MADISON, Wis. – There are a lot of important positions that the University of Wisconsin needs to figure out between now and a little more than five months from now when they start the 2020 season. While spring practices is more about individual reps and improvement than setting a depth chart, there’s no question that wide receiver is a spot of high important for head coach Paul Chryst.

In meeting with the media Monday, Chryst downplayed the work the Badgers need to do to replace Jonathan Taylor at running back and the three interior positions on the offensive line, saying those jobs will sort themselves out over the course of spring, summer and fall. Same goes for how the quarterback reps will be split up, but wide receiver is a position that the sixth-year head coach didn’t gloss over.

UW will enter spring practice having to replace leading receiver Quintez Cephus (59, 901, 7) and senior A.J. Taylor (23, 267, 2) this season, not to mention the Badgers’ depth getting hit when junior-to-be Aron Cruickshank decided to transfer to Rutgers.

The Badgers list 14 wide receivers on their spring roster, although senior Jack Dunn won’t participate in spring due to a left leg injury. That means seniors Danny Davis (30, 250, 1) and Kendric Pryor (23, 278, 0) are the only receivers with any tangible experience participating in camp.

“You’ve got four seniors that have played and then you’ve got a younger group,” Chryst said. “A.J. Abbott, Taj (Mustapha), Stephan Bracey I’m anxious to see. We’ve got one new early enrollee in Chim(ere Dike). That group, it’ll be a really good spring for them. Emmet Perry has been injured almost every part of it. Can he stay healthy? It’ll come from that room, but you don’t know who it is.”

With Dunn out, Chryst said Pryor will get practice reps at Taylor’s slot receiver position to see if that’s the best fit for him within the offense. There will likely be a number of new positions with the receivers as new wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted analyzes his group.

Hired earlier this month to replace Ted Gilmore, Whitted has spent most of his career coaching college receivers, most recently at Colorado State, but spent last season with the Green Bay Packers. In vetting Whitted, Chryst said he reached out to former Wisconsin players – including current Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick – to get a sense of the players who Whitted helped mentor.

“It was fun getting that reply,” Chryst said. “The biggest thing is the development of players, and that’s where I’m excited.”

The only major piece of news Chryst shared with the media on Monday was that the start of Wisconsin’s spring practices – originally set to begin tomorrow – was being moved back until after the team returns from the University’s spring break. UW was set to practice Tuesday and Thursday but will instead likely start Sunday, March 22 to give the players a full two weeks to recover from the end of winter conditioning.

“Guys worked hard in (conditioning), as they should, but you appreciate them doing the work,” Chryst said. “I feel like we need this week and next week to transition to try and make the most of the spring practice opportunities we get.”

In addition to Dunn, Wisconsin announced seven players will be held out for the entirety of spring: nose tackle Keeanu Benton (core injury), long snapper Josh Bernhagen (left leg), safety Eric Burrell (left arm), offensive lineman Kayden Lyles (left and right leg), safety Scott Nelson (left leg), running back Brady Schipper (left and right arm) and nose tackle Bryson Williams (left leg).

Nelson tore his ACL early in the nonconference season, but Chryst said he would be healthy enough to compete this season.