Badgers starting offensive lineman to miss rest of spring ball after surgery

The Wisconsin Badgers got some unfortunate news last week, as head coach Luke Fickell confirmed that starting offensive lineman Emerson Mandell would miss the rest of spring ball after undergoing surgery on his foot.

“Emerson’s out for the rest of spring,” Fickell said on Tuesday. “He had a little surgery on his foot and will be down for the rest of spring.”

Fickell did add that Mandell should be all good to go for the Fall.

The foot injury is the latest setback for Mandell, who is seen as one of the highest-potential players in the program after joining Wisconsin as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024. Mandell was one of the biggest risers last offseason, pushing to earn the starting right guard role, which he earned going into the season.

Mandell was kicked out to right tackle early in the season after Wisconsin went through an offensive line shuffle that saw Riley Mahlman move over to left tackle, and ended up there for the rest of the season, playing in all 12 games.

But Mandell has dealt with a couple of injuries during his time at Wisconsin, including during spring ball and the fall last year, as he dealt with another lower-body problem.

The redshirt sophomore has been the team’s right guard throughout the spring prior to injuring his foot last Thursday, which had him in a boot for the rest of the practice. Now, he’ll be shut down for the rest of the month.

With Mandell out, it’s an opportunity for Arkansas freshman transfer Blake Cherry to get some additional opportunities with the top offense. He’s a player the staff is high on, and could look to push for a key role in his first season with the Badgers behind offensive line coach Eric Mateos.