MADISON – Luke Fickell isn’t in a hurry to get either of his starting offensive linemen back from injury.
The Wisconsin coach is playing it smart when it comes to the health of right tackle Kevin Heywood and right guard Emerson Mandell.
Heywood suffered what the UW communications staff called a lower body injury Aug. 7. The redshirt sophomore has been watching practice in uniform with a boot brace on his right foot.
Mandell is recovering from a foot surgery he had in the spring. The redshirt sophomore also has been a regular at practice, often working with the trainer away from the rest of the team.
Fickell was asked about both players following practice Friday, Aug. 14. Here is what he said.
On Heywood: “I think we’re trying to be smart. I think that the idea here was this real grind [of camp] was through the first 10 days. Not that the next 10 aren’t really a grind too, but the first 10 days were going to be a grind and I wasn’t in a hurry to say, look, we need to get him back out there in this grind of things.”
On Mandell: “We knew [his recovery] was going to be a little bit slower. We didn’t know how early or when we would get him in camp and I think we’re still in the same spot.”
Fickell said he hopes to see both players do more physically soon but acknowledged there is no guarantee that will happen.
The rest of the No. 1 unit – left tackle PJ Wilkins, left guard Colin Cubberly and center Austin Kawecki – has not changed during camp, but the injuries have allowed Wisconsin to shuffle its linemen at other spots
Redshirt junior Lucas Simmons-Johansson moved from left tackle on the second unit to right tackle with the No. 1s. It’s the first time he has played right tackle.
At Mandell’s spot, sophomore Blake Cherry and junior Stylz Blackmon are splitting reps with the No. 1 unit. The two have played the most snaps with the No. 1 unit since Mandell’s injury.
The ripple effect has created new opportunities on the second unit as well with the most notable being redshirt junior Peyton Lange (6-foot-9, 345 pounds) getting a chance to work with the No. 2s at left tackle.
At the moment the Badgers have the luxury of time. The season opener against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay is Sept. 6.
“Not that you want guys out, but there’s no better time than to give some of these guys opportunities,” Fickell said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Fickell shares injury updates on Emerson Mandell, Kevin Heywood
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
