Badgers must restock defense
MADISON – The 2018 season will be one of change for Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and his staff.
UW faces a more daunting Big Ten schedule – with five road games and four home games – and must replace veteran playmakers at every level of a defense that entered the Orange Bowl No. 3 nationally in points allowed.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard understands it is imperative that many younger players be ready to step into enhanced roles in ’18.
“That to me is the No. 1 thing at all positions this off-season,” he said. “It is time for guys to go compete. Opportunities are going to be there. Roles are going to be there to be won.”
UW capped the 2017 season with an impressive 34-24 victory over Miami to finish 13-1, the first team in program history to record 13 victories.
Chryst has to hire a 10th assistant, although that is expected to be Jon Budmayr, who is in his second season as quality control assistant on offense. Budmayr already works closely with the quarterbacks.
Chryst and Leonhard must find a replacement for outside linebackers coach Tim Tibesar, who is leaving to be the defensive coordinator at Oregon State.
Leonhard and the defensive staff must rebuild a unit that loses defensive ends Conor Sheehy, Alec James and Chikwe Obasih; outside linebackers Garret Dooley and Leon Jacobs; cornerbacks Derrick Tindal and Nick Nelson; and safeties Natrell Jamerson and Joe Ferguson.
“We’re losing a lot,” Leonhard said. Here’s an early look at UW and what the team faces in 2018:
Defensive line
Nose tackle Olive Sagapolu returns for his senior season. Yet because UW faces so many teams that feature some type of spread offense, Sagapolu often spends more time on the sideline than in the middle of the defense. Perhaps Leonhard in 2018 will use Sagapolu more when he deploys a 2-4-5 scheme.
Garrett Rand, who will be a junior, can play nose tackle or end. Isaiahh Loudermilk, who will be a redshirt sophomore, should help anchor the No. 1 line with Sagapolu. Both have experience but both were slowed in 2017 by injury.
After that? Questions. Can players such as Aaron Vopal and Keldric Preston, both ends who redshirted this season, develop? Can freshman tackle Bryson Williams help immediately?
Linebackers
UW will again have to replace its top two outside linebackers and could lose its best inside linebacker, redshirt junior T.J. Edwards, to the NFL.
“You’re losing some extremely valuable pieces to this defense,” Leonhard said.
The top four linebackers on the edge next season could be Andrew Van Ginkel, who came on gradually this season; walk-on Tyler Johnson; Zack Baun; who missed the ’17 season after suffering a foot injury in camp; and Christian Bell, who played sparingly this season.
The wildcard is Baun, who was an allstate quarterback as a senior at Brown Deer High School.
“He would have been a contributor,” Leonhard said, acknowledging he doesn’t have a clear picture of how good Baun can be because of his injury history. “He is very athletic. He was learning a lot early on and you expected him to take a big jump and all of a sudden he hits a roadblock.”
Assuming Edwards makes the jump the NFL, Ryan Connelly and Chris Orr become the leaders at inside linebacker.
Secondary
UW entered the ’17 season knowing it would have a solid secondary. The only question was whether Jamerson would adjust to the move to safety from cornerback. He did and the unit was outstanding for most of the season.
With cornerbacks Nick Nelson and Derrick Tindal gone, safety D’Cota Dixon and cornerback Dontye Carriere Williams will be the most experienced players in the secondary.
Madison Cone, who got work on special teams and defense as a freshman this season, could start at cornerback along with Carriere-Williams.
Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams should also push for a place in the twodeep at cornerback.
Leonhard appears to have four safety candidates to join Dixon: Patrick Johnson, Eric Burrell, Scott Nelson and Seth Currens.
Johnson, who can move and hits like a linebacker, played in four games this season before being shut down because of a shoulder injury.
Nelson redshirted and was attached to Dixon’s hip after practice working on fundamentals.
“Some guys, the competitiveness of game situations raises their level of play and some guys shrink at times,” Leonhard said when asked about breaking in less experienced players.
“That is going to be a little bit more of the challenge next year.”
Offensive line
Michael Deiter, who shifted to left tackle out of necessity this season, is mulling whether to enter the draft or return to UW for his final season. Right guard Beau Benzschawel was also, but he revealed after the victory over Miami he is returning to UW.
The odds of both returning are decent, particularly since Deiter should be able to move back inside to guard or center if he comes backHe is a better player on the inside and he will be used at guard or center in the pros.
UW could return all five starters on the line in ’18 and have even more depth because of the development of several younger players.
Young players to watch, according to Rudolph, include left tackle Cole Van Lanen, right tackle Patrick Kasl, guardcenter Kayden Lyles, guard Logan Bruss and tackle Tyler Beach.
Quarterback
Alex Hornibrook, who was spectacular in the Orange Bowl, returns for his redshirt junior season. Sophomore-tobe Jack Coan is more mobile and possesses a lively arm, but Hornibrook should enter camp next summer as the No. 1 quarterback.
Whoever starts at quarterback will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Running backs
Tailback Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman, is hungry to contribute more as a sophomore.
Taylor needs to take better care of the ball to avoid fumbling, which should lead to the staff using him more frequently inside the opponent’s 10-yard line.
“I think he’s more than capable of doing anything you ask him to do on the football field,” Deiter said.
Backups Chris James and Garrett Groshek should be back. Taiwan Deal, who did not play this season because of an ankle injury, could contribute if he can stay healthy.
However, the staff is excited about incoming freshman Nakia Watson, a 6foot, 226-pounder from Texas. Taylor became a significant contributor in his first season, so why not Watson, who rushed for 3,719 yards and 51 touchdowns for Westlake High School?
Tight ends
UW must replace departing senior Troy Fumagalli, which won’t be easy. Kyle Penniston must become more of a playmaker, and Zander Neuville must come back from a torn ACL suffered at Minnesota. Can the gifted Jake Ferguson, who will be a redshirt freshman next season, crack the rotation?
Wide receivers
Quintez Cephus, who missed the final six games after suffering a broken right leg at Indiana, expects to be back to lead what should be deep and talented corps.
With Cephus, Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor and Kendrick Pryor, UW should have four players capable of starting any week.