Kevin Heywood injury update: Luke Fickell shares devastating news on Wisconsin lineman

Wisconsin offensive lineman Kevin Heywood could miss the 2025 season due to a knee injury, Badgers coach Luke Fickell said. He suffered a torn ACL last week.

Heywood played largely on special teams last season, but was a primary backup at both tackle spots for Wisconsin. The expectation was he’d take on a larger role on the Badgers’ offensive line as a sophomore this year, but Fickell said he’ll likely have surgery and miss the year as a result.

In the meantime, Fickell said other players will have to step up. He specifically pointed out Leyton Nelson, a former Vanderbilt transfer, and Emerson Mandell as names to note.

“I think he’s going to have surgery,” Fickell said. “We’re probably going to lose him and probably not going to get him back, obviously, for the season. That was one that’s going to be really difficult and tough. But it’s also a part of the game.

“We’ve been fortunate up front in the last two seasons to have those guys prepared and be able to last through a season. Now, we’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to manage some of that, move some guys around and expect some other guys to step up, whether it’s Leyton Nelson and Emerson Mandell. Guys like that, that [have] got to step in.”

As for whether Wisconsin could turn to the transfer portal for a replacement for Kevin Heywood, Fickell pointed out the unknowns about the spring window. The portal will open April 16-25, but he expressed confidence in the players currently in place.

“We’re going to take it day to day and continue to evaluate the things we need to do,” Fickell said. “But we feel really good about the guys we’ve got within the program. It’s an opportunity for somebody else to step up, play a lot of plays and get a lot of experience. And we’ll be able to assess from there.”

Wisconsin is getting ready for a major transformation on offense after parting ways with offensive coordinator Phil Longo and his Air Raid scheme. The Badgers went 5-7 overall in Fickell’s second season at the helm, including 3-6 in Big Ten play. Jeff Grimes is now in the role after serving in the same capacity at Kansas last season.

Under Longo’s watch in 2024, Wisconsin ranked 11th in the Big Ten with 350.3 total yards per game and 13th in the league with 22.6 points per game. Kansas, meanwhile, averaged 420.2 yards per game to rank middle-of-the-pack in the Big 12 while scoring 29.7 points per game.