MADISON -- Less than two days after officially rejoining the Wisconsin football program, Quintez Cephus found himself back at Badgers' practice Wednesday.

"Q was back on the field," UW head coach Paul Chryst said on Wednesday afternoon. "It was good to have him back on the field and he was there, practicing."

Cephus' return to football comes after a busy start to the week with a couple of announcements that started the path back to Camp Randall Stadium. On Monday morning, UW-Madison released a statement that Cephus had been reinstated as a student at the university, "effective immediately."

Just hours later in the afternoon, Wisconsin's athletic department announced that the Macon, Ga., native had "officially rejoined the football program" and that UW was "working through eligibility issues before he can participate in a game."

When asked if there was any indication on how long the process might take to determine when he's eligible, Chryst stated he did not know exactly, though he said "I know there are people working on it."

On the field, Chryst mentioned that it was just Cephus' first practice and that the offense has changed a bit, so they are working to get the wide out "back in a rhythm."

However, Chryst -- along with running back Jonathan Taylor and inside linebacker Chris Orr -- acknowledged the physical condition Cephus was in. Taylor noted the wide receiver "looked great in shape."

"Excited. Full of energy, ready to run every play," Taylor said. "You could tell he was eager to get back, and we're enjoying it right now."

Orr concurred, but also acknowledged some next steps for Cephus.

"Obviously, he's going to have to get back into football shape as far as like catching balls, getting tackled or having somebody on their back," Orr said. "Physically, I think he's in great shape."

Cephus' last game played was a 45-17 road win at Indiana on Nov. 4, 2017 when he suffered a season-ending leg injury. He returned to participate late in spring practices in April 2018 and practiced in fall camp last year, but he did not play last season due to being suspended by UW after two counts of sexual assault were filed against him in late August. Earlier this month, he was found not guilty on both counts.

Now after applying for and being granted readmission to the university, Cephus practiced on Wednesday. Chryst stated he completed paperwork on Monday and, according to Orr, having his teammate back was "amazing."

"It was kind of like being away from a relative that you used to hang out with everyday and they had to move or something, kind of seeing him back," Orr said. "It was great to have him back. See his smile, that same goofy attitude. It was great to have him back."

Groshek noted there was "a lot of yelling, excitement" in terms of players' reactions to Cephus returning to the Wisconsin locker room.

"Obviously for Quintez to get through such a difficult time in his life and be able for him to have the opportunity that he wants, you just couldn't be more happy for him."

The timetable for a decision about Cephus' eligibility is still unknown, and Chryst admitted Cephus did not receive "a ton of reps" on Wednesday, "but I think he can add a lot to this offense."

The head coach not only called out Cephus for being a "really talented receiver," but one that is "really good in the run game" as a blocker and brings an energy to the team.

"You talk to any of our o-linemen, and they love playing with him," Chryst said. "I think there's another component that he adds, and yet, he still hasn't played for a while now. I mean, he's got to get back into it. I know he has, and I think we all have a high bar for him."

In Orr's eyes, the expectations for Cephus should be "to bring energy."

"I know he'll definitely have a fire about him. He'll definitely be hungry because he's been away from the game for over a year so I know he's going to be hungry," Orr said. "I know he's going to bring a fight, a work ethic that will definitely help this team even more. That would be my biggest expectation.

"I don't want to put anything on him necessarily like he needs to have this many touchdowns or something like that, but just as far as just bringing an attitude to the team to help us out, that's what I expect."