BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Fifteen spring practices are in the books for the Wisconsin football team, so what have we learned?
It all depends on who's answering that question.
In this case, members of UW coach Paul Chryst's staff were asked to identify a player whose development caught their eye during spring drills that ended Friday.
For the sake of diversity, offensive assistants were asked to ID a player on defense, while defensive coaches were instructed to choose a player on offense.
An immediate takeaway from the project is that such a wide variety of cases were presented, which bodes well for a club that figures to start the season ranked in the top 10.
Nine coaches tabbed nine players. Offensive coordinator and line coach Joe Rudolph was compelled to pick three standouts — one from the secondary, linebackers and defensive line — an exercise that explains why two players were endorsed twice overall.
Redshirt freshman safety Scott Nelson and senior outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel were the repeat selections.
Another prime takeaway is the degree to which youth is represented. Six freshmen were named, including Nelson, redshirt tight end Jake Ferguson, redshirt center/guard Kayden Lyles, redshirt defensive end Aaron Vopal, true freshman cornerback Donte Burton and true freshman wide receiver Aron Cruickshank.
Burton and Cruickshank are among five first-year players who enrolled at UW in January. The others are wide receivers Taj Mustapha and Reggie Pearson Jr. and nose tackle Bryson Williams.
You'll notice, too, that seven different position groups — offensive line, defensive line, outside linebackers, cornerback, safety, tight end and wide receiver — were included.
Outside linebackers coach Bobby April III: Freshman wide receiver Aron Cruickshank
"He's just so fast. He can blow the top off the defense. He's got great hands and he's a really good competitor. Once we went full pads and had live tackling, everyone thought that guy — he's small — he's not going to hold up. But he has a huge heart, competes. He's pretty impressive."
Inside linebackers coach Bob Bostad: Redshirt freshman tight end Jake Ferguson
"It's the same thing I saw all last year on the scout team. He's got tremendous ball skills. He needs to catch up to his body and his length and all that stuff — he needs to be in the weight room — but when his muscles get bigger and they start pulling those longer limbs, the kid has great hands and phenomenal awareness of where he is. He's going to make some catches that are going to impress people."
Defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield: Redshirt freshman center/guard Kayden Lyles
"I thought he did a great job this spring. I thought he stepped up and did some good things. Obviously he's improved. He understands what he's doing a lot more and it's showing up on tape. I think he's improved on footwork. He's improved on all the fundamentals that they work on."
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard: Junior wide receiver A.J. Taylor
"I think he's taken a big step. For one thing, he's been out there for every practice. I think there's other guys that, in some limited roles, you're like, 'Yup, they got better.' Kind of like some of our defensive guys like (senior inside linebacker) T.J. (Edwards), (senior inside linebacker) Ryan (Connelly), Van Gink (Andrew Van Ginkel) where you don't need 1,000 reps, but let's get better at some specific things. A.J., the amount of reps and the load he had with some of our guys getting hurt, how he pushed through it and made some of the plays he made, I think he's taken a big step this spring."
Quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr: Redshirt freshman safety Scott Nelson
"He has taken what Jimmy (Leonhard) teaches — fundamentally and the details of the position — and he has found a way to work in his own disguises. He's taken the position and made it his own, and it's not just playing safety. It's playing safety with an awareness to what everyone else is doing. He's pretty good."
Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore: Sophomore cornerback Madison Cone
"It's his competitiveness and his eagerness to get better. I see that young man working hard off the field as well as on the field. I see that young man putting in extra time to the point that he's been told to relax, rest. He really stands out to me."
Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph: Redshirt freshman safety Scott Nelson, senior outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, redshirt freshman defensive end Aaron Vopal
"Nelson has really embraced the cerebral side as well as the physical side. I think that's really hard for a young guy to really have an appreciation for that when you haven't had reps with a college defense. I really like that about him. Van Ginkel, he just impresses you with what he can do athletically. You're talking about a guy we know about, but really this will be his first chance to really be the starter and attack it. I'm excited about him. Vopal, I think he's proven he can be a big factor next year in the (defensive) line."
Running backs coach John Settle: Freshman cornerback Donte Burton
"He's a guy that should be getting ready for prom, but came in early and, from day one, has been in the mix for special teams and not backed down from any competition from any receiver. He's proven he can play at this level and play at a high level."
Tight ends coach Mickey Turner: Senior outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel
"I can see a veteran-ness to him, a leadership person where every rep he's going to be a handful. He's a guy who's maybe not taken a step in how he flashes — making plays and picking the ball off — but now every time he's in there it's 'Hey, Van Ginkel's there.'"
