Camp Confidential: Dunn’s game growing beyond special teams
August 19, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas
Improving punt return unit a priority for Badgers and Dunn, who’s also looking for larger role at receiver
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Slot receiver Jack Dunn ran a crisp route to the boundary and popped open.
The pass was delivered with timing and accuracy and smacked Dunn in his hands.
He dropped the ball.
It was one of his few drops in training camp and he hasn't forgotten.
Opening the window to his thinking, here's how he processed what happened: "It was one of those early plays in practice where something doesn't go your way and then you kind of have to snap into focus," he said of the Aug. 12 scrimmage. "I just wasn't fully locked in at that point, which was probably part of the reason why I dropped that pass."
Dunn conceded that it was a good teaching moment, albeit a frustrating one.
"I've made that catch a million times," he said. "It should have been an easy play. I just took my eye off it the last second and let it slip through my hands. But I also think it helped me — giving me motivation to make up for it.
"I used it to focus-in for the rest of practice, and it motivated me for the rest of the day."
Dunn knows that receivers are no different than defensive backs in this context. Whether you drop a pass — or someone catches a pass on you — move on.
Move on to the next play and don't dwell on the last one.
"That's the thing the coaches hit me on," Dunn said. "Everybody is going to make a mistake. But you've just got to move on from it. You can't let it affect the rest of your day."
The 5-foot-7, 174-pound Dunn is learning more about himself and the offense with each route and catch, and he has made a lot of them during fall camp. Entering his fourth year in the program, including a redshirt season, he has put himself in a position to be more than just a special teams contributor.
In 2018, he had 17 punt returns (5.5-yard average) to go along with his first career reception in 21 games.
"The biggest thing is just experience — being out there, no matter in what capacity — just getting used to playing on the field in front of big crowds," said Dunn, a dual-purpose quarterback at nearby Madison Edgewood High School. "So, the more exposure you get to it, the more comfortable you feel. And the more comfortable you are, the more confident you play. It frees you up to play naturally and not all wound up.
"Last year was probably my biggest jump forward in terms of growth. Just taking on new responsibilities and growing as a player, I made a huge leap."
Dunn carried that personal momentum into the summer.
"I spent a lot of time with the quarterbacks both on and off the field trying to get chemistry with them," he said. "I ran tons and tons of routes and I worked with the other receivers on footwork and releases and all of that good stuff.
"The spring and summer were big for us because we not only got closer as a receiving corps, but as a unit: quarterbacks and receivers. We have the best chemistry right now that we've had since I've been here. My confidence is at an all-time high, which I hope is showing on the field. I think that it is."
🚨 RED (ZONE) ALERT 🚨 Wisconsin Football is just TWO! WEEKS! AWAY! In the meantime, here's some red zone action to hold you over... #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 16, 2018
Historically, the New England Patriots have done the best job of utilizing the "Y" slot receiver. More often than not, they have been smaller, quicker players in space — ranging from 5-foot-10 Troy Brown to 5-9 Wes Welker to 5-11 Danny Amendola to 5-10 Julian Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII.
Dunn has studied Edelman, the former Kent State quarterback and seventh-round draft pick.
"I spent a lot of time this summer watching a lot of seasons-worth of Edelman's routes trying to learn from the stuff that he does," said Dunn, who took note of the other New England receivers that have flourished in the system. "There's definitely a lot to be learned from watching those guys."
Dunn was also attracted to Edelman because he returns punts for the Pats.
To this end, Dunn has taken advantage of one of the teachers on Paul Chryst's staff. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is the top punt returner in school history.
"I've watched some of his highlight videos and I've got a lot of first-hand knowledge watching him," said Dunn, who attended many games at Camp Randall as a youngster. "Obviously, I grew up in the stands watching him do it. I've got my Jimmy Leonhard jersey in my closet somewhere."
Leonhard has been hands-on with Dunn and the other UW punt returners.
"He has talked to me a lot about how to use your feet to make sure you're in position to catch the ball; small things that are really helpful," said Dunn, who's committed to upgrading the specialty and "becoming a better and better returner as my reps keep building up."
Judgement is a component to the makeup of a punt returner, who must make a prudent decision, without hesitation, on when to aggressively field a ball before it bounces. Or after it does.
"We spend a lot of time talking about the percentages of starting field position and how it affects your chances of scoring," said Dunn, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a five-tool major in finance, investment and banking as well as real estate and urban land economics.
"The first thing is making sure you gain possession of the ball, and the second thing is field position. A lot of these teams that give you rugby punts, you don't often get great return opportunities. But if you can stop it on a bounce, it's the same as catching a punt and returning it 10 to 15 yards.
"It may not be the prettiest thing in the stat book, but little things affect the game a lot."
Last season, the Badgers ranked 114 out of 129 FBS teams in punt returns (4.79).
"Honestly, it's the same thing as being a receiver; it's just about being comfortable back there," Dunn said. "You prove to yourself, 'I can do this. It's not any different than practice. It's the same exact thing I practice every single day.'
"Transitioning from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, my confidence grew a ton just from getting reps. This year, I know for a fact that I can do it. I know for a fact that I can do it well."
Spoken like a self-assured, 21-year-old.
"I'm getting to be a veteran here pretty quick," Dunn said with a grin.
