This is the second in a series of four previews examining Wisconsin's football team by positions. Today's grouping: offensive non-skill positions (offensive line, tight end, kicker).
Offensive line
Rating (1-to-10 scale): 7
Projected starters: left tackle Tyler Marz (redshirt senior), left guard Ray Ball (redshirt senior), center Dan Voltz (redshirt junior), right guard Michael Deiter (redshirt freshman), right tackle Hayden Biegel (redshirt sophomore)
Key backups: Walker Williams (redshirt junior), Jon Dietzen (freshman), Beau Benzschawel (redshirt freshman), Jacob Maxwell (redshirt freshman), George Panos (redshirt freshman)
The breakdown: Wisconsin loses three senior starters off last year's team that combined to start 98 college games. Asking newcomers to step in and play at the same level may be too much, but expectations for the Badgers' offensive line remain high.
Tyler Marz should be the unquestioned leader of the group. Though not particularly vocal, Marz is someone who leads by example, and he'll be one of the best in the Big Ten at his position. Marz was a consensus honorable mention all-Big Ten pick in each of the last two seasons. He has played in 37 career games and started Wisconsin's last 27 games over two seasons.
The only other projected starter on the line with considerable experience is center Dan Voltz. In his career, he has played in 25 games with 20 starts. The biggest question is whether he can remain healthy enough to contribute. He missed two games in 2013 and then dealt with an ankle issue late in the 2014 season. Voltz was knocked out of the Big Ten championship game early and suffered a broken bone in his left leg during the team's Outback Bowl victory against Auburn. This spring, he was sidelined again with an ankle sprain.
Though Ray Ball has never started a game at Wisconsin, he remains one of the more experienced players on the line. The 6-foot-7, 324-pounder from Columbus, Ohio, saw action in all 14 games last season and has played in 31 for his career. When Voltz sustained a fractured left leg early in the team's Outback Bowl game, left guard Dallas Lewallen slid over to center, and Ball took Lewallen's spot at left guard. Ball then performed admirably given the high stakes and limited practice reps in a game that required overtime for the Badgers to win. He'll need to maintain that level of success as a full-time starter.
Michael Deiter and Hayden Biegel, meanwhile, have much to prove as projected starters. Deiter is among the most versatile offensive linemen on Wisconsin's roster. He is penciled in as the starting right guard despite being only a redshirt freshman. But he also has proven capable of playing center in a pinch. When Voltz went down this spring, for example, Deiter was the one who slid over to take his spot.
Biegel will be taking Rob Havenstein's place. Wisconsin offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph said Biegel played with "a true toughness" but still had to focus on the small details to perfect his craft. Those details, according to Biegel, include being more patient in the pass game and keeping his feet in the run game.
Best position battle: The starting roles on the offensive line seem fairly defined, but the biggest key to the unit's success will be how the Badgers' depth develops. One player to watch is Walker Williams, who could work his way into the lineup. The size is there (6-foot-7, 320 pounds). The experience will come at some point. In two seasons, he has played in six games.
Tight ends
Rating (1-to-10 scale): 7
Projected starters: Austin Traylor (redshirt senior), Troy Fumagalli (redshirt sophomore)
Key backups: T.J. Watt (redshirt sophomore), Eric Steffes (redshirt junior), Kyle Penniston (freshman), Sam Eckert (redshirt freshman), John Damrow (redshirt freshman)
The breakdown: Depending on the formation, Traylor and Fumagalli could both be on the field at the same time. Fumagalli is clearly the most talented pass catcher, though Traylor has made great strides in that area. Last season, Fumagalli tied for fifth on the team in total receptions with 14 for 187 yards. He provided surprising consistency at such a young age behind starter Sam Arneson. Expect Fumagalli's role in the passing attack to increase. The average number of catches by Wisconsin's leading tight end the past four seasons is 31.
Traylor said he caught somewhere between 150 to 200 balls in the offseason from a machine while he rested on one knee to improve hand placement. On nice days, he would practice in Camp Randall Stadium. Other days, he would practice indoors off to the side with a teammate while the track team used the McClain Center.
Traylor was so dedicated to maintaining his pass-catching routine in the winter that he occasionally was forced to practice in the team's locker room when the McClain Center was locked up and snow still clung to the ground. And all that work paid off, he said, because he noticed a difference during spring practices in the way coaches used him.
The rest of Wisconsin's tight end group remains largely unproven, with T.J. Watt, Eric Steffes, Kyle Penniston, Sam Eckert and John Damrow. But the Badgers seem to develop players better at that position than other schools.
Best position battle: Traylor and Fumagalli are not the same type of player, and there will be instances in which both players line up in the same formation. But it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff opts to use each player. Traylor has traditionally been a blocking tight end, but will the staff feel comfortable enough to use him in some catching scenarios? Or will all the tight end throws go to Fumagalli?
Kicker
Rating (1-to-10 scale): 10
Projected starter: Rafael Gaglianone (sophomore)
Key backups: Jack Russell (senior), Andrew Endicott (junior)
The breakdown: There aren't many position groups at Wisconsin this season that earn a 10, but Rafael Gaglianone is a special player. And his presence alone is the reason for the perfect score.
How good was Gaglianone as a freshman last season? In 2012, Wisconsin ranked dead last in the Big Ten in field-goal accuracy rate (10 for 18, .556). And in 2013, UW ranked 10th out of 12 (14 for 21, .667). Now consider that, with Gaglianone inserted as the kicker in 2014, Wisconsin ranked second among 14 Big Ten teams in the same category (19 for 22, .864). It marked the first time Wisconsin ranked in the top five in field-goal percentage since 2008.
Gaglianone converted 14 consecutive field goal attempts to end his freshman season, matching Vitaly Pisetsky (1999) for the longest streak in school history. And after just one season, he already ranks 10th in school history with his 19 career field goals. Gaglianone has a leg for days and became only the third player at UW to hit multiple 50-yard field goals in a season (51 vs. LSU, 50 at Iowa).
Overall, Gaglianone's 1.46 made field goals per game last season ranked second in the Big Ten behind only Penn State's Sam Ficken. And his accuracy rate was second behind Maryland kicker Brad Craddock, who won the Lou Groza Award for nation's best kicker.
Andrew Endicott has proven to be a solid backup in a pinch for Wisconsin at kicker, though he doesn't possess the same leg strength as Gaglianone. Jack Russell's opportunity, meanwhile, seems to have passed him by. He made 9 of 15 field goal tries in 2012 and 2013 before Gaglianone took over full-time last season.
Best position battle: There's really no battle to be found. Gaglianone is the unquestioned No. 1 guy for field goals and extra points. Endicott has earned the kickoff role, and Russell will spend the season in a backup role.
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