Tag: julius davis

A pair of former Wisconsin running backs had big days on Saturday

Two former Badgers had big days on the ground this past weekend

While the Badger running back room was decimated by injuries in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, a pair of former Badgers had big days over the weekend.

Isaac Guerendo, who transferred to Louisville after four years with Wisconsin, had the best day of his collegiate career as he took 11 carries for 146 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-3 win over Virginia Tech. The speedster was always a home run threat as a Badger, and showed that pace on Saturday.

On the other side of the country, former Badger Julius Davis, who spent the past three seasons with Wisconsin, had his first two-touchdown game of the season and has now scored in four consecutive games for the Montana State Bobcats.

Former and current Badgers were supportive of seeing the former Wisconsin running backs shine:

 

Former Badger running back picks new school

After three seasons with Wisconsin Football, running back Julius Davis entered the transfer portal and he announced his new school Saturday.

After three seasons with Wisconsin football, running back Julius Davis entered the transfer portal and he announced his new school Saturday night. The Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin native has transferred to Montana State.

Davis was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, joining the Badgers as a member one of their class of 2019 recruits. He arrived one year ahead of four-star ball carrier Jalen Berger, though neither of them got much action behind superstar Jonathan Taylor in the backfield.

Over the three seasons that Davis spent with Wisconsin, he logged a total of 35 carries for 200 yards over eight games. The limited playing time can certainly be attributed to the emergence of Braelon Allen as well as injuries.

Now with Montana State, the 5-foot-11 athlete should be able to get more run and regardless of his production, he’ll always be a Badger!

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LOOK: Wisconsin running back enters the transfer portal

LOOK: Wisconsin running back enters the transfer portal

Wisconsin running back Julius Davis announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Monday.

Davis leaves Wisconsin with two years of eligibility remaining. “To Coach Fickell and staff, thank you for bringing in a new mindset to this program and showing our team what greatness can consist of,” said Davis in his statement on Twitter.

Davis will graduate from Wisconsin with his Bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison this spring. During his three active seasons with the Badgers, he totaled 200 rushing yards on 35 career carries. Here is a look at Davis’ full statement from Twitter that he posted on his personal account earlier today:

Five Badgers with the most to prove for Wisconsin during fall camp

BadgersWire examines five players who, for various reasons, have the most to prove during fall camp:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers began fall camp last week, and with each new season, hope springs eternal.

After a disappointing 9-4 campaign that fell short of expectations, the Badgers enter 2022 as the preseason favorites to win the Big Ten West and return to Indianapolis after a two-year drought.

UW must replace 14 preferred starters from last season’s team and will have position battles throughout the roster. However, it has plenty of young and talented options who’ve patiently awaited their opportunity to make an impact.

Today, BadgersWire examines five players who, for various reasons, have the most to prove during fall camp:

Wisconsin football’s rushing leaders from 2021

Wisconsin football’s top five rushers from the 2021 season:

Although the 2021 season had many ups and downs for the Badgers’ backfield and offense in general, Wisconsin was able to reestablish its dominant run game last season with the help of several dynamic running backs.

Related: Wisconsin OLB Nick Herbig makes PFF’s Top 10 LBs for 2023 NFL draft

Braelon Allen finished the season on a high note with over 100 rushing yards in eight of his last nine games. Of course, this was after injuries and some team issues to the running backs group that thrust him into the feature role. Chez Mellusi also had a fantastic season rushing for over 815 yards despite missing the last four games with a torn ACL.

The Badgers will be returning all of their key rushers from last season, and it will be exciting to see how this group will build off of a solid 2021 campaign.

Below are Wisconsin football’s top five rushers from the 2021 season:

Wisconsin still not sure what they have in RB Julius Davis

After three years in the program, Wisconsin still unsure of what they have in RB Julius Davis.

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When Menomonee Falls (Wis.) running back, Julius Davis committed to UW in 2019, many throughout the program felt they had found their next stud running back. 

Despite missing almost his entire senior season, Davis finished his prep career with 447 carries for 3,067 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Davis was rated as a three-star recruit by 247, and was the #1 player in the state of Wisconsin with offers from the likes of Notre Dame, LSU, and USC. So, securing a commitment from Davis was no small addition.

With his commitment, Davis became the first scholarship running back out of Wisconsin to join the program in seven years.

 

Since joining the program

It’s been a bit of an uneven career for Julius Davis in Madison so far. Davis wisely chose to red-shirt in 2019, and saw just 1 carry for 1 yard in 2020.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that injuries have contributed to the derailment of his career. Davis has struggled to remain healthy, which has in turn made it difficult to earn opportunities.

