Key Wisconsin Badgers 2020: No. 12 - Running back Garrett Groshek

Wisconsin's 2020 football season is (hopefully) right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the Top 25 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

Garrett Groshek, an Amherst, Wis., native, accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Wisconsin during his recruitment and quickly carved out a role in the Badgers' offense after a redshirt season in 2016. Making the switch from prep quarterback to college tailback, Groshek has been a versatile piece for offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph ever since.

Groshek, 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, is a jack of all trades in the Wisconsin offense. During the Jonathan Taylor era, Groshek emerged as a solid third-down back, a reliable pass catcher and one of the better pass blockers at the tailback position. His signature play of the 2019 came on a screen that went for 70 yards in a win over Minnesota. Groshek, who had 42 rushes for 194 yards and two touchdowns last fall, was even used in the wildcat later in the year.

Wisconsin’s ground-and-pound style of football will be put to the test after the loss of Taylor, a complete workhorse for the Badgers. Taylor’s 320 carries in 2019 led UW, with Nakia Watson and Groshek the next two leading backs at 74 and 42, respectively.

Groshek, who also had 29 catches for 290 yards in 2019, has mostly been asked to do his work on third downs. But he will now see his role expand, both on the field and as the veteran within the position group. Can Groshek emerge as a volume runner this fall, or will UW go with a running back by committee approach to start the season?

Wisconsin is losing one of the greatest players in the program's history, and Groshek is one of the few returning tailbacks with playing experience. The load won’t all be on his shoulders, but Groshek will play a major role in Wisconsin’s success as his responsibility expands within the offense.

Now heading into his final year of eligibility, the Wisconsin native will an opportunity to be an every-down tailback. Groshek received little attention from Division I schools despite a successful high school career, but he has become an invaluable part of the offense for Rudolph and Paul Chryst.