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
When the brightest lights were shining, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (6-foot-4, 234 pounds) seized the moment. First, it was against Ohio State in the BIG Ten Championship game when the redshirt junior brought Wisconsin fans back to life and returned an interception for a touchdown. A few weeks later, Van Ginkel kept pressure on Miami and finished with an interception, three defensive tackles and a sack en route to Wisconsin's Orange Bowl victory.
This season, Van Ginkel must seize an even larger, more consistent role on defense. Gone are linebackers Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley, who combined for 101 tackles in 2017. As a senior, Van Ginkel's leadership will be critical for a unit that saw two of its veteran playmakers depart.
Van Ginkel will look to pick up where he left off, but for UW to truly get the most out of his final year as a Badger, Van Ginkel's must showcase his heroic playmaking abilities year-round.
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As a redshirt freshman, this reserve cornerback fought through injury in 2017 and managed to see the field in all 14 games.
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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
