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Wisconsin loses key offensive piece to season-ending injury, Luke Fickell announces
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Luke Fickell heads into his 3rd season at Wisconsin with plenty of pressure facing the head coach, and the Badgers are already going to be down a key offensive performer for the 2025 season.
On Wednesday, Fickell announced that left tackle Kevin Heywood will have surgery for a torn ACL and miss the season. Heywood was in the mix to be the starting left tackle for Wisconsin, and he sustained his injury during Tuesday’s practice.
Heywood was a member of Wisconsin’s 2024 recruiting class as an elite prospect, earning a 4-star rating as the No. 2 player out of Pennsylvania per the 247 Sports Composite. He saw action in all 12 games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams but as an occasional substitute on the offensive line.
Heading into the 2025 season, Heywood was earning projections as the team’s starting left tackle while listed at 6-foot-8 and 312 pounds.
This season shapes up as an interesting one for Fickell, and it’s possible his seat in Madison is getting a bit warm after a 12-13 record across his first 2 seasons with the Badgers. The team has moved on from Fickell’s first OC, Phil Longo, and it’s time Wisconsin begins putting some momentum together under Fickell.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.