wisconsin seniors – Syndication Server

We’re in the middle of the holiday season and the Wisconsin Badgers are six days away from playing their Bowl Game and finishing the 2020 season.

It’s been a challenging season for everybody involved, and it hasn’t necessarily become one to remember for fans of the program.

But back in August and early September, the Badgers weren’t even set to play a season, and as I’ve said numerous times finishing the year at all should be seen as a success.

The biggest thing to take away from the 2020 campaign should be the development of key young offensive players and the valuable experience that the schedule provided.

The most significant of those guys is obviously redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz, who started the season with two tremendous performances but has really struggled since.

Nobody will remember the 3-3 regular season and the team’s three-game losing streak many years from now, as this period will be looked back upon as a valuable dress rehearsal of what Mertz, freshman RB Jalen Berger, freshman WR Chimere Dike and the youth on the team will bring to the field in future years.

With today being Christmas Eve and the Badgers still six days away from taking the field again, here is a complete Christmas list for the Wisconsin football program:

During the Wisconsin Badgers’ 14-6 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday the team had 11 seniors in the starting lineup–four on offense, five on defense and two on special teams.

Back in August the NCAA granted all fall athletes an extra year of eligibility, meaning that the seniors could return in 2021 if they wanted to and the year acts as a redshirt season for everybody on the roster.

That decision of whether to leave or stay is still up in the air for some seniors on the Wisconsin football team, one of those players being defensive end Garrett Rand

“I’m still thinking about what my choices are,” Rand noted in a press conference today.

Other players including left tackle Cole Van Lanen, however, have already made the decision that this will be their final season in Madison.

“It was a bittersweet day today knowing that was my last game playing in Camp Randall,” Van Lanen said after Saturday’s loss. “I love it here and I love being a Badger… yeah that was my last game at Camp Randall but it’s not it’s not my last game as a Badger.”

Offensive lineman Jon Dietzen shares Van Lanen’s sentiment from Saturday, telling reporters today that “It feels like I got here yesterday and it’s passed in the blink of an eye.”

Rand, who still is weighing his options about next year, felt for his classmen that had just run out of the tunnel at Camp Randall for the last time.

“You never want to lose a home game,” Rand said “But I definitely felt for [Van Lanen] because I know he’s definitely going to leave and enter the draft.”

The Badger seniors now turn around and prepare for the final regular-season game of their careers against No. 19 Iowa.

We will then learn in due time how many players in the class return and play for Paul Chryst next season.

Indiana Recap:

Tag: wisconsin seniors

A complete Christmas list for the Wisconsin football program

Wisconsin seniors discuss the feeling of playing at Camp Randall for the last time