Wisconsin will reportedly be without its top defensive lineman for a significant portion of the 2024 football season.
That is redshirt senior James Thompson Jr., whom BadgerExtra’s Colten Bartholomew reported is out indefinitely due to an upper-body injury suffered at fall camp practice.
Related: Where Wisconsin lands in USA TODAY’s latest 1-134 ranking for 2024 season
Thompson was one of the Badgers’ top defensive linemen in 2023, recording 29 total tackles, 5 1/2 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and two pass deflections. He was in line to lead the room in 2024 after the offseason departures of veterans Gio Paez (LSU) and Rodas Johnson (Texas A&M).
This news is a significant blow to a position group that was already somewhat thin entering the season.
Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel will rely heavily on Football Championship Subdivision transfers Brandon Lane (Stephen F. Austin) and Elijah Hills (Albany) to lead the team’s rotation at the position. Redshirt sophomore Curt Neal and redshirt seniors Cade McDonald and Ben Barten will all see increased snaps.
ICYMI: #Badgers will be without DE James Thompson Jr. for some time. https://t.co/H3MYiPKxlW
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) August 21, 2024
This news, while detrimental to the team’s chances in 2024, will give opportunities to redshirt freshman Jamel Howard and true freshman Dillan Johnson. If anything, it may accelerate the timelines of their respective developments.
Wisconsin finished 2023 with college football’s 41st-ranked rush defense, 135.1 yards allowed per game. That total came against a light Big Ten West schedule. The front seven, defensive line and linebackers will be tested further in 2024 with top-ranked Alabama, Oregon and Penn State on the schedule.
The timeline for Thompson Jr.’s absence is not known. Wisconsin would be best served to get him back by Oct. 26’s matchup against Penn State, which precedes the season’s final stretch of games at Iowa, vs. Oregon, at Nebraska and vs. Minnesota.
For more specifics on the injury and what it means, here is Colten’s original report.
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