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Final positional recruit snapshot: 2019 running backs

With college football's early signing period on the horizon (Dec. 19), BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you final snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are committed and still remaining on Wisconsin's board in the 2019 class.

Today, we continue with a look at the running backs.

QBs |

Quick Position Breakdown

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Julius Davis
Julius Davis (Darren Lee/BadgerBlitz.com Photographer)

Seniors Chris James, Taiwan Deal and Alec Ingold (fullback) are set to play their final game at Wisconsin later this month in the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami. And with the possibility that the Badgers lose two more backs at the end of the 2019 season - Jonathan Taylor early to the NFL and Bradrick Shaw to graduation - taking two in the 2020 class seems very realistic. In the 2019 cycle, in-state back Julius Davis has been a long-time commit for position coach John Settle, who is also trying to add projected fullback Quan Easterling, an Akron commit, before Signing Day.

Wisconsin Running Backs on Projected 2019 Spring Roster
Player Eligibility  High school star ranking

Jonathan Taylor

Junior

Bradrick Shaw

Redshirt senior

Nakia Watson

Redshirt freshman

Garrett Groshek

Redshirt junior

*Hunter Johnson

Redshirt sophomore

Mason Stokke (fullback)

Redshirt junior

*Jake Collinsworth (fullback)

Redshirt sophomore

*Coy Wanner (fullback)

Redshirt sophomore

*John Chenal (fullback)

Sophomore

*Indicates a preferred walk-on

Class of 2019 running backs needs: 1/2 | Class of 2019 running back commits: 1

Commit No. 4 for Wisconsin in the 2019 class, Julius Davis, who chose the Badgers over an offer from Buffalo and strong interest from Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Illinois, among others, will bring a physical presence to UW's backfield when he arrives on campus this summer.

"He's a physical back - a real powerful kid," Menomonee Falls head coach Dan Lutz told BadgerBlitz.com. "He runs behind his pads and he'd rather run through you then around you. It's something that we may need to work on a bit with him, but his greatest strength is that he's so powerful. He can make things happen and I've seen him make long runs where he takes on five or six or seven guys all in one play.

"He also goes horizontal and vertical very quickly. I've never had a back that can jump-cut and get vertical as fast as he can. The Wisconsin coaches like the way he runs behind his pads. They love that he's a power back and that he runs a lot of power and zone at our school. That's what Wisconsin does, so he's a natural fit for them."

Davis, who reported a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, rushed for 1,762 yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games as a junior. He played in just three contests during an injury-plagued senior campaign.

This off-season, Davis picked up offers from USC and Notre Dame, with Alabama and Florida State, among others, also showing strong interest. This summer, though, Davis made it clear his commitment to the Badgers was rock solid.

“The coaches are looking at me as a big recruiter for this class and really as one of the leaders of this group,” Davis told BadgerBlitz.com. “I try and help to get as many people as I can to join this class and I know the other commits are doing the same thing.

“The coaches look to me to try and get some guys to join us and it’s an honor for them to put me in that leadership role.”

What's left to accomplish?

Akron commit Quan Easterling is one of the few remaining scholarship targets on Wisconsin's 2019 recruiting board. A 6-foot-2, 230-pound fullback from Hoban High School in Ohio, Easterling is set to take an official visit to Madison this weekend. And with the recent firing of Zips' head coach Terry Bowden, all signs point to an eventual flip for the Badgers.

On the preferred walk-on front, in-state senior Drew Hennessey has an offer from the Badgers. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect from Highland High School is a projected fullback. Minnesota tailback Evan Hull, who visited unofficially this fall, is in the same category, though a PWO has not yet been extended.

Offers at the position in 2020

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