Wisconsin football is past the halfway mark in fall camp, as we're a mere three weeks away from the Badgers' enormous showdown with Notre Dame at Lambeau Field to kick off the 2026 season.

We've already learned a lot from the Badgers' first eight practice sessions of the fall. Now, only seven more preseason practices remain for a Wisconsin team under immense pressure to right the ship.

As we enter the second half of fall camp, Badgers On SI once again takes a stab at projecting Wisconsin's Week 1 starting lineup:

Quarterback

Ahead of fall camp, I had Ryan Hopkins as the backup to Colton Joseph. But this fall, he's neck-and-neck with Louisville transfer Deuce Adams, who I thought looked better in the three practices I've seen. Hopkins has the requisite maturity and leadership that Adams is still working on, but the latter's play has been more consistent in August.

Running Back

No changes here. There was a thought that Bryan Jackson could potentially push Dupree for that RB2 role, but he's been banged up a little this fall and has therefore gotten fewer reps. The two backs are also very different types of ball-carriers, so they're not exactly competing for the same snaps in the same situations.

Wide Receiver

One change here from the start of fall camp, as I have Hilton leapfrogging Domingeax, who I penciled in as a starter at the beginning of the month. Hilton has been the most consistent offensive player at fall camp and he's proved to be an extremely reliable option for Colton Joseph with his soft hands and feel for getting open when the play breaks down.

Tight End

This is going to be a tight end room by committee, and the room looks pretty muddy in terms of who may emerge as the clear and obvious top receiving target. There will be plenty of 12 and even 13 personnel, giving at least three tight ends a chance to be proper contributors in this offense, but this is one of the rooms where the ordering on the depth chart may not actually mean that much. No changes here since before fall camp kicked off.

Offensive Line

No changes to the Badgers' projected starting offensive line, but it's worth noting that this is an optimistic take at the moment considering Mandell and Heywood are both sidelined without a timetable to return. Head coach Luke Fickell was largely mum on the status of both players, but Mandell and Heywood would be replaced by Cherry or Blackmon and Simmons-Johnasson, respectively.

Defensive Line

Status quo up front for EJ Whitlow, although its worth noting that I also saw Nolan Vils, Jake Anderson and DeNigel Cooper rotate in with the second-team at times. I think this room will go five players deep; defensive line coach EJ Whitlow has said both five and six at times this offseason, but five looks like the most realistic.

Outside Linebackers

Though this is technically one position, there's two distinct roles. The JACK is the bigger-bodied outside backer while the SAM is the twitchy, pass-rush oriented edge defender. Pre fall camp, I had Tyreese Fearbry in the two deep but he's been pretty quiet this fall. Boone and Garner look like the best jumbo outside backers Wisconsin has to offer, while Cheeks and Clayton are pretty clearly the best pass-rushers.

Inside Linebackers

This is one of the more misleading depth charts on the team, because while the above is accurate in terms of where players are slotted in, it's not just a next-man up situation. For example, if one of either Posa or Catalano were to sustain an injury or even need a breather, Heiberger (who's playing all three linebacker positions) would be the replacement. However, on paper, he's the backup "STAR" in Mike Tressel's scheme. I wouldn't expect to see much of Witt, Gauthier or Bramm at all.

Cornerbacks

No changes here just yet, but the battle between Scott and Fletcher has been much closer than expected. I still envision Scott as the starter to the field side, but both players are going to play this fall.

Safety

Van Dinter has showed out a bit this fall, and while he's firmly a backup in this room, him and Skanes make for intriguing depth pieces for safeties coach Jack Cooper. Still, no changes to the pecking order of this room, as expected.