If there’s been a constant theme during University of Wisconsin football practices this spring, it’s pressure.
There’s been talk from coach Luke Fickell about shaking up things with competitive situations, but there’s also been a lot of pressure on the field with Wisconsin defenders in the backfield. Tuesday’s practice inside the McClain Center was no different as inside and outside linebackers created would-be sacks.
It can be difficult at times to know for sure that a play would be a sack since Fickell and his staff will kill a play when the defense collapses the pocket and is near each quarterback, but one 11-on-11 series in particular led to likely sacks on three consecutive plays by the first-team defense against the first-team offense. Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson, listed as a redshirt junior on Wisconsin’s roster, registered at least one sack and was in the backfield on the next play.
“Darryl Peterson's a guy that, I think with the competitiveness of what we've got in that room, he's gotten a lot better," Fickell said. "And so for us defensively, we know that if you have to pressure, you have to blitz, you have to bring five or six to make it uncomfortable for the quarterback in the long run, you're gonna give up big plays, and you're gonna struggle at some point in time. But if you can manage and you can find a way to get four-man pressure, we have that guy that at some point in time is gonna be able to make a play, obviously things become a little bit different defensively. I really believe we're in a good place.”
Here are four observations from Wisconsin’s 11th spring practice of 2024.
Offense finds groove inside red zone
It wasn’t all bad for the offense, and there was an improvement for the first- and second-team units compared to Saturday during one 11-on-11 period. The ball was placed inside the 5-yard line, and the first- and second-team offenses switched trying to get the ball into the end zone.
The offense didn’t fare well during this period Saturday, failing to score a touchdown in six snaps (three each among first- and second-team reps), but it rebounded for four scores out of six plays Tuesday. Miami transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke aired out a throw to the back of the end zone. Tight end Tucker Ashcraft hauled in the pass that a referee ruled as a touchdown, though there was pressure in the backfield that could have been labeled a sack. Running backs Jackson Acker and Chez Mellusi crossed the goal line on runs, while redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke found LSU transfer tight end Jackson McGohan crossing for a touchdown.
It was another solid day for Van Dyke, who arguably had his best spring practice Saturday. He connected with slot receiver Trech Kekahuna for a deep throw of at least 40 yards during an 11-on-11 period with the first-team offense. His lone interception of the day two plays later was more a result of great coverage by cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean on a contested ball to receiver CJ Williams.
Other offensive highlights included Locke hitting slot receiver Will Pauling in stride deep for a would-be touchdown during the 7-on-7 period, along with Locke threading the needle to wide receiver Quincy Burroughs for a touchdown pass with pressure coming from defensive lineman Ben Barten.
The inside linebacker group has been one of the positions with the most change compared to last season with the addition of transfers Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas and Cincinnati), Tackett Curtis (Southern Cal) and Sebastian Cheeks (North Carolina). Thomas, Jake Chaney and Christian Alliegro have received first-team reps at the inside linebacker spots throughout the spring, but Tyler Jansey has made the most of his consistent second-team reps through 11 practices. Curtis has not participated in 11-on-11 team periods.
Jansey, who is listed at 6 foot 1 and 235 pounds, isn’t as long as the newest additions to the inside linebacker unit and is more like Chaney in stature and intensity. Jansey found his way into the backfield twice during one 11-on-11 drive, disrupting a running play that went to Acker to start the drive. His explosiveness showed on a blitz up the middle three plays later to create pressure before being picked up by a blocker.
Just how that translates to the fall within the depth chart is yet to be seen, especially once Curtis fully participates and Cheeks continues his progression in learning Mike Tressel’s defense, but Fickell believes Jansey is "gonna be really, really good” and is “one of those mentality type of guys that you can’t have enough of.”
“Tyler is a guy that never stops,” Fickell said. “... The game is still really fast for him, but the thing about Tyler is each and every day he comes out, he's a little bit better. He’s a little better.
“There’s not many I could truly say that every single day when he comes out, he's going to make himself better. He's not going to make the same mistake. He’s gonna make another mistake, just the nature of who he is and his aggressive nature, but he gets better each and every day.”
Two Wisconsin true freshmen have a good day at outside linebacker
Thomas Heiberger is another player taking advantage of second-team reps, especially with the recent injury to Aaron Witt (upper body). The 6-4, 218-pound early enrollee has the length and athleticism Wisconsin wants at that position group, and he’s shown early promise this spring. He tallied back-to-back sacks with Van Dyke at quarterback during one 11-on-11 series. He worked inside on a later second-team series and created pressure on a Locke pass that was caught by true freshman slot receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson.
Anelu Lafaele, a former four-star 2024 recruit by 247Sports, arguably had his best spring practice thus far. He came off the right edge for a would-be sack on Locke in second-team 11-on-11 reps. He also recovered a fumble and registered a pressure in consecutive snaps against the third-team defense.
Another transfer visits Wisconsin practice
Wisconsin landed one transfer offensive lineman in Leyton Nelson (Vanderbilt) and hosted another this past weekend in Joey Okla (Illinois, who played in-state at Hartland Arrowhead). CJ West, who played at Kent State from 2020 to 2023, watched Tuesday’s practice with Wisconsin director of recruiting Pat Lambert alongside him for the vast majority of practice. West participated in 39 career games and contributed 110 tackles, including 19 ½ for loss and seven sacks during his time with the program. He recorded 40 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks last season.
Two of Wisconsin's three in-state 2025 commits, offensive lineman Michael Roeske (Wautoma) and inside linebacker Cooper Catalano (Germantown), both attended Tuesday's practice.
Former Kent State defensive lineman CJ West, left, speaks with Wisconsin football chief of staff Greg Gillum during Tuesday's practice inside the McClain Center.