Receivers catching on under Gilmore
MADISON – Before he returned to Wisconsin in 2015, Joe Rudolph had worked with Ted Gilmore for just one season.
That was 2007 when Rudolph joined the Nebraska staff as the tight ends coach. Gilmore was in his third of six seasons as the Cornhuskers wide receivers coach.
Yet that one season provided Rudolph enough insight into Gilmore’s abilities as a coach and recruiter that when UW needed a wide receiv- ers coach in 2015, the Badgers tabbed Gilmore.
Rudolph gave head coach Paul Chryst, who had just taken over the UW program, a glowing scouting report.
“Having worked with him, I thought he does an outstanding job of not only building the (meeting) room from the standpoint of developing players,” Rudolph explained, “but I thought he did an outstanding job of building relationships with those players.
“And I think the two things go hand in hand. It’s not always going to be perfect for every guy. Their ability to get through some adversity is huge and I think the relationship part lends to that.”
With 10th-ranked UW (3-0) set to open Big Ten play at 11 a.m. Saturday against visiting Northwestern (2-1), it has become clear that the state of the wide receivers is better than it has been in more than a decade.
Gilmore, who began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wyoming in 1994 and was the wide receivers coach with the Oakland Raiders (2012-’14) before coming to UW, has shown he can spot talent and develop players.
Tight end Troy Fumagalli leads UW in catches (15) and receiving yards (236) and is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (three) but the next four players on the list are wide receivers.
Sophomore Quintez Cephus is next (10-134-3), followed by sophomore A.J. Taylor (6-72-1), senior Jazz Peavy (4-56) and freshman Danny Davis (3-102).
“I feel really fortunate being able to work with Ted and certainly he brings a ton to our program,” Chryst said. “I think first as a coach, as a person, he is really high quality and certainly does his job really well. And part of our job is recruiting, which Ted does really well. He is an experienced recruiter and confident recruiter.
“A lot of that is evaluation and getting to know people, so you’re bringing in the right person. And certainly, he does a really good job of working with our receivers.”
Consider that Cephus, known more for his play on the basketball court at Stratford Academy in Georgia, had four catches for 94 yards as a freshman last season.
Taylor, from Kansas City, Mo., was primarily a tailback at Rockhurst High School.
He had three catches for 53 yards as a freshman last season.
“I think we were really excited about both of them,” Rudolph said, referring to the recruitment of Cephus and Taylor. “You knew they were competitors. And we thought they had a skill set that would lend well to being a receiver."
The last time the position was this stable on and off the field? When Henry Mason was coaching UW’s wide receivers, from 1995-2006.
Mason’s coaching career ended before the 2007 season because of a neck injury he suffered from a fall at home.
He is currently UW’s Director of Player Personnel and External Relations, working with NFL scouts and high school coaches.
DelVaughn Alexander (2007-’11) followed Mason. Zach Azzanni coached the wide receivers for one season (2012) under Bret Bielema until Bielema left for Arkansas.
Chris Beatty worked under Gary Andersen (2013 and ’14) before Chryst came in and hired Gilmore on the recommendation of Rudolph.
The loss of Mason, who had a keen eye for talent and was a meticulous coach, affected the talent pool and player development.
Consider that in the last decade UW has had only three wide receivers record at least 50 catches in a season or leave with 100 catches overall.
They are Jared Abbrederis and Alex Erickson, who joined the program as walk-ons, and Nick Toon, a scholarship player from Day 1.
The development of Cephus and Taylor and the emergence of Davis have given quarterback Alex Hornibrook a plethora of outlets.
Redshirt freshman Kendric Pryor, who missed several weeks of practice and the first two games because of facial injuries suffered in a moped accident, should eventually contribute as well.
Chryst understands the affect Gilmore has had on the unit and the offense.
“I knew of his track record and know people that knew him,” Chryst said, adding the evaluation of Rudolph was crucial. “That is always nice when you’ve got someone who knows him day in and day out.
“And then when you get a chance to meet him you feel really excited there is that opportunity.”