Few players would have benefited from the additional reps in spring ball more than Davis – but he was once again unavailable, leaving the touches to walk-on running back Brady Schipper who still remains ahead of him on the depth chart. .

As the Badgers concluded fall camp, Julius Davis found himself essentially 6th on the depth chart behind the likes of: Chez Mellusi, Jalen Berger, Isaac Guerendo, Braelon Allen, and Brady Schipper. This left little to no opportunity for Davis to earn carries.

This season, the program saw the departures of Jalen Berger, Loyal Crawford, and Antwan Roberts at running back – while also losing Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo to season ending injuries of their own.


This left the program gutted of their running back depth, leaving just Braelon Allen, Brady Schipper, Julius Davis and Jackson Aker as the only healthy backs.

Despite the lack of healthy bodies at the position, Julius Davis remained behind walk-on Brady Schipper and logged just 25 snaps during the season. It took Berger getting dismissed and Guerendo going down with an injury for Davis to even make the traveling roster.

For his career, Julius Davis has received 20 carries for 103 yards (5.2 YPC).

I’m certainly not going to write off a player as young or as talented as I’ve seen on tape, but after three years in the program – I’m not sure Wisconsin is any closer to knowing what they have in the Menomonee Falls native.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

 

WATCH: Father of Wisconsin RB Julius Davis speaks at Big Ten protest

The father of the Badger RB was on hand at the protest in Illinois

Yesterday at the Big Ten offices in Illinois, parents from multiple schools gathered to express their frustration with how the conference handled the postponement of the fall sports season.

The Wisconsin representative was Dornaj Davis, the father of Wisconsin RB Julius Davis. Davis made arguments surrounding why he felt it was in some ways safer for the players to play the season rather than being on a college campus without football.

“Us individuals, if we get sick, that’s the only way we’re getting tested. So, it’s not safe for them to not play,” said Davis. “So they’re not spreading it as much if they’re playing and (not) socializing as much with their classmates and the outside world. I know that for a fact, because my son was COVID-19  (positive). He got it when he was at home with his friends, not in school.”

Here is the full video of Davis speaking to the media:

(Video via Ryan Glasspiegel of Outkick)

Wisconsin Spring Position Preview: Running Backs

Looking at the running back position group as the Badgers enter spring football.

Spring football allows for head coach Paul Chryst to not have to worry about preparing for a game. Instead, it allows him to teach the game of football and continue to develop the players on Wisconsin’s roster as they prepare for the 2020 season. Chryst will have 15 practices beginning March 22 to help his team improve and build on what they accomplished during the 2019 season.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will break down the running back position for Wisconsin as it heads into spring practice.

Spring Running Back Roster

Julius Davis (redshirt freshman), Garrett Groshek (redshirt senior), Isaac Guerendo (redshirt sophomore), Brady Schipper (redshirt sophomore), and Nakia Watson (redshirt sophomore)

What we know going into spring practice

It was expected that two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor would declare early for the NFL draft at the end of this past season and that this coming spring would be an important one for Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson.

Groshek and Watson were Taylor’s top two backups from a season ago as the two combined to rush for 525 yards on 116 carries and four touchdowns. Between the two Groshek was more serviceable than Watson as Watson didn’t register a carry over Wisconsin’s last two games of the season. But can Groshek be an every-down back in Wisconsin’s offense?

Groshek has shown that he can be an asset in both the run and pass game where Watson needs to show the consistency the coaches are looking out of him. He was able to show flashes of it at times a season ago and with it being his third year in the program he should start to put everything together.

Groshek and Watson will likely get the bulk of the carries at the running back position during spring football making it important that the reps Isaac Guerendo and Julius Davis do receive they take advantage of.

Guerendo started to see more playing time toward the end of the season but can he became consistent at running back and actually receive a carry out of the running back position?

Davis’ true freshman season was slowed down because of a sports hernia injury but he had a number of impressive offers coming out of high school from programs like LSU, Southern California, and Notre Dame. Can Davis show the injuries that plagued him last season are behind him and get on track as he tries to earn reps this coming fall?

What we hope to find out following spring practice

Out of the running back group, Watson will have the most eyes on him. Watson could end up being the starter by the time the season rolls around against Indiana on Friday, September 4th.

In order for that to happen, he’s going to need to become more consistent and show that he’s capable of becoming Wisconsin’s lead ball carrier.

