Wisconsin's 2022 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 Luke Fickell's squad this year.
Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored in to our staff rankings.
RECRUITING STORY
Out of high school, Bryson Green was a high three-star talent from Allen, Texas. The wide out collected offers from Texas, Auburn, Michigan State, North Carolina, Washington and Nebraska, among many others, before he committed to Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State in June of 2020.
The receiver saw the field for eight games as a freshman and became a full-time starter in 2022, tallying 48 catches for 723 yards and seven touchdowns in total. After two seasons in Stillwater, Green decided to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 4. Just nine days later, he was committed to Wisconsin.
Green came to the Badgers as part of a transfer portal haul that included three other receivers — CJ Williams from USC and Will Pauling and Quincy Burroughs from Cincinnati.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES
Green was held out of team portions of spring practice, but did go through most of the individual drills and appeared to be fine from a physical standpoint.
"Obviously Bryson's been very limited throughout the spring, but he's done a good job just in the room with the guys," wide receivers coach Mike Brown told reporters this spring.
At Oklahoma State, Green was a very well-rounded receiver who displayed an ability to make contested catches as well as a second gear to break away from the defense. Last season, he was the second-leading receiver for the Cowboys. He's dynamic in the open field, which is presumably why he quickly became a target for a new offensive staff that emphasizes spreading defenses out and letting their playmakers work in space.
WHY HE'S No. 23
Unlike Wisconsin's other three wide receiver transfers, Green has a proven track record of production and playmaking. He was a staple of Oklahoma State's offense last season, and quarterback Spencer Sanders had a lot of trust in him. Once he's finally able to get on the practice field with the Badgers, his experience and talent should be apparent. If fully healthy, it'll be hard for Phil Longo to keep him off the field this fall. With Wisconsin planning to utilize plenty of receivers in their up-tempo offense, Green should get ample opportunity to shine.
OVERALL
Green was the odd man out at wide receiver this spring with his limited participation. Chimere Dike, Williams and Pauling are all expected to be starters this fall, with Skyler Bell, Keontez Lewis and Quincy Burroughs all nipping at their heels. Where does that leave Green? It likely depends on his performance at fall camp. With an outstanding August, he could easily push for a starting spot. As mentioned, Wisconsin is expected to deploy a deep rotation of receivers on a regular basis, which means even without a "starting" spot, Green should be a fixture of the Badgers' passing game.
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