Badger of Honor
Fansided

Wisconsin Football Twitter Awards

By Tanner Nestle

MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 15: Dontre Wilson #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes makes a catch past Zack Baun #56 of the Wisconsin Badgers in overtime at Camp Randall Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 15: Dontre Wilson #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes makes a catch past Zack Baun #56 of the Wisconsin Badgers in overtime at Camp Randall Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 8
Next
Wisconsin Football - Chris James
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Chris James #5 of the Wisconsin Badgers reaches for a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Needs to Rebound: RB Chris James

This award isn’t a great one to receive, but it still shows that there are trust and support in the player. Expectations were high at one point, but a down year is what followed. The name says it all. Chris James needs to have a solid year, rebound from a disappointing 2017, and finish his collegiate career strong.

More from Football

The running back position is an interesting one. Jonathan Taylor is as good as it gets in college and Badger fans couldn’t be happier to have him. But behind him is a bunch of question marks. Bradrick Shaw suffered an injury that’ll limit his participation this fall, Garrett Groshek is just a sophomore, Taiwan Deal is returning after missing last season, and Nakia Watson is a true freshman.

James is a senior who saw a lot of playing time last year and was expected to be one of the main contributors before Taylor took over. You’d love to give Taylor the ball every snap, but you can’t run him into the ground. There has to be some sort of dependability on other backs. Right now, James looks like the best candidate with his experience and health. But he has to be better than he was in 2017.

James likely won’t put up any crazy numbers, but he has to bring more than just 233 rushing yards to the table. The Badgers often lean heavily on their senior leadership. James will get the chance to rebound, and I think he will.