Watson is going to have to improve in all facets of his game but the skillset is there and running back coach John Settle will have 15 spring practices to continue to help him improve upon his vision, patience, blocking, and catching out of the backfield.

Highly touted freshman running back Jalen Berger won’t arrive until the summer but if Watson can have a productive spring and improve with each practice he’ll be able to take momentum with him into fall camp.

Groshek will be the leader of the running back room and with him being a redshirt senior in the fall there should be a comfort for him in the offense. With that familiarity will come the expectation that he also helps out the younger guys on the roster. In addition to him continuing to expand on his game as his role will expand from what it has been the previous seasons.

Wisconsin has talent in the running back room as this will mark an important spring for the running backs as they all will push each other to get better and to make sure there is no drop off at the running back position.

Projecting Wisconsin’s Spring Offensive Depth Chart

Who is projected to start on offense when the Badgers open spring camp.

Wisconsin’s offense in 2020 will certainly have a different feel to it considering the Badgers lost three key players on the offensive side of the football in running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, and center Tyler Biadasz as all three declared early for the NFL Draft. Despite the departures from those three players, the Badgers do return six offensive starters from 2019.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we project what the spring depth chart on offense will look like when the Badgers open up spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Quarterback: 1. Jack Coan, 2. Graham Mertz, 3. Chase Wolf, 4. Danny Vanden Boom

Jack Coan will open spring football as the projected starter for Wisconsin and until he gives Paul Chryst a reason why he shouldn’t be starting for Wisconsin he’ll remain atop the depth chart throughout spring and when fall camp opens. Graham Mertz is certainly talented enough to challenge Coan for the starting position but the key for Mertz is building off of his first year at Wisconsin and consistently stringing together successful practices. This will be Mertz’s second spring football. Chase Wolf will be competing to be the top backup. Mertz and Wolf were listed as co-backups to Coan last season but if Coan would have had to leave the game due to an injury it would have been Mertz to fill in the place of Coan. Making it an important spring for Wolf to continue to improve upon his quarterback mechanics. Danny Vanden Boom played in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2018 but didn’t appear in a game last season.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Running Back: 1. Garrett Groshek, 2. Nakia Watson, 3. Isaac Guerendo, 4. Brady Schipper, 5. Julius Davis

Highly touted and consensus four-star running back Jalen Berger won’t arrive until this summer. In the meantime, it will be up to Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson to show they’re capable of filling the giant shoes that are being left behind in two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor. Watson (74-331-2) finished the season with more carries and more rushing yards than Groshek (42-194-2). But Watson over Wisconsin’s last two games didn’t register a carry as he’ll need to show he can take on a larger role in the offense during spring practice. Groshek is trusted by the coaches as he’s the most experienced running back returning as he has shown his capability as a receiver but also holding up in pass blocking too. How Guerendo, Schipper, and Davis figure into the running back picture in 2020 will still be determined but how they play over spring football will go a long way in terms of how many reps they receive once fall camp begins.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Fullback: 1. Mason Stokke, 2. John Chenal, 3. Quan Easterling

Mason Stokke and John Chenal split reps at fullback in 2019 and that should continue unless Stokke or Chenal take complete command over the role as starting fullback. Both had their moments in 2019 where they succeeded but Stokke’s best statistical game came against Minnesota when he registered 14 yards rushing on two carries and had three catches for 30 yards. Quan Easterling redshirted in 2019 but did appear in one game against Illinois due to Stokke missing the game because of an injury.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Wide Receiver: 1. Kendric Pryor, 2. Danny Davis, 3. Jack Dunn, 4. Adam Krumholz, 5. A.J. Abbott, 6. Stephan Bracey

Wisconsin’s depth chart at the wide receiver position figured it would have Cephus and Aron Cruickshank but with Cephus entering the draft and Cruickshank transferring to Rutgers the depth at wide receiver took a hit. But the Badgers still have enough depth to absorb those losses. It helps that Wisconsin returns Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. Between the two Davis finished with more receptions than Pryor (30-to-23) but Pryor finished with 278 receiving yards to Davis’ 250. Both of their roles should expand entering the 2020 season and with more opportunities, the duo should be able to respond. Behind Davis and Pryor will be Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz. Two of Wisconsin’s better run blockers at the wide receiver position. Abbott appeared in seven games a year ago mostly on special teams or in mop-up duty while Bracey redshirted but he did travel with the team for road games at times.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Tight End: 1. Jake Ferguson, 2. Cormac Sampson, 3. Jack Eschenbach 

