Lucas: Bortolini, Furtney embrace circuitous journeys to familiar spots

Lucas: Bortolini, Furtney embrace circuitous journeys to familiar spots

April 13, 2023 | Football, Mike Lucas

Veteran o-linemen anchoring middle of Badgers’ No. 1 unit

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. – At one time, Tanor Bortolini wasn't expecting to be playing center this spring. At one time, Michael Furtney wasn't expecting to be playing HERE this spring. Yet, there they were at Saturday's practice, Bortolini at center and Furtney at right guard on Wisconsin's No. 1 offense.

Together, through good times and bad, Bortolini and Furtney have forged a healthy bond. Historically, it has been a defining theme of the UW's O-line whereby the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, often interchangeable parts trained to play multiple positions in concert with each other.

"When you're on the O-line and you can't rely on the guy next to you then you're already starting off with a deficit," Furtney reasoned. "So when you're playing with guys like Bort or a guy like Riley Mahlman on my right, the biggest thing is trust. I trust Bort and Mahlman, on and off the field.

"When you know that guy is going to give you everything he's got then it's pretty easy to play next to guys like that. On top of that, they're pretty consistent. It's how we grow as an O-line."

Spring ball is synonymous with growth. Before the first practice, the optimistic expectation was that the versatile Bortolini would focus on one spot and hone his techniques at left guard, where he started six times last year. (He also had two starts at right guard, one at jumbo tight end, one at center.)

What made this possible – Bortolini locking in at guard – was Cincinnati transfer Jake Renfro, a redshirt junior from Mokena, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. While rehabbing an injury, Renfro sat out the 2022 season. Two years ago, he had 13 starts and was first-team All-American Athletic Conference.

Renfro was targeted to replace Joe Tippmann, a 23-game starter at center, including the first 12 last season before he declared for the NFL draft. Bortolini, whose first career start in 2020 was at center, took over for Tippmann in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl win over Oklahoma State.

Whatever continuity the Badgers had hoped for up front this spring was short-lived when Renfro was injured and sidelined after three practices. That necessitated Bortolini's return to center with Trey Wedig playing left guard. Furtney, Mahlman and left tackle Jack Nelson rounded out the starting unit.

"With Renfro getting hurt, it puts a little strain on our center position so back to center I go," said Bortolini, whose backups are Joe Huber, another Cincinnati transfer, and Dylan Barrett. "I would say the biggest thing for me is getting used to snapping the ball again.

"You go from playing off the ball (at guard) – having some room to work, some room to operate – to having one more extra thing to worry about (in making the shotgun snap). Your steps also have to get a little shorter just because the nose tackle is right on you."

Bortolini has struggled with consistency in his snaps. "Obviously, if you've been to practice, you would know that," he said. "We've had some up and down days. But we'll progress. With the more reps you get, the more comfortable you will get. It takes a little bit to get back into the swing of things."

After practice last week, Bortolini worked on his snapping with quarterback Tanner Mordecai, the SMU transfer. Joining them was offensive coordinator Phil Longo, a former prep and college QB. "We were working on releases like the quarterbacks," Bortolini said. "Release mechanics."

Bortolini's curiosity was piqued. "It was interesting. I was asking him (Longo) about different grips, and how you hold the ball. Centers have got to flick it back quick, right? Quarterback is the same thing. Everybody's grip is a little different. But his advice on that was good."

After Saturday's practice, UW offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., huddled with the centers.

"He was trying to make sure that we get it cleaned up," Bortolini said of fine-tuning their snapping mechanics. "One bad snap is one bad play that we can't have. If we can't do our job, none of the other guys can do theirs. That's the frustrating thing.

"If we have two or three bad snaps that's two or three plays that don't count in practice.

"It's important that we get that down and that's why we have to keep drilling it."

Furtney has respected the way that Bortolini has gone about his business and handled the challenges. "Bort is a professional," he said. "While we're still college players, he handles things like a professional. Football isn't easy. It's tough. Anyone who doesn't say that is lying.

"Sometimes you get dealt a tough hand and Bort did here when Renfro got hurt. But he stepped up. While he will admit to anyone who asks that, 'Yes, he needs to improve his snaps' there are a lot of things that he has been doing exceptionally well. I can say that because I'm playing next to him.

"He's going to be the hardest on himself. But I feel like he's doing a great job."

To his credit, Bortolini sees the benefits in learning more than one position. "The benefit is that at center you have to know the whole offense," he said. "Having another spring at center with a new offense – getting to learn the system – it gives you insights that you might not have had at guard before.

