When Dave Doeren left Wisconsin to become a head coach at Northern Illinois, UW head coach Bret Bielema promoted secondary coach Chris Ash and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to co-defensive coordinators.

But come game day, one man will call the defensive plays for the Badgers.

That man will be Ash.

“Chris is my defensive coordinator. He is going to be the voice,” Bielema said. “I really believe on game day you need one voice. Chris will be that voice.”

From the moment Ash stepped on campus, it appears Bielema knew he had the potential to become a coordinator if the position opened.

“Chris is very, very intelligent,” Bielema said. “He is always thinking, and he and Charlie get along so well. I think that relationship is critical.”

According to Bielema, Partridge was given the title of assistant head coach to go along with his game planning responsibilities as co-defensive coordinator.

Ash and Partridge will also get some help from newly hired linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida.

“That [defensive] staff is about as strong as I’ve ever had,” Bielema said.

Borland progressing

One of the first orders of business for Bielema and his staff is to identify new playmakers on the defensive side of the ball with star defensive end J.J. Watt moving on to the NFL.

Luckily for Bielema, there is a bona fide playmaker planning to make his return to the Wisconsin defense.

After missing all but two games during this past season with a shoulder injury, linebacker Chris Borland, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009, is rehabbing surgery on both shoulders in an attempt to see the field in 2011.

With spring practice closing in, Bielema was asked for an update on the linebacker’s status.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Bielema said. “Chris is really rehabbing well. He will be involved in drills that involve movement and burst. But he can’t be around (contact).”

Bielema said Borland is expected to be close to 100 percent in June, but until then, Borland is working hard in the film room as he prepares to make the switch from outside to middle linebacker.

“We are training him right now on film, and he is learning the mike linebacker position,” Bielema said. “It’s something I think he could potentially be very good at.”

More from the infirmary

In addition to Borland, several other players are rehabbing shoulder surgeries.

Defensive ends Tyler Dippel and Konrad Zagzebski and linebacker Ethan Armstrong will all be limited in spring ball due to shoulder injuries.

Bielema revealed right tackle Josh Oglesby will miss spring practice as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that sidelined him for the season. Cornerback Jameson Wright underwent ACL surgery, and his status remains up in the air.

Finally, safety Dezmen Southward had an emergency appendectomy during the offseason, but Bielema said he is healthy now and should participate in the spring.

Budmayr primed to take over at QB

He hasn’t been named the starter yet, but all signs indicate that Jon Budmayr is the leader to replace Scott Tolzien under center.

With Curt Phillips still recovering from ACL surgery, Budmayr and soon-to-be redshirt freshman Joe Brennan are the only other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Brennan came to UW as a highly regarded prospect, but he is still trying to grasp offensive coordinator Paul Chryst’s system in his first spring camp after enrolling last summer.

Budmayr, on the other hand, graduated high school early to get a head start at UW, and this will be the redshirt sophomore’s third spring camp.

That gives him a significant leg up over Brennan in the battle for the starting spot.

“Jon [Budmayr] is just so much more advanced right now,” Bielema said. “This is his third spring. That’s a huge benefit to come in at the time he did. The rewards are right now.”

Two players leave

Bielema said two players are no longer with the program.

Tight end/fullback Zach Davison is no longer playing football after struggling with chronic back problems.

Lastly, linebacker Kevin Rouse will graduate in May despite having one more year of eligibility.