Wisconsin will head into the upcoming 2017 college football season with a hole to fill at the running back position. The Badgers are losing both Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale, the top two backs from the past two seasons. The duo played most offensive snaps; Clement as the feature back, Ogunbowale as the change of pace or third down back. Together they combined for nearly 1,900 rushing yards as well as 240 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns this season. These two won’t be easy to replace, but Wisconsin will have talented options on their roster to choose from.
The Roster
The Badgers will be returning a number of running backs next season. Troy Laufenberg and Sam Brodner will be sophomore running backs that have never taken a carry. They don’t figure to be a factor in the starting role this upcoming season. Mark Saari will also be returning as a junior in the Badgers backfield, but has only received three careers in his Wisconsin career.
As far as new recruits, the Badgers also have a three-star recruit, Jonathan Taylor, from the state of New Jersey. He is the 41st ranked running back in the class of 2017. The Badgers also have two top 25 running backs in the class of 2017 who are considering committing to Wisconsin. Regardless, none of the players above have a very strong case for the Badgers starting role come next fall.
There are three players will likely receive most of the carries in Madison next fall:
Taiwan Deal
Taiwan Deal is a 6’1” 225 pound back from Maryland that will be a junior next season. Deal has seen action in each of the last two seasons, but seemed to be the forgotten back this past season. He saw lots of action during his freshman campaign. Deal and Ogunbowale tried to fill the void left behind by Corey Clement due to injury in 2015. He rushed for 503 yards and six touchdowns in his freshman year.
This season was a much different story for Deal. He only got about a quarter of the touches he did his freshman season. Deal rushed for only 164 yards this season and was the fourth guy in line in the Badger’s backfield behind Clement, Ogunbowale, and Bradrick Shaw. Deal is limited in the passing game. He has only caught one pass in two seasons out of the Badger’s backfield. Deal will most likely be used as a goal line back because of his size in 2017. He is the biggest running back on the Wisconsin roster. He will also receive some carries in times when he spells the lead back. Taiwan Deal will most likely not be the Badger’s starting running back, but will see some action next season.
Chris James
Chris James is another running back on the Wisconsin roster that has a real shot at competing for the starting job. James is a 5’10” 210 pound running back out of Chicago, Illinois. He will be a junior this upcoming season after redshirting during the 2016 season.
James is a transfer from Pitt. He will be reunited with Paul Chryst for the second time in his college career. Chryst recruited James to the school in 2014. According to Rivals.com, James was a four-star recruit and the 30th ranked running back in the class of 2014. James runs a reported 4.4 forty yard dash. In two seasons with Pittsburgh, James rushed for just under 700 yards and four touchdowns. He also averaged an impressive five yards per carry. These numbers come in limited playing time behind All-American James Conner.
Paul Chryst must have believed in Chris James’ abilities if he brought him to Madison. Though he fell out of favor at Pitt, he is a talented back. He has not only showed some promise as a rusher, but as a pass catcher as well. James could be a nice change of pace back for the Badgers this upcoming season. He is known as a quicker back that can catch the ball out of the backfield. James will definitely be in the running for lead back next season and will get a lot of touches regardless.
Bradrick Shaw
Bradrick Shaw should be the favorite for the starting running back role. Shaw is a 6’1” 215 pound running back that will be a sophomore next season. He hails from Birmingham, Alabama and attended Hoover High School. Hoover is known as one of the better high school programs in the nation. Hoover was featured in the MTV show “Two-A-Days” in the mid 2000’s. Shaw was listed as a four-star recruit and the 14th best running back in the class of 2015 according to Rivals.com. Shaw turned down an offer from Alabama to enroll at Wisconsin.
Though it took a redshirt year, Shaw was able to flash his talent this season. He rushed for 457 yards and five touchdowns this past season and showed a unique blend of speed and power. Shaw’s running style can be described in one word: smooth. It is as if Shaw glides when he is running the ball.
With the patience and toughness that he possesses, he should be poised for the starting role in 2017. In his first season of action, Shaw outcarried Taiwan Deal 88 to 32. That could be a sign for next season, as Deal and Shaw are the top returning rushers. If he can continue to build off of his freshman season, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be Wisconsin’s bell cow. Shaw has the intangibles to be one of the best running backs not only on the Wisconsin roster, but in the country. According to coaches and teammates, Shaw has put in lots of extra time off the field studying film and diagnosing the playbook. Shaw should become the next great Wisconsin running back in the long history of the program.
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The Future is Bright
Wisconsin has strong history at the running back position. Despite losing their top two backs, the Badgers have a number of talented players vying for carries next season. Three running backs in particular have a good shot at earning the starting job and continuing the success of the position at Wisconsin. Whoever carries the ball should be running behind four returning offensive line starters and should be in a good position to success. The Wisconsin running game should be strong again in 2017.