Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 15 - Wide Receiver Kendric Pryor

Wisconsin's 2021 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 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.

Wisconsin received some good news to kick off the calendar year when Kendric Pryor announced he would take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA. Pryor, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound wide out, will look to lead the receiver room, along with Danny Davis, after having his 2020 season cut short due to injuries.

When on the field, Pryor has been a dynamic option for the offense - both with his legs and through the air. Across his career, the sixth-year senior has appeared in 40 games with 12 starts and has racked up 67 catches for 849 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, Pryor is a threat to receive handoffs on jet sweeps, something the Badgers' offense sorely missed this past season. Pryor has totaled 32 carries for 368 yards and five touchdowns.

In 2020, UW's offense struggled as a whole, especially through the air without Davis and Pryor. In the two games the pair were on the field together, Wisconsin averaged 47 points and 449 yards per contest. The passing attack totaled just three receiving touchdowns without the duo and failed to surpass 200 yards in the final three games of the season.

"As far as what we missed, we missed the experience of guys that know game situations, of guys that make plays in those tough situations. We miss those down the field throws from Danny and KP, those guys that can take the top off a coverage," second-year receivers coach Alvis Whitted told reporters this spring. "Really, when those guys are out there, they’re different, they are different and they add a different dimension to our offense and the passing game."

Due in part to injuries, Pryor has never been a consistent pass catcher. Backing up Quintez Cephus in 2019, he totaled 23 catches for 278 yards without a receiving touchdown. This past season, Pryor had his year limited to three games as he dealt with a nagging concussion. The veteran receiver mentioned he has been working on his route running this spring, along with becoming more of a leader in the room.

"For me, just being more of a leader. I'm not the most talkative person, I'm more quiet, laid back," Pryor told reporters in the spring. "But me just trying to lead by example but also being more vocal just helping guys out. Really working on my route running and being more of a leader are the things I'm trying to work on."

Quarterback Graham Mertz and the offense are happy to welcome back Pryor this season. His presence will add an explosive threat and a safety net with what he can do with the ball in his hands. Wisconsin's offense is at its best when Paul Chryst can mix in a hand off to his receivers, or at least offer that threat.

Pryor didn't want to walk away from his collegiate career with 2020 being the lasting image. He now has a chance to run it back as a starter who will be asked to carry a good chunk of the load at receiver. Pryor is hoping they can bottle up the production from wins over Illinois and Michigan and carry it over the course of a full season this fall.

"Once we have everyone healthy, Graham (Mertz) got that year, all of us just being together this spring, this summer, work on all that timing, all those things we really didn't have a chance to work on last year because of COVID, so I think this year the ceiling for us is very high," Pryor said. "I think this year could be really special and we could do special things on offense, defense and do some good things that may shock some people."