Jack Bicknell Jr. believes new offense will help Wisconsin send offensive linemen to the NFL

MADISON – Jack Bicknell Jr. has coached offensive linemen for more than three decades, in the NFL and in college.

Bicknell, 60, is entering his first season as Wisconsin’s offensive line coach. Over the years, the Badgers have seen several of their linemen flourish in the NFL.

Will the change in offensive scheme, from a pro-style to coordinator Phil Longo’s version of the Air Raid, affect UW’s ability to recruit and develop linemen?

Bicknell scoffed at that notion and pointed to Kansas City’s 38-35 victory over Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII.

“In case you watched the Super Bowl,” he said, “that is exactly our style.

“So that whole bologna has kind of gone out the window. The NFL has evolved more and more into what we’re doing.”

The Badgers enter the 2023 season with several NFL prospects on the offensive line. They include left tackle Jack Nelson; Tanor Bortolini, who has played guard, center and tackle; center Jake Renfro; and guard Joe Huber.

All four are redshirt juniors.

“If you’re an offensive lineman, this is a place where you want to be in my opinion,” said Bicknell, who has seven seasons of NFL coaching experience. “I do think my NFL experience helps.

“I don’t know another thing in the world, but I do know how to coach O-line and I’ve been doing it for 36 years or whatever it is.

“You’ve got a chance to come here and get developed not only in the run game but in pass protection. And we’re running the same offense, a very similar offense, to a lot of those (NFL) teams now, in particular to those two teams in the Super Bowl.”

Bicknell and the staff have four offensive linemen committed for the 2024 class. They are Derek Jensen of Arrowhead High School, Kevin Heywood of Pennsylvania, Ryan Cory of Pennsylvania and Colin Cubberly of New York.

Longo believes the change should enhance recruiting at other positions as well.

The Badgers added three transfer quarterbacks after last season, led by projected starter Tanner Mordecai of SMU. They also added four wide receivers, led by Bryson Green of Oklahoma State.

“I think it will help us recruit guys at the quarterback position, at the tight end position that maybe are a little bit closer to being a hybrid,” he said, “and it will help us recruit receivers because those guys want to do what we do on the offense.”

More: UW's Tanner Mordecai, other transfer quarterbacks set to make impact on Big Ten West race

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football's new offense should benefit offensive linemen