Which offensive lineman can the Badgers not afford to lose?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Wisconsin fans and fans across the country.

Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys:

The Wisconsin Badgers have started to deal with some injury issues on the offensive line in Fall camp, as Kevin Heywood has remained out after suffering a lower-body injury earlier this month, with head coach Luke Fickell hoping he can jump back into the action soon.

Things aren’t as clear for right guard Emerson Mandell, who has been slow to return from an offseason surgery that occurred after he suffered a lower-body injury back during spring ball. So, Wisconsin has been operating without both its starting offensive linemen on the right side for the past week-plus.

That got me thinking: which offensive lineman can the Badgers not afford to lose among their starters? There are some good arguments for a number of players.

On the left side, P.J. Wilkins is slated to start at left tackle, playing the most valuable position on the offensive line. Wisconsin does have a depth piece, with offensive line coach Eric Mateos praising the progress of Lucas Simmons-Johannson.

The staff has seemingly been high on Wilkins because of his size and length, but he is a largely unproven player, especially at tackle, and will have a lot on his shoulders this offseason.

Then, there’s Colin Cubberly, who is back now in a full-time starting role after being in and out as a starter as a redshirt freshman last season. Cubberly definitely had his fair share of learning moments, but it’s worth noting that the offensive line did improve towards the end of the season, when the Badgers let the redshirt freshman get more snaps and play it out.

Cubberly got all the snaps for the Badgers in their final four games (Weeks 9, 11, 12, and 13), while splitting reps 50/50 in Week 8 with Kerry Kodanko. Now, he’s set to be the left guard, with Blake Cherry and Stylz Blackmon as serviceable backups on the inside.

Austin Kawecki was one of the top centers for Wisconsin in the transfer portal, and he provides stability at a position that saw a ton of movement in 2025. Kawecki might not be the best outright player on the offensive line, but Wisconsin has seen struggles at center be key to the offensive issues over the past few years, and the team doesn’t really have any viable backups currently.

Mandell is one of the team’s highest-potential players at right guard, but injuries have been a thing. The redshirt sophomore kicked out to tackle in Week 2 last year after the Badgers demoted Davis Heinzen from left tackle and did some major switching. From there, he played the whole season at right tackle, but is now moving back to his more natural position.

His sheer athleticism and power stand out, and he had a mixed bag of games last season, allowing 4+ pressures in four contests, while giving up one or fewer in the other eight. Wisconsin does have some depth here as well, with Cherry and Blackmon.

Lastly, there’s Kevin Heywood, who returns from a torn ACL at right tackle. We’ll see how long this current minor injury keeps him out, but he was in the two-deep as the backup left tackle as a true freshman and was slated to start at left tackle as a sophomore before his injury. Now, back as a redshirt sophomore, Heywood is moving over to the right side, where he’ll work in tandem with Mandell.

The Badgers’ main depth at right tackle is Simmons-Johannson, who seems to be the team’s swing tackle. But after that, there isn’t much proven depth, with the underclassmen coming up in the two-deep.