BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The question brought about a prolonged moment of silence from Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst.
Do you have a tried-and-true star on your roster?
Bear in mind that UW lost two marquee underclassmen in the opening round of the NFL draft and saw its top two tailbacks graduate after the 2016 season.
Keep in mind that the quarterback who engineered victories in the season opener and bowl game last season also graduated, as did the guy voted by his peers as team MVP.
"I like what we've got," Chryst said finally. "I hesitated because I think we've got some guys that have that ability to be really special."
In other words, UW appears to have some stars in the making, but they have yet to fully emerge from the shadows.
The opportunity to do so will be provided throughout preseason training camp that began Saturday and runs through Aug. 23.
The window will remain open throughout the 12-game regular season — which begins on Sept. 1 when the Badgers host Utah State at Camp Randall Stadium — and whatever lies beyond.
"I don't know what you'd define as a star," senior tight end Troy Fumagalli said, "but I think there are a lot of guys that can do a lot of great things."
The Badgers don't return multiple All-Big Ten Conference first-teamers as they did as recently as 2013.
They don't return a full-time starting quarterback as they did in 2013, '14 and 15.
They don't return a 1,000-yard tailback as they did every season from 2007 to '14.
Yet Wisconsin has been picked by many pundits as the favorite in the Big Ten West Division, a legit challenger for another Big Ten title — the fourth since 2011 — and a dark horse candidate for inclusion in the four-team College Football Playoff.
"I think the team is the star — our bond and how we play together as a unit," junior inside linebacker Chris Orr said.
Junior offensive tackle Michael Deiter took that theme a bit further.
"In my eyes there are a lot of stars," he said. "To the guys on the team, I don't know if you could say there's one guy that really jumps out and says, 'That's the star.'
"I think that's kind of a unique thing. I think we've got a lot of guys who are really good, guys who could be stars. What's neat about this team is we don't need that.
"Collectively we're better than we could ever be individually. Honestly, that's what you want."
The Badgers list 15 returning starters — eight on offense and seven on defense — but there are 32 players on the current roster who have starting experience at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Fourteen of those have started 10 or more games in their careers.
"We've got a lot of good players, guys who've played," Chryst said. "But to be the best we can be we need to bring that together. We've got to elevate."
UW lost outside linebacker T.J. Watt and left tackle Ryan Ramczyk to the NFL as juniors, but, on paper, the front seven and offensive line are two of its deepest, most veteran units.
Corey Clement was a 1,000-yard tailback who led the Badgers in touchdowns and Dare Ogunbowale was a dangerous, versatile sidekick, but their graduations paved the way for an intriguing stable of replacements led by junior Taiwan Deal, sophomore Bradrick Shaw and Pitt transfers Chris James and Rachid Ibrahim.
Bart Houston opened and closed last season as the starting quarterback for UW — which finished 11-3 overall — but sophomore Alex Hornibrook started nine games in between and now has the reins to himself.
The Badgers must replace two graduated starters in the secondary — including four-year fixture Sojourn Shelton at cornerback and free safety Leo Musso, the reigning team MVP — but coaches rave about Hawaii transfer Nick Nelson, a junior cornerback, and senior free safety Natrell Jamerson.
"We have a lot of good players on this team that can do a lot of great things," junior inside linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "I think we've got plenty of stars, to be honest with you, that can match up with any other team's stars.
"It's a lot of good guys who play well together. We have great chemistry and that's why we shine so bright, especially on the defense. We really, really enjoy playing with each other.
"There's guys who stick out on every Wisconsin team, but it never really outshines the unit as a whole, which I think is something really cool about Wisconsin."
Fumagalli and senior inside linebacker Jack Cichy joined Edwards in representing the Badgers at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago recently. Fumagalli and Cichy were among 10 players across the 14-school conference who were singled out as players to watch.
Fumagalli nudged that status further by saying he believes he's the best tight end in the country, this after leading UW with 47 receptions and earning second-team All-Big Ten recognition.
So, a star?
"No," Fumagalli said. "I don't think there is one."
On the topic of potential stars, Chryst mentioned Fumagalli, but also wondered aloud about two non-starters: Jamerson and senior outside linebacker Leon Jacobs.
"We have a ton of guys who can impact a game," Chryst said.
"I think we've got a lot of guys that can make plays and help this team out," Hornibrook said.
That means no individual will be asked — or looked to — to carry an oversized burden on a club that's seeking to win 10 or more games for the third consecutive season.
"We have a wide spectrum of great players who all want to contribute in any way they can," Cichy said. "As a team we're all willing to do what it takes collectively rather than individually."
That's a good thing.
"I think that's a testament to Wisconsin and will be a difference-maker throughout the year," Cichy said. "There are going to be guys who are going to have to make plays, but it would be best if it's not the same guy every time. It doesn't fall on the same guys' shoulders every time."
Cichy lives that premise amid one of the deepest, most talented units on the club. He's one of four inside linebackers — Edwards, Orr and junior Ryan Connelly are the others — with starting experience.
"The more well-rounded your team is, the more your playmaking is going to be divvied up," Cichy said. "Not evenly, but there's going to be people who rise to the occasion differently.
"What's going to be fun is that you're on the field and it's going to be a race to make that play and who's going to do it. We have guys who are willing to make the play. I don't think we have one set guy who is one we always look to."
The Badgers also have depth at captain with Cichy, Deiter and Fumagalli being joined by senior strong safety D'Cota Dixon and senior defensive end Conor Sheehy.
"But we have a lot of people who are leaders," Cichy said.
There are those in the UW locker room who believe there are stars in abundance.
"I think everybody's a star," Sheehy said. "I think in order for the team to be good, I think everybody has to be a star. I don't think anybody gets singled out. We're one team."
Dixon embraced that notion.
"When I think about a star, I think about an individual that collects all the attention (for) themselves," he said. "I don't think there's anybody like that on this team.
"I think it's a great thing. I think what we have is special."