"And it just allows more versatility and more options to play in the fall."

Coupled with Bortolini's transitioning to center in Renfro's absence has been a far more exacting transition – for everybody on this side of the ball – to Longo's no-huddle offense; a more wide-open style. The RPO nuances, for one, are a significant departure from previous models here.

"Now we're seeing that there are more ways to play football than just the one we've been used to," Bortolini said. "It's obviously different. It's not the same style of Wisconsin offense that you've seen over the past 20 years. But it doesn't mean we're not going to run the ball effectively.

"We have the ability to play the run off the pass and the pass off the run," he said of mixing the two disciplines. "A lot of our stuff is based on similar formations, similar personnel. Having a defense guard every single play you have in one package makes it difficult on them. Our defense feels that now.

"Going forward, we've got to get better at it. Practice by practice, you see it start to click more as we're building that chemistry and you see more and more cohesiveness together.

"It's exciting to see the explosiveness that we haven't always had."

The offensive catalyst is the 23-year-old Mordecai who threw for over 7,000 yards and 72 touchdowns in two seasons at SMU. "He's awesome," Bortolini said. "He's a guy that has been around and he's got that experience and knows what it takes to win games and play at a high level.

"He's out there communicating, making the calls, changing what we need to change. He has been a silent leader so far. Just seeing his work ethic and how he comes and attacks every day motivates all the guys on our offense to match that."

There may be no more far-reaching connection on a team than the link between a QB and his O-line. "I've only known him for a little bit," Furtney said, "but when he steps out there, he has the confidence that a quarterback needs. And let's be honest, he's got an arm on him.

"Sometimes I'm watching film and I'm seeing him throw the ball, and I'm like, 'Wow.' On top of that, he's a great person. We'll be eating breakfast or dinner and there will be a table full of O-linemen and Tanner just hanging out with the guys. We know he's going to do something good for us this year."

The 6-5, 314-pound Furtney admitted that the offense has demanded some adjustments. "The no-huddle is tough," he said. "A little more of the high-paced, high-tempo and go, go, go is always tough. We're big guys who wear knee braces, taped all up, and it's not easy sprinting down the field.

"But we're also up to the challenge. When I was in the portal, I made the choice to be here and I was excited to put myself in a new offense like this one. At the end of the day, it's still physical, tough Wisconsin football. We're just going to go a little bit faster."

Yes, he did say portal, the transfer portal. In early December, Furtney entered the portal.

"This is an important year for me," he explained. "I really do have the dream and aspirations to go to the league (NFL). And at that moment, I wanted to put myself in the best possible place to try and maximize my opportunity. Nothing is guaranteed. But you can give yourself a chance."

Shortly thereafter, Furtney heard from Luke Fickell. "I told him, 'Hey coach, this decision has nothing to do with you. I think you're an amazing coach and this is going to be a special place.' At the same time, I told him, 'I'd like to know who the offensive line coach and coordinator are going to be.'"

A few days later, Furtney met with Bicknell and Longo. "It's truly one of those things, which is hard to describe, but it clicked," Furtney said. "I'm very strong in my faith and God was giving me a sign – 'You don't need to be anyplace else. This is exactly the place you need to be.'

"Ever since I made the decision, I feel great. It has been full-steam ahead. I already feel like I have a great relationship with coach Bicknell and it's only going to continue to grow. He's a great coach. And coach Longo is an amazing coach and great OC. I'm excited to play for both of them."

On Dec. 12, Furtney posted that he had removed his name from the portal and was coming back for a sixth year. Some programs had reached out to him. And he was in the process of checking flights for on-campus visits. But, in the end, he couldn't walk away. Once a Badger, he wrote, always a Badger.

"I don't think I could have found anything better," he said. "I also love Madison. And I love these guys in the O-line room. When I say they're my brothers, it's not just something you say because that's what people say in football. Truly, these are my guys and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else."

Nothing seems to excite Furtney more now than the offensive potential. "No one is going to tell you that this is an easy offense to pick up," he said. "I tell people it's a low floor to get into it. But it has a very high ceiling of understanding. Once things start clicking, it's going to be pretty special here."

It was special last Saturday – the first spring practice outdoors in Camp Randall Stadium.

"The energy is high … that's something that is very evident," said Bortolini, basking under blue skies in the sunshine. "You see guys coming out here and if you're down, guys are always trying to get you up and get you going. It's just kind of that feed-off-each-other energy.

"The coaches promote that environment. It's just very positive." Not a snap judgement.