Wisconsin Football Lands Three on ESPN All-Big Ten List

ESPN has announced its preseason All-Big Ten selections, and three Wisconsin football players have made the cut as the best at their position across the conference.

On offense, Corey Clement made the list at running back, and defensively, outside linebacker Vince Biegel and safety Michael Caputo each earned recognition.

Corey Clement is looking to keep a string of successful seasons from Wisconsin running backs alive, and he steps into a huge void left behind by Melvin Gordon.

Here’s what the ESPN staffers had to say about Clement:

"“The latest product in the Badgers’ star tailback assembly line, Clement is ready to roll after running for nearly 1,000 yards as Melvin Gordon‘s backup last season.”"

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Clement has shown he can be a great player in a backup role, and 2015 will show if he can do so as the lead horse.

On defense, the Badgers earned a pair of selections, representing the strong defensive product the Wisconsin football team put on the field last season.

Outside linebacker Vince Biegel gets a nod after a great season last year. Biegel rushes the passer well, and wreaks havoc in the backfield.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Biegel:

"“Born and bred in the Badger State, Biegel seems like the quintessential Wisconsin linebacker. You can’t beat his energy and, more than likely, you can’t beat him when he blitzes.”"

Biegel will pair with Joe Schobert this season to make Wisconsin’s outside linebackers a scary group.

Rounding out the Badgers selections is safety Michael Caputo, who is a tackling machine.

Caputo is the clear leader of this Badgers defense, and team, as he was named a captain back in the spring. He was one of the best in the Big Ten a season ago, and there’s no reason to expect anything different this year.

Here’s how ESPN touted the Badgers senior safety:

"“Led the Badgers last year in tackles (106), the first time since 2003 that honor hasn’t gone to a linebacker. He’s smart, tough, versatile and a great leader.”"

While it’s unusual to see a list that doesn’t feature an offensive lineman, I think we can all assume Tyler Marz was a close third to the two tackles selected by ESPN. It wouldn’t surprise me to see all three Badgers above, Marz, and even a guy like Rafael Gaglianone or Alex Erickson have a strong season and crack the All-Big Ten team

Here’s the full list of selections from ESPN.com: