Wisconsin Badgers 2022 Spring Position Preview: Tight Ends

Less than three months after Wisconsin pulled off a 20-13 win over Arizona State in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl, the Badgers return to the field in late March to kick up spring practices.

UW will run spring ball between March 22 and April 22 this year, according to a recent social media post. This new iteration of Wisconsin football in 2022 will bring the annual additions and attritions the program works through, but the program also revealed several notable changes on the coaching staff.

***SPRING FOOTBALL VISITORS***

BadgerBlitz.com is once again expected to watch any open practices available for reporters to attend. Thus, our position previews start this week. On Thursday, we move to the tight ends, who will need to replace key production from one of its departing receiving targets. They will also be led by a new, publicly unknown assistant coach.

RELATED: Quarterbacks | Running Backs/Fullbacks | Wide Receivers |

Wisconsin will need to replace the production of Jake Ferguson, who finished his UW career with 145 receptions for 1,618 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jack Eschenbach, who walked on to the program, has played in 19 career games as a Badger. The 6-foot-6 245-pounder has reeled in five receptions for 59 yards. He caught three of those five for 32 yards in 2021, and he played in eight contests.

Clay Cundiff showed promise when called upon in the passing game, recording three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown last season. However, he suffered a season-ending injury during the Oct. 30 win vs. Iowa -- one that needed an ambulance to come out on to the Camp Randall Stadium field to take him to a local area hospital.

Hayden Rucci enters his fourth season and has played in 12 games between 2020-21. The Pennsylvania native has received experience in meaningful situations as more of a run-blocking tight end, though he showed the ability to catch the ball in high school as a four-star recruit.

With injuries decimating the room, Jaylan Franklin also emerged later in the 2021 campaign. The converted outside linebacker played 80 reps on offense, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The site reported 66 of which were run-blocking plays, but he did not catch a pass.

Cam Large played in three games in 2021 as a redshirt freshman before a right leg injury cut short his season. He received less than a handful of reps, according to PFF. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Massachusetts native was used in blocking situations, even working within the backfield.

UW announced redshirt freshman Cole Dakovich was out for the 2021 season back in August. Jack Pugh enrolled early last January but did not play last year as a true freshman.

Class of 2022 signee J.T. Seagreaves will head to campus this summer.

Ferguson heads off to the NFL after an illustrious Wisconsin career, leaving the question: Who's next with the tight ends? There is talent in this room with complementary skillsets, but it will be worth watching who takes advantage of available reps in late March and into April. Last season, Eschenbach received the second-most snaps out of the position group according to PFF (210), followed by Cundiff (105).

BadgerBlitz.com asked Ferguson if he feels anyone from the room is at that point where they could be the complete package of what many see as a Wisconsin tight end.

"I honestly think all of them are capable of it," Ferguson said on Dec. 16. "Those guys are the hardest workers I know. I'm pretty sure almost all of them got some some sort of snaps. Not Cole obviously, but, I mean, Cole could play next year. Those guys are hard workers. They take the offseason very seriously, and I know coach Turner, they're in great hands with him.

"Clay Cundiff, he's probably one of the most physical dudes I've ever been able to play with. I love playing with him, and having this season cut short, this year was pretty tough on me, tough on him. And I kind of just reinforced him with the fact that you're going to get some time in the future, and you're going to be really good. Just keep going. But like I said, all those guys are capable of being really, really good. Better than me."

Wisconsin's tight ends received snaps in 2021, but UW's pregame status report for the Las Vegas Bowl showed what now-former position coach Mickey Turner and his room worked through last season. UW designated Eschenbach as unavailable for that non-conference clash, while the program listed four players -- Cundiff (right leg), Dakovich (left leg), Large (right leg) and Rucci (left leg) -- as out for the season.

That left Ferguson and Franklin available for reps in preparation for Arizona State, along with walk-on Riley Nowakowski. Garrett Groshek, who filled in for assistant Gary Brown to mentor the running backs in December, previously told BadgerBlitz.com last month that the converted outside linebacker practiced as the third tight end in addition to fullback duties.

Turner provided an updated on a potential timeline for Cundiff in December, stating that he was "hopeful for spring" in regards to the rising fourth-year junior. No further updates have been publicly seen since.

Back to Ferguson's comment about Turner -- and our second question asked regarding this group -- who will oversee the position? UW announced on Feb. 22 that Turner, the former Badger player turned long-time assistant who had coached the tight ends since the 2015 season, would transition into overseeing the program's recruiting endeavors.

Bobby Engram, Wisconsin's new offensive coordinator, recently coached the position for the Baltimore Ravens between 2019-21 -- overseeing Mark Andrews' ascent to one of professional football's premiere tight ends. However, Engram's official title on UW's coaches page only shows the coordinator role, and who will guide this room still has not been declared publicly as of time of publishing.

Fourth-year junior Jaylan Franklin played in 11 games during the 2021 season, yet as mentioned previously only recorded 80 offensive snaps according to PFF. He did not catch a pass.

However, with Engram incoming as offensive coordinator and Ferguson departing, will Franklin be utilized further within this offense -- especially with his athletic capabilities and 6-foot-4 frame?

Wide receiver Kendric Pryor spoke with BadgerBlitz.com earlier in March, and along with Markus Allen and Skyler Bell, he pegged Franklin as a potential breakout player on offense in 2022.

"For Jaylan, just seeing how hard he was working this season, and talking to coach Snee and like I said, the coaches just hearing how he's been doing so far this offseason so far since he's been here," Pryor said. "And just knowing it was difficult for him playing quarterback in high school and then going outside 'backer [at UW] and then to tight end, so I know it was a rough process in the beginning, but that's one person who kept his head down, just kept working.

"Just even coming to work with us after practice, coach 'Whit' [Alvis Whitted] after practice, trying to get better. Tight ends obviously have to run routes just like receivers so him just working on receivers stuff for him to get better at his craft, and I think that he's taken it very, very seriously. You can see the growth, the steps he's taken since he first switched over to tight end into this point now."

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