Wisconsin Football Fall Camp: Practice Observations and Standouts

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football program finished their seventh practice of fall camp on Tuesday afternoon down at UW-Platteville.

Here are some of my observations and a few standouts from practice:

• It feels like it's just a matter of time until Tyler Van Dyke is named the starting quarterback . Thought it was an especially tough day for Braedyn Locke, who doesn't offer the same upside as Van Dyke. Fickell said that he wanted to name a starter 'sooner rather than later,' and with the Badgers returning to Madison soon, I'd venture to guess an answer is on the horizon. Additionally, I thought Van Dyke looked far more mobile than he was at Miami last season and broke off a big run on a read option. He feels like Wisconsin's most complete QB at this point.

• C.J. Williams had a standout day. The junior wideout made a few big plays and even created enough separation for a deep shot that, in a game, would have led to a touchdown if completed, but Locke left it a bit short. Williams has plenty of talent; it's just about stringing together the flashes into a more consistent product.

• Transfer defensive lineman Brandon Lane popped while running with the second team. He was disruptive and will undoubtedly be in the mix for meaningful snaps when the season begins. Based on the eye test, Lane feels like a top-three option in the defensive line room right now. You'd have to imagine he'll eventually get some first-team looks during camp.

• Anelu Lafaele was incredibly disruptive while running with the twos all afternoon. It's a young offensive line, but Lafaele is a true freshman and showed why he could be a bright spot at OLB in the future. He lived in the backfield all practice long and had multiple sacks and TFLs.

• Jaheim Thomas will be a weapon for the Badgers at inside linebacker. His versatility, which allows him to get after the quarterback in clear pass-rushing situations, is unique. The depth in the LB room could allow Mike Tressel to utilize him in a variety of ways to generate pressure.

• The coaching staff is playing it safe with Chez Mellusi, meaning that Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker took most of the first-team reps. While Walker might only be 5-foot-9, he's built like a muscle hampster and doesn't shy away from contact. Walker is going to play a far more significant role on this offense than anyone could have anticipated when he committed. Walker isn't necessarily fast, but he's got some burst and has good leverage when taking on contact. He's a complete player.

• The are no shortage of options in the Badgers running back room right now, but I'd have a hard time believing that Jackson Acker doens't see the field. He's simply too big, fast, and versatile to sit on the sideline.

"We've asked Jackson [Acker] to do a lot of things for us. He's going to be very valuable for us on special teams," Devon Spalding told reporters . "We asked him to put on some weight, so he's a lot heavier this year, and somehow he got faster. He got stronger because of the weight that he put on, but he does a lot of things for us, and his versatility is pretty impressive."

• Nyzier Fourqurean looks like a much improved player after an offseason in the weight room. The trio of Fourqurean, Ricardo Hallman, and RJ Delancy should give Wisconsin some quality veteran options atop the depth chart at cornerback while the next wave begins to mix in.

• I'm still not sure where Tyrell Henry fits into the equation at WR, but he got some looks with the top group and made some plays over the middle. Henry will most likely make the bulk of his impact on special teams, but from what I can tell, he's a good depth option at receiver.

• Kyan Berry-Johnson had a few reps while working with the third team that caught my eye. Long way to go, but there's some quick twitch and playmaking ability there for KBJ.

• Redshirt freshman inside linebacker Tyler Jansey was sprinkled in with the first-team defense early in practice, which I thought was notable.

Related: Casey Rabach 'Fits so Well' as Wisconsin Football Assistant Coach

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