Wisconsin's spring camp is set to kick off on March 26, so BadgerBlitz.com will run through each position group to break down what we know about the 2019 Badgers and what we still need to find out before they start their season on Aug. 30 against South Florida.
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What We Know Right Now
It's no secret that the Wisconsin wide receiver corps did not live up to the sky-high expectations that were set for them in the run up to the 2018 season. By the end of the year their stats looked pretty similar to previous groups of UW wide receivers - A.J. Taylor and Danny Davis were the two top options, with Kendric Pryor also chipping in as a solid No. 3 option.
It was going to be hard to live up to expectations without Quintez Cephus, who was looking like the team's top option outside until he was suspended during fall camp after being charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. His case is still awaiting trial, which has been set for July of this year—don't expect Cephus to return to the team in 2019.
As for the players the Badgers will have on campus, the good news for UW is that all three of their top receivers from last year (Taylor, Davis and Pryor) will all be back for another round with the team. Taylor will be a senior after catching 32 passes for a team-high 521 yards with 3 touchdowns, and Davis and Pryor will be juniors looking to build on their sophomore campaigns.
Davis' stats in particular suggest a better year than you might have thought at first glance - he led the team with 40 receptions and five receiving touchdowns despite his two-game suspension at the start of the season for his involvement in Cephus' legal situation. If Davis can build some chemistry with whoever starts at quarterback, he would be a good bet to take over as the team's No. 1 option this year.
The Badgers also have a bevy of younger options at the position who could make an impact for UW in 2019. Sophomore Aron Cruickshank is an athletic speedster who got on the field as Wisconsin's primary kick returner in 2018, but with a year in the program he could be poised to become a larger part of the offense. Taj Mustapha also played in a few games for UW before redshirting - and it could be that getting his feet wet in 2018 will help him take a step forward in his second year on the team.
Biggest Question To Answer: What more can we expect to see out of this group of receivers?
In retrospect it seems obvious that Wisconsin's wide receiving corps was a little over-hyped going in to their 2018. Losing Cephus to his suspension obviously played a role in deflating those hopes - and so did up-and-down quarterback play. But the Badgers are still hoping that this group of wide receivers can bring the position to another level in 2019.
Davis and Pryor in particular seem to have untapped potential, in part because Davis has yet to play in a full season for UW and Pryor flashed in a big way during fall camp last year before winding up No. 3 on the wide receiver depth chart. Keep an eye on them during this spring camp - they're both entering their junior seasons at UW.
Spring Camp Dark Horse
The Badgers had a couple of wide receivers enroll early for their freshman seasons at this time last year in Aron Cruickshank, Taj Mustapha, and A.J. Abbott. They will be entering their second full year in the program at the start of spring camp this year so it will be interesting to see how they have grown over the last year. Cruickshank's work on special teams was passable, and Mustapha and Abbott ended up redshirting - but Mustapha played in four games and caught one pass for a touchdown in mop-up duty against New Mexico. Cruickshank also caught one pass for 11 yards in his limited work with the offense. Keep an eye on those two this spring - they will have a chance to turn that in-game experience into a larger role, especially if some of the older wide receivers need to limit their spring reps like they did last year.
Projected Spring Camp Depth Chart
1. A.J. Taylor -and- Danny Davis
2. Kendric Pryor -and- Jack Dunn
3. Aron Cruickshank -and- Adam Krumholtz
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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.
