BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — With the graduation loss of left tackle Tyler Marz, a 40-game starter — and the plan, for now, to keep Beau Benzschawel, a converted tackle, at guard — Wisconsin offensive coordinator and O-line coach Joe Rudolph went into recruiting with some specific needs — "edge guys," in his own words.
"You wanted to find two guys that could play tackle," Rudolph said. "And then it was about making sure you brought in toughness and the things that you want. I don't know that our depth is great on the edges. So that's why these guys are really important to bring in."
The Badgers signed two tackles in the recruiting class of 2016: Cole Van Lanen (6-5, 280) from Bay Port High School in Green Bay (the same program that produced running back Alec Ingold); and Patrick Kasl (6-6, 280) out of Wyoming, Minnesota (30 miles from the Twin Cities).
"His size is where you want it," Rudolph said of Van Lanen, a two-time first-team all-state pick. "He's tough and, obviously, with his track numbers (he won the discus and shot put in state meet as a junior) he's explosive. He just played with a passion and that's exactly what you want to find.
"Coming into (training) camp, I think he will get a chance to get some valuable reps which you can't always promise a young player, but he's going to get that opportunity. And if you're getting reps with the first or second unit, you're getting a chance to be seen, learning and earning some confidence."
Kasl learned some valuable lessons — especially about perseverance — considering that his Forest Lake High School team didn't win a game during his varsity career (0-36). Rudolph wasn't aware of the exact number of losses. And he really didn't care. That's not how he measured or evaluated Kasl.
"I know it (the losing) didn't change the way he approached the game or how he performed," he said. "Sometimes that shows a lot of toughness because it's easy to get into a funk and be satisfied that you're the best guy on the team. But you like it when someone plays with their own passion and drive."
Neither freshman will be around for spring practice, which should be as competitive as any in recent memory for the offensive line because of the returning numbers — and that's excluding center Dan Voltz from the mix. Voltz, a 27-game starter, is still rehabbing from knee surgery.
Benzschawel, a redshirt freshman from Grafton, provides Rudolph with some options at guard and tackle. After being injured and sidelined for a majority of the preseason training camp, Benzschawel's first appearance as a college player was as the starting right tackle at Nebraska.
After starting six games at tackle, Benzschawel moved to right guard and sparked the running attack with his ability to pull and lead interference for the tailbacks against Minnesota and USC. Filling the void at right tackle was another redshirt freshman, Jacob Maxwell, who also had started against Iowa.
"I really like what Beau did at guard and I think that's how we'll start the spring," Rudolph said. "Sometimes guards take awhile to feel comfortable with the pulls, whether it's perimeter or gap, but he was really smooth. It might be a natural fit. But we'll still probably move him around."
Rudolph has high expectations for two players out of the 2015 recruiting class: Ryan Ramczyk (pronounced RAM-check), who redshirted after transferring from UW-Stevens Point; and Jon Dietzen, a freshman redshirt from Black Creek and Seymour High School. Dietzen was hurt early in camp.
"I liked the way he works," Rudolph said of Ramczyk, who's expected to take over as one of the starting tackles. "I liked the way he approached last year for someone who wasn't going to be on the field. He went to the scout team and battled his tail off.
"The feedback that you got from guys like Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel (Wisconsin's starting outside linebackers) about having to go against him each day was fun to hear. I'm excited to get him out there and get him in that first group this spring."
Rudolph has the same excitement level for Dietzen. "Jon is an incredibly powerful young man," he said. "He's explosive and he's really starting to gain confidence with techniques and how to use his body. I thought he did a great job in bowl practices and he will be in the mix. I'm excited for his growth."
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UW defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield feels the same about his position group — "We got bigger and we got more athletic" — especially with versatility of Garrett Rand (6-2, 280) from Chandler, Arizona; Keldric Preston (6-4, 245) from Tampa, Florida; and Isaiahh Loudermilk (6-7, 270) from Howard, Kansas.
"Three different types of players," said Breckterfield, whose D-line recruits also include walk-on Hegeman Tiedt from Burlington. One of the headliners in this class is Rand, who also excelled on the wrestling mat.
"If you watch his film, he's already college ready — strength-wise and physically," Breckterfield said. "He's quick and aggressive. He's the total package if you're talking about a kid who can swing for you (between interior positions). And that's how we're going to use him."
