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.