MADISON, Wis. -- There are big shoes to fill. And then there are the shoes left behind by 6-foot-8, 333-pound Rob Havenstein, the hulking former Wisconsin right tackle whose literal and figurative presence on the Badgers' offensive line was, for lack of a better word, huge.
Havenstein, a consensus first-team all-Big Ten selection last season, matched a school record with 54 career games played and started his final 41 games at right tackle over the last three seasons. He provided a voice of leadership for the offense and made sure very few defensive players escaped his grasp and squeezed into the backfield. For his efforts, he'll likely become the next in a long line of Badgers offensive linemen selected in the NFL Draft.
Now, the task of occupying his role at Wisconsin falls upon redshirt freshman Hayden Biegel -- no slouch himself in the physique department. The challenge will be to find similar success while operating with an entirely different style and far less experience than Havenstein.
"He could maul guys," Biegel said. "Even though he was standing up on guys, he could still move them. I've just got to take what I learned from him and critique whatever I've learned, stay lower on guys. Not everything that he did I can necessarily do. I have to learn my own ways, too."
Biegel is a 6-foot-6, 303-pounder from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., whose football lineage runs deep. His older brother, Vince, is a star outside linebacker for the Badgers, while his father, Rocky, played linebacker at BYU and his uncle, T.D., played fullback there. Still, Hayden Biegel is trying to find his own way after coming out of high school ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in the state, according to Rivals.com.
Since the day he committed, he has eyed Havensten's vacated starting job -- and, more specifically, Sept. 5, 2015, when Wisconsin opens the season with perennial SEC power Alabama.
"Honestly, when I came here, I knew that Rob was leaving," Biegel said. "And I knew my chance was going to be up. It was going to be in AT&T Stadium against Alabama. I've been looking to this game for a couple years."
Biegel has been a steadying presence on the offensive line this spring along with left tackle Tyler Marz, while a small measure of chaos has reigned in the middle. An ankle injury to starting center Dan Voltz forced the line to shuffle early this spring. And right guard Ray Ball suffered an undisclosed injury Wednesday, which created even more of a depth shortage. Walker Williams opened Wednesday's scrimmage at left guard after switching from his traditional spot at right guard, and Jon Dietzen, Micah Kapoi and Beau Benzschawel took turns at right guard.
Biegel said he and the rest of his line mates -- which must replace three starters -- understood the difficult challenge of living up to previous offensive lines. And he cited the play of former right guard Kyle Costigan, who played through several injuries, including a dislocated right kneecap against Nebraska back in 2012.
"He's the toughest dude," Biegel said. "I've never seen a guy more tough than him. Us taking that role, there's a lot of pressure with that, too. We've just got to embrace spring ball and keep getting stronger in the offseason and roll into fall camp."
Members of Wisconsin's coaching staff have been impressed with the way Biegel has performed this spring while recognizing he still has much to learn at the position. Though Biegel is set to be a starter, he has yet to appear in a college game.
"I appreciate the way Hayden works," Badgers head coach Paul Chryst said. "I think he's done some good things. I think probably across the board on the offensive line, really a lot of spots on offense, it's the consistency that we're not where we want to be. But I appreciate the way that Hayden goes about it and does some good things. That part's been good for him this spring."
Wisconsin offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph added that 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.
Havenstein anchored an offensive line that led the way for two of three best single-season rushing performances in school history (283.8 yards per game in 2013 and 320.1 yards per game in 2014). Wisconsin also went 39-16 in his career, matching the second-highest win total by a UW senior class.
If Biegel can come close to matching that level of success, he'll certainly have produced quite a college career. And he has plenty of notable examples on the offensive line from which to choose.
"You look a couple years back, you've got Kevin Zeitler and Travis Fredrick," Biegel said. "Those guys were really good. You've got Rob and Ryan Groy. I always looked up to those guys. I just want to play my role and play to the best of my ability."
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