The 2020 college football season is right around the corner and teams around the country have began their in-person preseason programs.

The Wisconsin Badgers, one of those teams holding weight room workouts, head into 2020 without many of their key contributors and most important players from the 2019 unit, those being Jonathan Taylor, Chris Orr, Tyler Biadasz and Zack Baun to name a few.

If you’ve been a college football fan for more than two years, though, you know that the key to a program succeeding year-in and year-out is having new guys come and fill the shoes of departed players.

Here, in order, are my top-5 most important players on the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers.

 

No. 5: Running back [Insert name here]

The Badgers enter 2020 with Jonathan Taylor’s 2255 scrimmage yards and 26 total touchdowns gone to the NFL and big shoes to fill.

But that’s what the Badgers do, cycle in running backs like it’s been the same player all along.

On Twitter yesterday I saw the perfect description of what the Wisconsin running back system is:

Wisconsin running backs don't graduate – they just burn up like a Phoenix and are reborn with a new name and immediate eligibility.

— Patrick Barron (@BlueBarronPhoto) June 20, 2020

“Wisconsin running backs don’t graduate – they just burn up like a Phoenix and are reborn with a new name and immediate eligibility.” I could not have chosen better words.

Now the only real question Paul Chryst and his staff have is who will their Phoenix be this year–Nakia Watson or Jalen Berger.

No matter who is the starter or who leads the team in carries, though, the position will be a pivotal one to the team’s success this year (as it is every year) because of the way Wisconsin plays football.

Normally the running back position isn’t one of the most valuable on the team–as in some cases much of their success can be attributed to offensive line play and the quarterback’s ability to not let the defense stack the box.

For the Badgers, though, an offense without a ground game and a great running back always seems to be no offense at all.

Chryst and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph will need Watson or Berger to carry the load and (make a step towards being able to) recreate Taylor’s insane production.

 

Next…No. 4 who is getting some NFL love before he enters his senior season