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
And then there was one. One senior, that is.
As a member of the Wisconsin Football program, senior nose guard Olive Sagapolu (6-foot-2, 346 pounds) has compiled 36 starts and 38 tackles under his belt. The California native has been a consistent performer since his freshman year, and the 2017 season (14 games, 10 starts, 17 tackles) was another example of the reliability UW has benefitted from.
In 2018, Sagapolu is the only senior on Wisconsin's defensive line. Not only will his health factor into the program's success up the middle, but the younger players (i.e. Bryson Williams) will look to him for advice and could step in for Sagapolu if he catches the injury bug.
Nose tackles are often viewed as rush stoppers, but Sagapolu's athleticism allows him to stuff the middle of the pocket. In 2017, he finished with 3.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks while contributing to a defense that found success with one-on-one matchups.
Barring injury, Sagapolu's production is highly valued, especially if his sack production increases in 2018.
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This Badger saw action in all 14 games in 2017 en route to his first letter.
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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
