Wisconsin Football: Updating the 5 Best Spring Position Battles

The very mention of "spring" conjures up images of "cleaning" and "break."

Wisconsin fans are more than happy to add "football" to that word association exercise.

While most fans bemoan spring football as a watered-down version of the real thing, this year provides plenty of drama for pigskin-starved enthusiasts.

New coaches mean new evaluations are being set everyday in this critical breaking-in period, as loyalties built during the old regime are cast off.

Veterans are fighting to crack the two-deep roster while freshman get their first taste of Wisconsin football.

Spring is the time a team begins to find an identity.

Fans are hoping that Wisconsin finds themselves in Pasadena once again.

Quarterbacks

What was once a point of extreme despair is now one of the highlights of the roster.

With the addition of Danny O'Brien to the once depleted cast of quarterbacks, the biggest battle this spring will simply boil down to a clash of the "healthiest backup."

Joe Brennan and Joel Stave will be the only players healthy enough to participate in the spring game. Their talents are suspect and their contributions are expected to be few.

Both would have to astound the coaches with their development to make the race for starter even close.

Right Guard

Right guard is not usually the sexiest position battle in any storyline, but this is Wisconsin, and the linemen are the VIPs, with skill players usually taking a backseat to the front seven.

This year pits a freshman against a prodigal son.

Newcomer Dallas Lewallen is fighting for the top spot, but will most likely have to contend with Casey Dehn, a gifted athlete who left the football program to concentrate on track and field.

After some locker room reconciliation, Dehn, a red-shirt junior, is slowly coming back into the fold and onto the field.

Whether or not Dehn can get his body back into football shape is a concern, but at least the Badgers don't have the same problems the University of Miami does.

Safety

Wisconsin has had a string of solid, reliable safeties in the past decade.

The 2012 season will test that trend, as the Badgers will field a largely untested position group.

Dezmen Southward has seen some game action, but with the secondary a priority, experience is not the premium.

Marcus Trotter could make some moves this spring and at least push Southward all season long.

Shelton Johnston will most likely keep a firm grip on his spot after showing a penchant for picking off quarterbacks last year.

Wide Receiver

To be more specific, the Badgers are looking for the second catching threat on the field.

Jared Abbrederis opened a lot of eyes with his consistency, and the Wisconsin coaching staff will be looking for a strong vertical threat to fill Nick Toon's shoes.

Look to sophomores Jeff Duckworth and Manasseh Garner to battle it out all spring.

Look to the recovering Marquis Mason to make some noise as well.

Kicker and Punter

Wisconsin needs an upgrade in special teams play.

While that sounds great in theory, it may provide difficult in practice.

The Badgers will kick off the year with an inexperienced corps of kickers and punters, which have proven to be vital to the team's success in the past year.

Kyle French is the presumed kickoff, field goal and extra point man, while Drew Meyer is expected to handle punts.

In this case, fans would love to see more of a position battle, but may have to settle for whatever is in the cupboard.