Wisconsin ended its 2021 season on a winning note by clinging to a 20-13 win over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 30. After a brief break, UW will kick up winter conditioning as it begins its early preparation for the 2022 campaign.

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will review each position before turning the page from the 2021 season. Friday will bring a look at the tight ends, where the majority of production came from one All-Big Ten Badger.

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It all starts with Jake Ferguson, the Senior Bowl-bound Badger who caught a pass in every single game he played in at UW. He led the team in receptions once again for the second consecutive season, and he embodied the every-down Wisconsin tight end who could reel in passes and block for those behind him. The Badgers will miss his versatility and consistency within the offense.

Before his season-ending injury against Iowa (more on injuries within the group below), Clay Cundiff showed potential with three catches that averaged nearly 29 yards per reception. That average would have been more had a would-be 36-yard touchdown against Eastern Michigan not been brought back to an official 18-yard grab due to a holding call.

Six players, whether by game plan or sheer necessity, showed they were game-ready in various situations.

Look at the stats sheets, and Ferguson emerged as the only consistent tight end from the group. He also played the most reps, according to PFF (751). All others from the group combined for 444 snaps, according to service, and six catches -- three each from Cundiff and fourth-year junior Jack Eschenbach.

A significant portion of that is due to the substantial amount of injuries within the position group. Fourth-year junior Jaylan Franklin played in 11 games, yet only recorded 80 offensive snaps according to PFF and did not catch a pass. No other tight end participated in more than eight contests.

Wisconsin's pregame status report for the Las Vegas Bowl showed what assistant Mickey Turner and his room worked through this season. UW designated Eschenbach as unavailable for the contest, while the program listed four players -- Cundiff, Cole Dakovich, Cam Large and Hayden Rucci -- as out for the season.

Ferguson now moves on for his chance to play on Sundays. Turner and the tight end room now will need to find out who will step up into consistent play reps. Eschenbach received the second-most snaps out of the position group this season, according to PFF (210), followed by Cundiff (105).

BadgerBliltz.com asked Turner on Dec. 15 who he thinks is in line to pick up where Ferguson is and what has seen through the bowl prep practices to that date.

"You tell me," Turner said with a smile. "I could look at any spot in the season or the last year to two years, and my answer would probably be different. So it's kind of a good message for that group coming back. Like you all have shown you're capable of playing at this level. Now who wants to go take it, and that's kind of the competition piece, but they also have a lot to develop in the offseason in lifting and spring ball and all that.

"With bowl prep, these are valuable practices to get good at those things, so I think there's a ton of opportunity at the position. I think there's a ton of guys that can do it well, but who's actually gonna step up and say I want that No. 1 spot, that No. 2 spot and kind of go from there."

The 6-foot-6 Eschenbach, who walked on to the program, has played in 19 career games and has reeled in five receptions for 59 yards.

Cundiff's season-ending injury during the Oct. 30 win vs. Iowa -- one that needed an ambulance to come out on to the Camp Randall Stadium field to take him to a local area hospital -- cut short what was turning out to be an intriguing look at the third-year sophomore.

Turner provided an updated on a potential timeline for the Kansas native during that December availability.

"I'm hopeful for spring for him," Turner said. "I don't know if it's Day 1. I kind of got to get the training room a little more nailed down, but he's just getting back to weight bearing. That's like the big step. It's like, 'Hey, you're off the scooter, you're starting to actually rehab with it.' Now, no longer is it immobilized. It's now you can actually see where it's at with everything else.

"So I think he's got to be smart in this little break we get because here we get a nice chunk of time off before Martin Luther King Day, we start up. So I think if he can jump on the rehab there and come back with hey, now there's a rhythm and a protocol in place. I don't see it being like a year-long deal."

Rucci played in six games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, and though not participating in seven contests this past season, has experience in meaningful situations in more of a in-line run-blocking tight end. With numbers down in the room, PFF reported that 66 of Franklin's 80 reps were run-blocking plays. His 6-foot-4 frame and athleticism could make him an intriguing prospect in the receiving game, as has been seen a few times during spring and fall camps in 2021. That did not translate to the field in the aerial attack during the season.

Large received less than a handful of reps, according to PFF, before his season-ending right leg injury and was used in blocking situations -- even working within the backfield.

UW announced redshirt freshman Cole Dakovich was out for the season back in August, but it will be interesting to see just when he returns. There's also Jack Pugh, who enrolled early last January but did not play this season.

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