MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin wrapped up its 14th spring practice Tuesday morning inside the McClain Center with a shorter session following its public scrimmage Saturday. Here are five takeaways as the Badgers prepare to close out the spring Thursday.

1. Wide receiver Tommy McIntosh emerged as one of the unexpected standouts during the Saturday scrimmage. He unofficially caught five passes for 86 yards and demonstrated his athleticism and impressive catch radius while working with the second-team offense. McIntosh continued his run of quality play Tuesday and is putting himself in position to at least earn a more serious look for a spot in the wide receiver rotation during preseason camp.

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McIntosh caught a 15-yard touchdown pass over the middle from quarterback Braedyn Locke in the front of the end zone during an 11-on-11 red-zone sequence with the second-team offense. On the next play, McIntosh grabbed a bullet of a short throw up the right sideline. McIntosh’s best catch came on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Locke in the front right corner of the end zone with cornerback Jonas Duclona all over him. Locke delivered the ball with nice touch, and McIntosh used his 6-foot-5 frame to fend off the 5-10 Duclona, who has produced an excellent spring.

Where McIntosh ultimately winds up in a crowded and talented wide receiver room remains to be seen, but he provides offensive coordinator Phil Longo with a unique body type to utilize. No other receiver on the roster stands taller than 6-3.

McIntosh worked Tuesday in the second-team wide receiver spot behind CJ Williams. Chimere Dike was the primary wide receiver on the other side, with Keontez Lewis earning first-team reps with Dike in a rotation. Will Pauling and Skyler Bell earned first-team reps in the slot. Those players have been the top five wide receivers this spring, but the Badgers will use more playmakers if they have them.

Vinny Anthony and Quincy Burroughs have earned second-team reps. Oklahoma State transfer Bryson Green has not fully participated this spring while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery but would be a candidate for the two deep. Still, McIntosh has been impressive down the stretch this spring.

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2. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai produced a much cleaner day after throwing four interceptions Saturday. Mordecai didn’t turn the ball over Tuesday and completed most of his throws. Among them were a 25-yard pass down the middle to Dike and a nice throw on the left sideline for about 20 yards to Dike during a two-minute drill. He also threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Williams, who made a diving grab in the back of the end zone running across the middle.

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3. Wisconsin could have the same player serve as its primary punter and kickoff specialist. Jack Van Dyke handled both roles during practice Tuesday. He has been the team’s No. 1 punter throughout the spring, ahead of Gavin Meyers, and looks to replace three-year starter Andy Vujnovich.

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Vito Calvaruso handled kickoffs earlier in the spring, but he has not been at the past two practices and, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, is set to enter the transfer portal. Calvaruso transferred from Arkansas to Wisconsin last year for a shot at the starting field goal kicker job. But the Badgers coaching staff brought in Ohio transfer Nathanial Vakos for that role, and Nate Van Zelst has been his backup. Van Dyke has been Wisconsin’s kickoff specialist for 22 games during the past three seasons.

The last time Wisconsin had a kicker serve as the primary specialist on more than one unit was in 2012, when Kyle French was the top field goal kicker and No. 1 kickoff specialist. Collin Larsh was the field goal kicker in 2021 and handled 27 kickoffs behind Van Dyke’s 43.

4. Wisconsin’s defensive lineups were different Tuesday because top slot cornerback Jason Maitre and backup slot cornerback Amaun Williams were out, as was outside linebacker C.J. Goetz, who has missed the past several practices while recovering from an injury.

During one portion of practice, Wisconsin had Isaiah Mullens and Rodas Johnson on the defensive line, Darryl Peterson and T.J. Bollers at outside linebacker, Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner at inside linebacker, Alexander Smith and Ricardo Hallman at cornerback with Bryce Carey moving up to the first team in the slot, and Hunter Wohler and Kamo’i Latu at safety. Safety Travian Blaylock, who has worn a yellow non-contact jersey all spring and worked with the first-team defense, did not participate in live drills Tuesday.

Curt Neal and Gio Paez earned nose guard reps with the top defense when Wisconsin had three down linemen on the field. Michigan State transfer Jeff Pietrowski also earned some first-team reps at outside linebacker with Peterson. James Thompson Jr. took some first-team work on the defensive line as well. When Wisconsin went to its 2-3-6 “dollar” package, Wohler played at linebacker depth and Austin Brown worked on the back end at safety with Latu. Thompson batted down a pair of Locke passes at the line of scrimmage, and Pietrowski showed a good burst off the edge and had a couple of sacks.

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5. Defensive linemen who earned second-team reps included Thompson, Paez, Neal, Ben Barten and Cade McDonald. Pietrowski and Kaden Johnson were the second-team outside linebackers, with Tatum Grass and Jake Chaney at inside linebacker. Duclona and Jace Arnold were at cornerback, with Brown, Preston Zachman, Owen Arnett and Braedyn Moore earning safety reps at various times with the twos. Chaney intercepted a Locke pass that was thrown over the middle behind Pauling during skeleton drills.

Third-team safety Jackson Trudgeon recorded a pair of interceptions, first when receiver Quincy Burroughs dropped a Marshall Howe pass that landed in Trudgeon’s hands. On the next play, Trudgeon intercepted quarterback Nick Evers, who threw behind tight end Angel Toombs.

(Photo: Mark Hoffman / USA Today)