Wisconsin's 15 spring practices are in the books, which means it's time to take a look back at what we learned at each position group during camp and see what the Badgers still need to work out before they kick off their 2018 season against Western Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 31.
Our look back at Wisconsin's running backs is included below.
Spring Wrap-Up: Running Backs
What We Learned
There wasn't a ton of intrigue surrounding Wisconsin's running backs in part because Jonathan Taylor is expected to remain atop the UW depth chart after his phenomenal freshman season, and a lot of the other running backs weren't healthy enough to participate in spring camp. But Taylor got a lot of work for a star player during the practices, and he spent a ton of time working on improving his pass catching skills so that he could be an option for the Badgers in their passing game out of the backfield. Taylor did seem to improve his hands during the 15 practices, and having him available to catch passes would give opposing defenses one more headache to plan for - on top of his already stellar vision, speed and strength.
Taylor also said he worked on improving his ball security after he committed a series of fumbles in 2017. We'll see in the fall if the Badgers trust Taylor enough to make him a viable part of their passing game, but at the very least he showed in spring camp that there could be more to his game than what we saw last year.
What's Left?
The Badgers have Taylor established atop their depth chart, but behind him there's a lot of fluidity. Bradrick Shaw didn't practice this spring while he rehabbed from last year's injuries, and Chris James missed the final few practices as well. Senior-to-be Taiwan Deal looked good when he was on the field, but another leg injury flared up at the end of camp and prevented him from having a fully healthy camp. Those are three guys who could help the Badgers if they can stay on the field, but their roles are yet to be determined. And with the impending arrival of incoming freshman Nakia Watson, there's a chance that another freshman could claim a large role in the offense this fall if he plays his cards right. Shaw, James, and Deal are all talented guys who can help UW this year, but we'll have to wait until the fall to determine just how often they'll get a chance to contribute in 2018.
Projected Fall Camp Depth Chart
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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.
