A walk-on turned starter at Cincinnati, Joe Huber now manning Badgers' offensive line

PLATTEVILLE – Joe Huber should fit in perfectly at Wisconsin.
Huber, 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, is built like a UW offensive lineman.
Even better, Huber went from an unheralded walk-on to a starter to an all-conference performer at Cincinnati.
UW fans love their walk-on stories and Huber’s is classic.
After graduating from Jerome High School in Ohio in the spring of 2020, Huber had two options. He would join either Akron or Cincinnati as a walk-on.
He chose to play for Luke Fickell and the Bearcats.
“Cincy had a better program,” Huber said after practice Saturday.
After redshirting in 2020, Huber played seven games in 2021 and then, after being rewarded with a scholarship before last season, started 13 games at right tackle. He was named honorable mention in the American Athletic Conference and followed Fickell to Madison.
“Being a walk-on you come in and you know you’re going to have to work harder and put yourself out there to get noticed,” Huber said. “My first goal was just to get that scholarship and then once I got that I kept pushing for a starting job.”
Here are a few more things to know about Huber:
Could Huber secure a starting spot this season?
Huber has been the No. 1 left guard and has also gotten work at center. That is in part because Joe Renfro, the projected starter at center, has been gradually getting more work with the No. 2 unit while he comes back from a stress fracture in his left foot.
Tanor Bortolini has been the No. 1 center in place of Renfro. If Renfro is able to show he is ready to take over as the No. 1 center, Bortolini likely will shift back to guard. When that happens, the staff probably will have to choose two starters from the trio of Bortolini, Huber and Michael Furtney, who has been the No. 1 right guard in camp.
“Joe does everything well,” Fickell said. “Put the Iso cam on (him) and you’re going to see exactly how you want to play, whether he is at center or at guard. If he has a bad snap or whatever, the next play he is going to continue…I think he is a great example of what work and what effort looks like.
“For him, the toughest thing is he has to bounced back and forth. Some way, some how he is going to be in there. He is going to have a lot of opportunities. Whether he is one of the (starting) five or not, he has got a bright future.”
Huber was a more accomplished wrestler than a football player early on in high school. He was also undersized and was listed at 6-4 and 220 as a senior. He played on the offensive and defensive lines that season but the lack of size was a huge red flag for college coaches looking for offensive linemen.
"Up to my senior season I wasn’t even thinking about playing college football," he said. "But then after my senior season I started getting some looks from smaller schools. That is when I knew I wanted to play.
"I had to really focus on getting my footwork (down). And once I graduated high school I was still 220 pounds but I had pretty good footwork. By the time I got to (Cincinnati) I was up to 275. And once I started doing drills I think they saw my footwork was OK and I just needed to keep putting on the size."
Huber's No. 1 asset? He is versatile
When Huber got to Cincinnati, he started out at left tackle. Then he moved to left guard. Then he moved to right guard. Then he moved to right tackle last season. Oh, he also was the team's No. 2 center in 2022.
What is the key to mastering all those positions?
"Just a lot of time practicing," Huber said.