Wisconsin's 2018 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com contributors Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis, Jon Gorman and Jonathan Mills ranked the Top 30 players who we think are the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.
Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored in to our individual rankings, which were combined into a final score.
30: CHRIS JAMES / 29: ANTHONY LOTTI / 28: JAKE FERGUSON / 27: ALEC INGOLD / 26: BRYSON WILLIAMS / 25: MADISON CONE / 24: RAFAEL GAGLIANONE / 23: BEAU BENZSCHAWEL / 22: AARON VOPAL / 21: SCOTT NELSON / 20: CAESAR WILLIAMS / 19: TYLER BIADASZ / 18: KYLE PENNISTON/ 17. A.J. TAYLOR / 16. DANNY DAVIS III / 15. ZANDER NEUVILLE / 14. DAVID EDWARDS / 13. ZACK BAUN / 12. ISAIAHH LOUDERMILK / 11. RYAN CONNELLY / 10. MICHAEL DEITER / 9. OLIVE SAGAPOLU / 8. COLE VAN LANEN/ 7. ANDREW VAN GINKEL / 6. DONTYE CARRIER-WILLIAMS / 5. T.J. EDWARDS / 4. D'COTA DIXON / 3. QUINTEZ CEPHUS
Last season, running back Jonathan Taylor's (5-foot-11, 211 pounds) historic freshman campaign made him into a household name. Not only did Taylor break Adrian Peterson's FBS record for rushing yards as a freshman (1,977), but he finished sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Although other tailbacks helped the UW offense become formidable, Taylor's weekly performances were the main reasons why the Badgers averaged 223.2 rushing yards per game in 2017.
As crazy at it may seem, UW's ground game could be even better this season. The entire Wisconsin offensive line returns and unlike last fall, there is no question who will start as the running back for the Badgers.
Although it may be difficult for Taylor to replicate his impressive numbers, there are plenty of opportunities for the New Jersey native to amp up his overall game. Taylor's elite speed and ability to break through tackles are second-to-none amongst UW's rushers. However, if Taylor must improve his ball security and become a moderate receiving threat out of the backfield if he wants to take his game to the highest level.
Up Next
If you haven't guessed it already, this lefty gunslinger earned the top spot for BadgerBlitz.com's Key Badgers 2018 Ranking.
What makes him so important for Wisconsin this season?
Stay tuned.
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Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @therealJMlLLS
