Published Jul 20, 2017
One Burning Question: Running Backs
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John Veldhuis  •  BadgerBlitz
Senior Writer
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@JohnVeldhuis

With Wisconsin's fall camp set to start in late July, BadgerBlitz.com will be running through the burning questions that the Badgers will be looking to answer at each position group before they open their season on Sept. 1 against Utah State.

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Quarterbacks |

Position Primer

The Badgers have to go back to the drawing board - in a sense - in 2017, now that Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale have graduated and moved on to the NFL. The two seniors gave the Badgers an interesting one-two punch, with Clement getting the lion's share of carries (24.1 per game) and Ogunbowale mixing in about 6.5 carries per game, on top of third-down duty. Bradrick Shaw served as the next man in, and finished the season with 88 carries after Taiwan Deal dealt with some on-and-off ankle injuries.

But even though Clement and Ogunbowale brought a lot of strengths to the table, the Badgers should still have a talented running back room to work with. Shaw and Pittsburgh transfer Chris James look primed to battle for the starting spot, with Deal also potentially in the mix after having ankle surgery during the offseason. Jonathan Taylor could be in the mix as well, but with so much depth ahead of him, there might not be many carries left to filter down to the underclassmen. Sam Brodner will miss the 2017 season after tearing his ACL in the spring game.

Potential Starters

In The Mix

Incoming Freshmen

One Burning Question: Who will earn the starting nod - and will it matter?

Bradrick Shaw and Chris James had a good back-and-forth going during spring camp this year, and both players believe they have what it takes to be Wisconsin's next big thing at running back. They're both probably right - Shaw has shown flashes in games already, and James looks like he could be a three-down back if the Badgers need him to be - he's a capable receiver and pass blocker in addition to his talents as a rusher. The battle to earn the top spot on the depth chart should be fierce this fall between the two of them, with Taiwan Deal also potentially in the mix if his ankles hold up.

But even though only one player gets to be the 'starter,' it's possible that the Badgers also split up the carries a little more evenly this year. We've seen the Badgers split things up before when they had two talented players in 2013 when they had Melvin Gordon and James White, and that worked out pretty well for them - both players had at least 206 carries for 1444 yards and 12 touchdowns.

That's not to say that Shaw and James are going to match those numbers, only that we've seen Wisconsin's offense work effectively when they have options 1A and 1B instead of a clear hierarchy. We'll have to wait and see if Shaw and James prove themselves worthy of such an arrangement.

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.