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During the summer doldrums of sports news, many college football fans are starved for news and information regarding their favorite teams.
With that in mind, we at B5Q have decided to take a more detailed look at each walk-on contributor and scholarship player on the Wisconsin Badgers football roster for 2020 in a running feature, our 2020 returnee profiles.
Each weekday we will breakdown one player on the football roster to look back at their recruiting process, their career as a Badger to this juncture and lastly preview their potential contribution to the team in 2020 and beyond.
One of the top young offensive lineman on the Badgers, Joe Tippmann, is the focus of today’s profile series.
Name: Joe Tippmann
Position: offensive lineman
2020 eligibility: redshirt freshman
Recruiting info out of HS: 247 Composite 4-star, No. 26 offensive tackle, Fort Wayne, Ind.
2019 Recruitment: A very talented offensive lineman out of the Hoosier State, Joe Tippmann was able to visit Wisconsin early in his recruitment. During a visit to the Badgers in November of his junior season, Tippmann earned an offer and proceeded to jump on the opportunity a month later. The four-star prospect picked Wisconsin over other offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue.
After committing to the Badgers, Notre Dame continued to recruit the talented lineman, but Tippmann never wavered.
Career statistics: no games played (redshirt)
2019 statistics: no games played (redshirt)
Player overview: A highly regarded lineman, Tippmann was a huge get in the 2019 class. Extremely smart and athletic, he is versatile in where he can play along the line. Last season he worked in practice at both center, guard, and right tackle, and is projected to be in contention for a spot in the two-deep somewhere.
Tippmann helped lead his high school team to a state championship as a senior, and he is a very good run blocker. He is a player that should see playing time in the coming years.
Best case scenario for 2020: After his redshirt season a year ago, Tippmann is an intriguing option for a larger role in 2020. In fall camp last season he was asked to play center, and continued to see practice reps there for the rest of the season. With the status of Kayden Lyles still up in the air given injuries, the center or guard positions could provide an opportunity for Tippmann to play meaningful snaps this season.
Obviously, the best case scenario for the team is that Lyles is healthy and ready to go from day one. That would allow Tippmann to round out the two-deep as either a backup center, guard, or potentially at right tackle.
Likely role on team in 2020: Given his positional versatility, Joe Tippmann should be a player that sees playing time in 2020. Joe Rudolph likes to have swing lineman that he can turn to in a pinch, and Tippmann’s athletic ability make him a really compelling prospect for that role. The staff is very high on the redshirt freshman offensive lineman, and it is just a matter of time before he sees playing time. This upcoming season should start that process in either a reserve or starting capacity depending on injuries.