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
Although redshirt senior safety D'Cota Dixon (5-foot-10, 198 pounds) missed the entire spring due to shoulder surgery, he was not forgotten when the BadgerBlitz.com staff pooled together this year's Top 30 player rankings.
At first glance, experience and leadership are the main characteristics that pop out when analyzing Dixon's value on this 2018 Wisconsin squad. Even though Dixon's playing career has been limited because of injuries, he has managed to see action in 42 career games over a four-year span. In fact, Dixon's injury history helped him receive a medical hardship waiver, allowing him to play for one more season (2018).
With Dixon sidelined this spring, younger players at safety saw valuable reps during team practices. If Dixon were to miss an extended period of time this season, the UW coaches could always trace back to these practices when deciding matchups. However, no player seems to make the big plays like Dixon does, and his 2018 success will be solely dependent on his health.
If Dixon can finish the entire season barring setbacks, the young Wisconsin secondary will benefit from a leader on and off the field.
Up Next
This wide receiver had his 2017 season cut short due to a leg injury, but will be called upon to be one of the top options on offense in 2018.
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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
