

At running back, without Abu Sama, Darrion Dupree got a workhorse load, playing 43 of 62 snaps, while having 20 touches for 63 yards. Bryan Jackson played 16 snaps, recording seven carries for 22 yards, while Nate Palmer played three snaps.

Sama should be healthier from his shoulder injury post-bye. He hasn’t played since Week 4 at Penn State, when he got five carries for 34 yards before sitting the rest of the game. Sama should factor back into the mix here, but we’ll see if he’s the workhorse or if Wisconsin rides Dupree again vs. UCLA.

At receiver, the Badgers could get Jaylon Domingeaux for the first time this season. The senior transfer had a hand injury in fall camp and hasn’t suited up yet this year, but he practiced last week and could be in the mix in Week 7. The Badgers would then have a rotation of Chris Brooks, Eugene Hilton, Tyrell Henry, Malachi Coleman, Shamar Rigby, and Domingeaux.

Back in Week 5, with Coleman back healthy, he got an equal amount of snaps to Tyrell Henry (28), while Brooks and Hilton led the room with 41 and 37 snaps, respectively.

The tight end room was a bit different in Week 5, as Ryan Schwendeman led the room is snaps with 27 as the Badgers went to the ground game more. Grant Stec also had 25 snaps, while Jacob Harris had 23 and Emmett Bork had 18. We’ll see how much the Badgers go heavy personnel on this one.

The offensive line is where things get interesting. Wisconsin moved Kevin Heywood to left tackle, starting Stylz Blackmon at right guard and Emerson Mandell at right tackle while PJ Wilkins went to the bench. However, Wilkins rotated in with Mandell at right tackle, playing 26 snaps to the latter’s 33.

Wilkins is the backup right tackle on the depth chart. With Mandell now two weeks healthier, we’ll see if that continues in Week 7. Another note: Austin Kawecki left Week 5 with an injury, prompting Ryan Cory to step in and play quite well. We’ll see if Kawecki can return here. He’s listed as the starter.

Defensively, the defensive line group has looked the same for much of the year, with Wisconsin rotating in Hammond Russell, Charles Perkins, Junior Poyser, Nolan Vils, DeNigel Cooper, Dillan Johnson, and Jacob Anderson. We’ll see if the Badgers go one less on Saturday, but that group of six or seven should all play against UCLA, keeping the unit fresh.

The same goes at outside linebacker, where we’ve seen Tyreese Fearbry’s snaps continue to rise opposite Sebastian Cheeks. Behind them, the top options have been Nicolas Clayton, who has continued to improve as a pass-rusher, and Justus Boone. Micheal Garner has played occasionally, but seems behind the clear top four in snaps.

At linebacker, it’s the same: Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano dominating the snaps, while Jon Jon Kamara and Thomas Heiberger fit in certain packages.

At cornerback, the rotation between Jai’mier Scott and Eric Fletcher remains on the field side, but Javan Robinson has been a full-time player and Bryce West has played a lot in the nickel.

At safety, we also continue to see a rotation between Marvin Burks and Cairo Skanes, while Matt Jung is essentially a full-time player.

Wisconsin and UCLA will kick off at 4:30 p.m. local time on Saturday on NBC, marking yet another primetime game for the Badgers.