Wisconsin is expected to contend for another B1G West title, and with fall camp under way, optimism is growing for the Badgers to be among the most improved teams from last year. Despite the positive buzz, issues linger. Below is a look at 5 concerns I have for the team heading into the 2021 season.

Defensive line depth

The defensive line will need to get off to a hot start considering Wisconsin’s tough early schedule. The unit lost a ton of experience in Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand, and Ross Kolodziej will have his work cut out for him as he transitions from the team’s strength and conditioning coach to an on-field role as the defensive line coach.

Matt Henningsen missed most of last season with an injury, and Isaiah Mullens took advantage of the valuable increase in playing time. Those two will start at the defensive end spots, with Keeanu Benton in the middle. The Badgers shouldn’t be too concerned about any of their projected starters, but everybody behind them has minimal college experience, making for an interesting camp.

Graham Mertz

Graham Mertz had as unique of a 2020 season as you’ll see for a 1st-year starting quarterback, and the Badgers’ passing game became tough to watch down the stretch of the shortened B1G season. He had a number of factors going against him, including the loss of his top two wide receivers, and while he is set up for a huge bounce-back year, we still haven’t seen Mertz excel for long stretches.

The passing game should be a strength with a deep group of talented pass-catchers returning and Mertz at quarterback, but until we see Mertz consistently produce at the college level, there is room to be concerned. If he plays the way he did last season, Wisconsin will be watching the B1G title game from home. However, if he lives up to the hype of the 4-star recruit who had offers from many top programs, the Badgers should be in a position to challenge Ohio State for the conference championship.

Running back inexperience

Wisconsin has a ton of options at the running back spot, and it will be fascinating to track the pecking order. Jalen Berger is probably going to be the No. 1 option, but he played in just 4 games last season and never carried more than 15 times. The Badgers went to the transfer portal and added former Clemson back Chez Mellusi, who ran the ball 71 times the last 2 seasons in a reserve role.

Behind them is a list of inexperienced backs, including Isaac Guerendo and Julius Davis, both of whom haven’t gotten much going in their college careers for various reasons, including injuries. Also in the mix for carries are 4 incoming freshmen, including Braelon Allen, Antwan Roberts, Jackson Acker and Loyal Crawford.

The coaching staff will put the best player on the field regardless of status, as we saw early last season. The  depth chart featured Garrett Groshek, Nakia Watson and Guerendo as the top three, but Berger quickly jumped all of them to be the lead back.

Coaching staff shakeup

Wisconsin saw an unusual number of coaches leave for new jobs this offseason, and others found new roles within the staff.

Wisconsin lost quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr, defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield and running backs coach John Settle. It brought in cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat and running backs coach Gary Brown. Kolodziej shifts responsibilities to take charge of the defensive line.

Head coach Paul Chryst will take charge of the quarterbacks and reclaim the play-calling role from Joe Rudolph, who moved from offensive coordinator to run game coordinator. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will no longer be in charge of the cornerbacks with the hire of Poteat.

Many players are building relationships with their new position coaches. Thankfully, the program had a much more normal offseason to get everybody on the same page.

Field goal kicking

An underrated storyline for Wisconsin is whether it can find a kicker the coaching staff can trust in key moments. The kicking competition between Collin Larsh and Jack Van Dyke is yet to be settled, and this could go on for a while as the season opener approaches.

Larsh handled the field goals the past 2 seasons and made 15 of 19 from inside of 40 yards. Long-distance field goals have been a weakness, though, as he’s 2-of-7 from 40 yards or more. If the Badgers find themselves with a fourth down on the opponent’s 25-yard line in a key moment, not being able to trust the kicker is a concern.

Van Dyke has the better leg of the two, which is why he has handled the kickoffs. He attempted just one field goal in his career, a 48-yarder  that was blocked. Regardless, Wisconsin needs to identify a kicker it can trust because it could be in plenty of close games.