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.
Miss an article? Catch up here:
Position Primer
The Badgers are known for using their tight ends to complement both phases of their offense, and 2016 was another growth year at the position - particularly for Troy Fumagalli, who has contributed since his freshman season. Fumagalli doubled his catches from 2014 (14) to 2015 (28), and nearly doubled his production again in his junior season - finishing with 47 catches for 580 yards, including a tremendous performance in Wisconsin's win over Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl.
Spring camp revealed a little more depth at the position, too, as Zander Neuville continued to take steps forward after his move to offense - he has pretty good hands for someone who used to be a pass rusher not that long ago. Kyle Penniston continues to be in the mix as well - but he'll have to fight for targets in a run-first offense that already has more than a few established pass catchers. Penniston has the talent to contribute - but he might be short on opportunity this season.
Returning Players
Incoming Freshmen
One Burning Question: What does Troy Fumagalli have in store for his senior season?Â
Fumagalli's performance against Western Michigan was something of a breakout - he made a few really impressive catches and cut through the Bronco defense like butter, catching six passes for 83 yards and scoring one touchdown in the Cotton Bowl. And while spring practice isn't exactly like playing in a game, Fumagalli seemed to dominate camp without skipping a beat.
We'll soon find out if Fumagalli's surge was a flash in the pan or a sign of something bigger to come in his senior season. The big opportunity I see is for Fumagalli to become a bigger red zone threat - he has just three career touchdowns, and with the way the Badgers were using him in the spring I wouldn't be surprised to see him at least double that total in his senior season. He's already an effective receiver over the middle of the field, and in 2017 we'll find out if the Badgers will look his way early and often when they get close to the end zone, too.
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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.
