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.
If you're looking for a player who could rocket up these rankings by the end of the season then Jake Ferguson would be a solid bet. The Badgers are looking for younger players to step up and take over for departing tight end Troy Fumagalli, and Ferguson showed during spring camp that he has one of the highest ceilings in the tight end room.
He'll need to show the coaching staff that he can give them the kind of down-to-down consistency that they are looking for in a starting tight end if he wants to take on a bigger role. But junior Kyle Penniston and senior Zander Neuville will also be competing for playing time this fall, so Ferguson will have to stand out from the crowd if he wants to get consistent work on the first team.
But even if Ferguson doesn't end up starting, he seems talented enough to where the Badgers have to get him on the field somehow. Ferguson was considered to be one of the most talented tight ends on the team, even including Fumagalli. The 2018 season will give Ferguson a chance to show the world what he can do.
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This offensive player has been a solid contributor for years, but he should take on a starting job without much trouble in 2018.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
