Injuries starting to add up for the Wisconsin football team
As camp rolls on, injuries are starting to become a problem for the Badgers.
No team is immune to injuries, and Wisconsin football is no different. In football, injuries happen; that’s just how it is. But when those injuries start stacking up before the first game is even played, that’s when it gets tough.
We are just about three weeks into fall camp, and the Badgers have already seen a handful of injuries to multiple expected starters, including two along the offensive line. In a season already expected to be challenging, these injuries will make it even more difficult.
Wisconsin scrambles to find a starting right tackle
In the spring, the Wisconsin football team took its first big hit before the start of the 2025 season when sophomore offensive tackle Kevin Heywood went down with a season-ending injury. Heywood was projected to take over the left tackle position for the team and be one of the better players along the offensive line.
A big loss, but the Badgers were able to hit the portal before it closed and bring in senior Davis Heinzen, a Wisconsin-native who played the past four seasons with Central Michigan and has over 2,300 career snaps along the offensive line, and about 1,900 of those snaps came at left tackle.
Kedrick Stumbris from the Talkin’ Badgers podcast talked about Heinzen a bit on his podcast just last week. He talks about Heinzen from 0:57-6:18 in the following video if you want to dive a little more into the apparent starting left tackle for the Badgers.
In the couple of practices I’ve seen in person, I can’t say I’ve come away completely impressed. But to be fair, he joined the program at the end of April, so he already missed spring practices, and then was thrown into the starting role at the start of fall camp.
So, left tackle is certainly a position to keep an eye on this season as a potential area of concern.
The Badgers lose a second offensive lineman
Losing your left tackle is probably one of the two worst spots to lose an offensive lineman. The other is the center. Fortunately for the Badgers, they have a veteran center in Jake Renfro. Unfortunately for the Badgers, Renfro also went down with a ‘lower leg’ injury during the team’s second week of fall camp.
Renfro, who has had a history of lower leg injuries, reportedly avoided any ‘significant’ damage to his leg and will be ‘week-to-week,’ and hasn’t been ruled out for the Badgers’ Week 1 game against Miami (OH).
Now, the fact that he could play Week 1 is the good news, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will. Would the Badgers’ try to get him back earlier or give him a week or two while they play Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee to make sure he is ready for their trip to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama in Week 3?
Either way, not having your starting center working with transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. during fall camp isn’t ideal.
More offensive line woes
Replacing Renfro in his absence is graduate senior Kerry Kodanko. Kodanko has been a depth player for the interior offensive line for the duration of his career at Wisconsin. He has been thrust into taking snaps with the first-team offense this camp while Renfro is out.
Until this week, that is.
In practice on Tuesday, Kodanko reportedly left practice with an ‘upperbody’ injury. A UW spokesperson said it’s not considered to be anything serious.
In the meantime, the Badgers are down to their third-string center. Redshirt freshman Ryan Cory took snaps at center with the first time in both Renfro and Kodanko’s absence.
TE Tucker Ashcraft sidelined for the remainder of camp
The offensive side of the ball took another hit on Tuesday when starting tight end Tucker Ashcraft, who has been taking his snaps with the first-team, left with a ‘lower body’ injury.
BadgerExtra’s Colton Bartholomew tweeted the news.
With Ashcraft absent from practice, redshirt Freshman Grant Stec took reps with the first team.
We are just under two weeks away from the Badgers opening the 2025 season against Miami (OH) on August 28th at Camp Randall. The Badgers are hoping the injury bug has come and gone and the team doesn’t suffer any more setbacks before the start of the regular season.
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