2019 Wisconsin fall camp preview: Jonathan Taylor leads the backs

In less than a month, Wisconsin will open fall camp in preparation for the 2019 season opener against South Florida.

Jonathan Taylor looks to follow up his Doak Walker Award-winning campaign with a third productive season. Right now, the Heisman-caliber back needs 2,235 yards to become the FBS career rushing leader, a benchmark within reach despite working with a revamped offensive line and three difficult cross-divisional opponents on the schedule.

Behind him, however, who steps up in a Taiwan Deal-like role at tailback will be something to watch, along with who emerges at fullback after Alec Ingold's graduation.

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In two seasons, UW quarterbacks gave Taylor the ball 606 times (299 in 2017, 307 in 2018). Barring injury or unforeseen circumstance, 2019 season should provide another shot for Taylor, 5-foot-11 and 219 pounds, to showcase what's made him one of the nation's top tailbacks since arriving in Madison. The next step for the third year player is likely along the lines of being a "complete back" and becoming a presence in the Wisconsin passing game (whether catching the ball out of the backfield or pass blocking), something also noted by The Athletic's Jesse Temple earlier this week.

Many will watch Taylor's next evolution, but a focal point will also be who finds roles behind him. Last year, Deal emerged as a complement to Taylor and ended his Wisconsin career with averaging 6.6 yards per carry on way to 545 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

There could be two or three potential replacements, starting with redshirt senior Bradrick Shaw. Though limited in the spring in returning from injury, could the Birmingham (AL) Hoover product have a renaissance like Deal a season prior? A rejuvenated Shaw (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) could mean a return to form where he rushed for 457 yards on 5.2 yards per touch and five scores.

There is also Nakia Watson, who UW listed at 5-foot-11 and 232 pounds in the spring. After a redshirt year, he could fill the role as well and appears physically ready to take on the task. He appeared to miss a hint of time during spring ball due to injury, but his long run during an April 19 practice may have been the best by any back during those sessions.

When asked by reporters on April 16 about Watson, offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph called out what he wants out of the second-year back.

“We missed him these last few practices, but we had that first scrimmage, man, and the thing that I wanted to see to Nakia the opportunity that’s open is really what Taiwan brought to us last year," Rudolph said. "That physical presence that goes in the game. Not just physical, but the whole game. Taiwan affected the game from special teams, affected the games when he got in the game on offense and carried it. He brought a physical presence to his protections, so Nakia showed that in the scrimmage, but kind of needs to keep seeing it. So I think him and Isaac Guerendo are having great competition.

"Brady Schipper showed up last scrimmage and played his tail off, so I think there’s some really good young backs. Those three especially as young guys have each really flashed but we're looking for someone to kind of grab a hold of it.”

BadgerBlitz.com will address Schipper (5-foot-11, 209 pounds) and Guerendo (6-foot, 208 pounds) in just a bit, but there is also redshirt junior Garrett Groshek. Last season, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior rushed for 425 yards on 6.5 yards per carry and seemed to be used often within Wisconsin's 11 (three wide receivers, one running back, one tight end) personnel.

This spring, Groshek - the former walk-on - appeared to perform well in not just running the ball but receiving out of the backfield. In addition to catching a couple of touchdown passes from junior Jack Coan during the final spring practice, he also reeled in a Graham Mertz dart of a throw for a score during the April 19 session.

After Wisconsin's sixth spring practice, a reporter asked Groshek about his role heading into his fourth season at UW. At that time, he called out seeing what the young backs could do, but he also responded that he would proceed that like he has since the beginning of his Wisconsin career.

“Nakia, Isaac and Brady, and they’ve picked it up pretty good, so I know we still got Brad coming back, too, so it’s kind of just be willing to do anything," Groshek said on April 6. "Kind of same mindset that I’ve pretty much had my whole career is do whatever they ask. If that adds up to being more normal down and distance stuff or the kind of backup to ‘JT,’ then that’ll be it but not really focusing a whole lot on that right now.”

Will this be Taylor's final season at UW? It feels that way based on logic and running backs coach John Settle's comments to The Athletic this week.

Along with Watson and Groshek coming back for sure in 2020, it should be worth watching the progression of Schipper and Guerendo. Both converted to the backfield from wide receiver a season ago, and the former asserted himself well throughout the camp.

Schipper hails from nearby Stoughton, whose program has produced fellow walk-on Adam Krumholz and 2020 commit Jack Nelson. Coming to Madison as a walk-on like Groshek, the older back praised the redshirt freshman early on.

“Brady’s smart,” Groshek said in early April. “He’s picking it up pretty fast, and you can see that today that he knows what he’s doing. Now it’s that, how to do it and where he can get better with it, and he’ll be fine just because of how smart he is and being able to figure things out.

Guerendo showed some flash during the spring, and Groshek complimented him early on as well.

“Isaac’s got all the talent in the world,” Groshek said. “Then his greatest enemy is himself, thinking too much, and when that kid decides to and wants to and figures it out that, ‘Just play, just run,’ it’s going to be fun to watch.”

There is also incoming freshman Julius Davis, who told BadgerBlitz.com in May that he wants "to play right away, no matter how many games it is."

"I just want to get a taste of the game and see what the game speed is like in college," Davis said. "My goal is to get some playing time so I can get the playbook down, and then (I want to) at least rush for 500 yards. I just want to get that base for myself - once Jonathan Taylor is gone a spot is going to be open for everybody. I want to be prepared for any workload they give me."

Ingold, like most fullbacks, did it all for Wisconsin's offense when called upon during his collegiate career. He could run the ball in short yardage situations, haul in passes, and most importantly, block to open up holes for Taylor.

Redshirt junior Mason Stokke (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) appears to be the heir apparent to the Badgers' fullback tradition. When healthy, the former Menomonie (WI) standout and converted linebacker appeared to be more than up to the task.

Stokke missed some time this spring due to a right leg injury, however, which led to sophomore John Chenal carrying the bulk of the reps at times. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound sophomore from Grantsburg, Wis., looked comfortable in his role with the offense and showed some pass-catching abilities as well in the sessions open to the media.

Joining Wisconsin during fall camp will also be incoming freshman Quan Easterling, who flipped his commitment from Akron to UW in December. According to a report by The Athletic's Jesse Temple, Easterling will be out indefinitely due to a leg injury.