Preston (6-4, 245) brings a different dimension to the group up front. "He's a body type that we don't have very much of — he's long and athletic and fast," Breckterfield said. "And he's got a chip on his shoulder. He wants to be great. If you've got that, you've got a chance and that goes for everyone.
"Keldric may have a chance to do some pass rushing stuff, maybe some third-down stuff, depending on how he comes along this summer and through fall camp. He'll get a shot and we'll see what he does. If he's ready, he's going to roll. If not, he's going to redshirt. It's a win-win for everybody."
Breckterfield is anxious to see how a couple of returning players will fare during spring ball. One is nose tackle Jeremy Patterson from Screven, Georgia, and the other is defensive end Billy Hirschfeld from Hartland Arrowhead High School. Both will be going into their third year with the program next fall.
"He (Patterson) has got to have a good offseason in terms of transforming his body and getting more fundamentally sound," Breckterfield said. "The learning curve has been a little slower for him, but he's working hard. Olive (Sagapolu, a freshman) outplayed him and pretty much earned a spot.
"But I'm excited about Patterson. He made some strides over the fall and he's going to continue to make strides through the winter and spring and fall. Billy (Hirschfeld) made the biggest strides last year and he was very productive in the snaps that he got.
"All of these guys are young and they know that their time is coming. I encourage them to keep grinding — you have to crawl before you walk. They understand that. And they all know that I'm going to play the best guy. I don't care about age or year or whatever. If they're the best, they're playing."
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UW wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore and cornerback prospect Caesar Williams were walking through the hallways of South Grand Prairie (Texas) High School when Williams mentioned that he had to stop and tell his math teacher that he was escorting Gilmore to the counselor's office.
Much to Gilmore's surprise, the teacher was one of his former players at Nebraska when he coached in Lincoln. "I went into the room and exchanged hugs," Gilmore said. "I had no idea he was a teacher there. But you have those little connections that sometimes come into play and help you out."
Another connection had recommended Williams to Gilmore, who had recruited Texas for the Cornhuskers. Last year, the Badgers pulled inside linebacker Chris Orr out of the state. Orr, who's from DeSoto, ended up starting five games as a freshman before getting injured.
"People know who Chris is — all those Texas kids follow each other," Gilmore said. "If we're going to make a decision to dive in there (Texas) full-time or not, I'm going to fight for it because I think we can make some headway. The more players you get from there, the more those kids recruit you."
Gilmore opened some new recruiting areas in Kansas City and the state of Kansas. He was born and raised in Wichita and his family still lives there. That led him to Loudermilk, who played eight-man football at West Elk High School; and A.J. Taylor, an all-state running back out of Kansas City.
Taylor fits neatly into a recruiting category: athlete. "When you talk about the qualities that we talk a lot about — smart, tough, dependable — he has all of that," Gilmore said. "And he can play multiple spots. I say that because I'm not willing to share. I want to keep him (at wide receiver)."
With his skill set, Taylor could play on defense, too. Another Gilmore recruit, Quintez Cephus from Macon, Georgia (Stratford), can be viewed in that same light as an all-around athlete. Cephus originally committed to play basketball at Furman University. He was an all-state combo guard in Georgia.
Gilmore got word of him through an e-mail from Cephus' prep basketball coach, James Dickey, also the offensive coordinator in football. "It was enough to pique my curiosity," said Gilmore. "He (Dickey) did a terrific job of getting me the information and feeding it to me."
After watching the football tape on Cephus, Gilmore said, "I saw a lot of athleticism, and this was before I knew he was a basketball commit. As I dug into it, I realized he hadn't played a lot of football. And then when I watched him in basketball, it was like, 'Whoa … he is a terrific athlete.'"
Loudermilk was another player that Gilmore has seen on the basketball court. "When I went through there (Howard, Kansas) in the spring, he was 260 pounds — he's now 285," said Gilmore, who rejected the notion that playing eight-man football would somehow be a deterrent to a fair evaluation.
"A good athlete is a good athlete," Gilmore reasoned. "As you look in this class, I don't care if it's Isaiahh Loudermilk or an A.J. Taylor, from the big men to the small men, they're good athletes."
And with this Wisconsin coaching staff, they'll get a chance to show what they can do, scholarship athlete or walk-on. It's a reoccurring theme with Rudolph, Breckterfield and Gilmore, who echoed the others when he promised, "They're going to get coached the same and the best guy is going to play."
