With Jake Renfro still limited, Tanor Bortolini ready to be the Wisconsin football center of attention

MADISON – When will Wisconsin’s projected No. 1 offensive line take the field in preseason camp?

That remains unclear because center Jake Renfro, who missed spring ball because of a stress fracture in his left foot, is not ready for full-time work.

UW opens camp Wednesday morning at UW-Platteville.

“I’m guessing I’ll be starting center until Jake feels he is fully ready,” Tanor Bortolini said Tuesday during UW’s annual media day. "He is a really talented player and I’m excited to see what he can do.

“But just not being fully available in the spring … he has to get his feet back underneath him and get comfortable again.

“So, start at center and once Jake is feeling comfortable out there, we’ll figure it out from there.”

Bortolini, a redshirt junior from Kewaunee, can play any position on the line. However, he was set to work at one of the guard spots once Renfro transferred from Cincinnati last winter.

With Renfro out in the spring, Bortolini got the bulk of work at center on the top line. He struggled at times – as did others – with shotgun snaps.

Bortolini acknowledged the centers put in extra work in the offseason: “Coming out of spring, that was a big focus. So every day, me and the other centers come out here and get 30 to 50 snaps a day … The past few months just really getting the repetitions you need to get comfortable.

"I feel a lot better about it now and I'm excited to see it show up on the field."

Darian Varner could help bolster UW's front seven

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel is eager to see what defensive end Darian Varner can provide the front seven.

Varner had a solid 2022 season at Temple before transferring to UW. He recorded 7½ sacks and 12½ tackles for loss and was a first-team, all-American Athletic Conference pick.

He missed spring ball, however, because of a foot injury.

“I got to see him play on film and in person,” Tressel said. “Beyond that, what I saw here was a guy that was pretty relentless in his preparation even though he knew he wasn’t going to be able to be out there on the field.

“I’ve seen him do it on the field and I’ve seen the way his preparation and mindset didn’t change one iota even when he couldn’t be out there. I have high expectations."

Braelon Allen working on a new nutritional plan

Not long after his freshman season, tailback Braelon Allen struck up a friendship with Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Allen, preparing for what likely will be his final college season, is following Henry’s diet plan.

“The main pillars are gluten free, dairy free and no artificial sugars,” Allen explained. “It’s difficult but I feel great. I look great. Keep it going.”

What food does he miss most?

“It’s the cheese,” he said.

But of course.

“I realized that everything I eat has cheese in it or on hit,” Allen said. “I love cheese curds. I haven’t had a cheese curd in like a month and a half, which has sucked.”

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UW players intrigued by the idea of practicing in Platteville

Several players acknowledged they gave a thumbs-up to holding Week 1 of camp at UW-Platteville.

"I think it’s a huge advantage," safety Hunter Wohler said. "It gets us out of our comfort zone. The big thing that I’m excited for is the chemistry that we’ll build there. There’s nothing else to do but be with each other and play ball."

Tressel noted the coaches share the same perspective: "As a coach, you basically can be thinking football 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We need to put our guys through some adversity, where they can learn to lean on each other or gain the trust of their coaches. It is easy to believe in a new system when everything is going good.

"We’re going to make it difficult. We’re going to try to find ways where the guys have to face adversity and they’re going to be stuck in a situation where they have no one else to lean on, no one to go home and bitch to, for lack of a better term. They’re going to lean on each other and those bonds really form."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Versatile Badgers lineman Tanor Bortolini set to open camp at center