Badgers Need to Evaluate Depth at Center Following Tough #19 Alabama Loss

After coming into the game without having played against Middle Tennessee due to an injury, Renfro was a major question mark. However, just before kickoff the center was added to the starting lineup despite dealing with some discomfort while warming up.

Renfro playing against the Crimson Tide near full health was something that would only last a quarter, however, as the center needed to enter the injury tent following a nasty looking play. Renfro later returned to play for Wisconsin despite the Badgers being down 21-0 at the time of his substitution back onto the field.

Renfro may have completed the game for Wisconsin, but that does not necessarily mean the center will be good to go moving forward. The Badgers will have to evaluate the health of the starting center upon arrival back in Madison, which could raise many questions about what the potential solution at center is.

Where Should the Wisconsin Badgers go Next at Center Moving Forward?

Currently for the Badgers, there are three main options at center after suffering a loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa and dealing with the Renfro injury.

First, Wisconsin could look to find another internal option to snap the football moving forward should Renfro miss time with his injuries. The reality is that Renfro continues to push himself and return to play too soon and fully recovering from his injuries is nearly impossible when doing so. One person who has been incredible reliable however has been guard Joe Brunner, the only man to not move along the offensive line so far for Wisconsin.

Brunner is a constant along the line and has been impressive for the team, but given how valuable the position of center is, putting one of the best remaining linemen at the position might be what the program needs. Outside of Brunner, the staff could also continue to work with other internal options that have already been tested such as Kerry Kodanko and Ryan Cory. The issue, however, seems to be that the staff is not confident in Kodanko after quickly pulling him out of the game and the staff does not appear to want to play Cory until there are no other options.

The third, and most likely option the staff will go with, involves continuing to play Renfro despite his current injuries he has been dealing with. Renfro is the best center on the roster by a mile and dealing with a backup quarterback already slows down the offense enough. Wisconsin feels as though Renfro is the man that keeps the offense fluid due to the fact that the mechanism of snapping the football is not something that needs to be worried about when the veteran is playing.