Ferguson will return as the Badgers top tight end as he has improved over the past two years and that should continue for Ferguson as his 33 receptions for 407 yards ranked second in both categories. Sampson took on a larger role than previously expected for Wisconsin in 2019 as he served as Wisconsin’s blocking tight end and had success as he’ll be projected to fill that role again in 2020. Eschenbach a walk-on is a player the coaches are high on but he’ll need to continue to put it all together. A pair of redshirt freshman Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff will compete for a spot on the depth chart as the duo have important springs ahead of them as they continue to grow into the tight end position.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Offensive Line: LT Cole Van Lanen, LG Josh Seltzner, C Kayden Lyles, RG Logan Bruss, RT Tyler Beach

Wisconsin lost three starters from its 2019 offensive line all coming on the interior in guards David Moorman and Jason Erdman and center Tyler Biadasz. Who ultimately starts along the offensive line when the Badgers open up the season against Indiana won’t be determined until fall camp. As spring will serve as an opportunity for offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to use a variety of different combinations along the offensive line. But what is listed above seems to make the most sense with what Rudolph will roll out to start with and go from there when he tries out different line combinations. Lyles and Seltzner both started four games a season ago at left and right guard respectively. Lyles is capable of sliding over to center and with Bruss being capable of sliding over to guard will allow for Tyler Beach to start at right tackle.

Wisconsin Football Season Review: Running Back

How did Wisconsin’s running backs do over the 2019 season? Jonathan Taylor RB, Nakia Watson RB, Garrett Groshek RB.

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s running back from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

It was the Jonathan Taylor show in 2019. Taylor for the second consecutive year rushed for over 2,000 yards as he finished with 2,003 yards on 320 carries and had 21 rushing touchdowns.

Taylor who entered the 2019 season with very few questions surrounding him did have one main question though and that was if he could be a consistent contributor in the receiving game?

Considering entering the season he only caught a combined 16 passes for 155 yards. Taylor as a junior improved on his pass receiving skills finishing the season with 26 receptions for 252 yards and five touchdowns.

Taylor caught a pass in every game this season with the exception in Wisconsin’s win against Purdue. In addition, Taylor’s five receiving touchdowns were the second most on the team behind wide receiver Quintez Cephus.

Taylor posted 2,255 yards of total offense as he averaged an impressive 6.5 yards per play. The numbers Taylor posted this past season allowed him to not only be a finalist for the Doak Walker Award but also the winner of the award for a second consecutive season.

Taylor became the first Badger to win the Doak Walker Award in consecutive seasons and the third player to win the award in consecutive years as he joins Texas’ Ricky Williams (1998, 1999) and Arkansas’ Darren McFadden (2005, 2006).

Even when teams loaded the box in order to try and slow down Taylor it was no guarantee they would have success. Considering Taylor only lost an average of 2.9 yards per game. Taylor, as he has throughout his career, showed excellent vision and patience allowing him to consistently pick up positive yards.

The next highest rusher after Taylor was redshirt freshman Nakia Watson. Watson finished his season with 74 rushing attempts for 331 yards and two touchdowns. However, Watson over Wisconsin’s last two games against Ohio State and Oregon didn’t register a carry.

Although Wisconsin’s run game was excellent in 2019 the Badgers didn’t receive the same kind of production from their backup running back like they did in 2018 in Taiwan Deal (82-545-6).

Redshirt junior Garrett Groshek split reps as Wisconsin’s primary backup and also served as the Badgers third down running back too. Groshek finished the season with more receiving yards (289) than he did rushing yards (194). Groshek finished with two rushing touchdowns as he averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

Outside of getting the football in the hands of the wide receiver’s on end arounds the Badgers used three primary backs in Taylor, Watson, and Groshek throughout the season as redshirt senior Bradrick shaw received some playing time in mop up duty as well. Shaw finished the season with 116 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

2020 Wisconsin Running Backs

With Taylor declaring for the NFL the Badgers will have questions surrounding the position entering the 2020 season. Primarily who is the starter at the position? One could project Watson as the starter but he’ll have to become more consistent in order to become the full-time starter. The Wisconsin coaching staff clearly has trust in Groshek but he would serve better in Wisconsin’s offense as the third down back. One also can’t cut out Julius Davis who redshirted this past season and the Badgers also have consensus 2020 four star running back Jalen Berger coming to Wisconsin. The Badgers certainly have talent at the position but it will come down to if somebody is able to separate themselves from the rest of the running backs on Wisconsin’s roster over spring and fall camp.