Wisconsin WR declares for NFL Draft
Wisconsin lost its top running back to the NFL last Friday when Jonathan Taylor declared for the NFL draft. On Monday, the Badgers lost their top wide receiver.
Junior Quintez Cephus announced his decision to forego his senior year and will head to the next level.
https://twitter.com/QoDeep_87/status/1214204801136779264
Cephus’ time in Madison was filled with many highs and lows. His father was murdered when he was a sophomore, his 2017 season came to an early end when he broke his leg and then he missed the entire 2018 season while fighting sexual assault charges. But when on the field, he was electric.
The Georgia native finished this season with 901 yards — the most by a Badgers receiver since 2015 — and had seven touchdowns. Cephus saved his best for the final four games of the year when he had a combined 24 catches for 374 yards and three scores. His career total of 1,496 yards ranks 15th all-time in Wisconsin history.
“Q has meant a lot to this team,” head coach Paul Chryst said in a statement released by the school. “He is incredibly selfless and truly cares about all of his teammates. He has an infectious personality. He loves playing the game of football and you can see that joy when he is on the field. I am excited for his future and wish him all the best as he takes this step.”
How big are the departures of Cephus and Taylor? The duo combined for 52.1 percent of Wisconsin’s offensive yards this past season.
With Cephus and senior AJ Taylor departing, the Badgers will return a wide receiver group led by soon-to-be seniors Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis, along with veterans Adam Krumholz and Jack Dunn. They'll also be looking to Aron Cruickshank and some other young players to step into bigger roles.
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Wisconsin gets commitment from 4-star RB
Wisconsin lost one New Jersey running back Friday night but added another Saturday afternoon.
2020 recruit Jalen Berger announced his commitment to the Badgers at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. The four-star running back chose Wisconsin over the likes of UCLA, Rutgers and LSU.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Berger is rated as the No. 11 running back in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of New Jersey. He is the second-highest rated running back (John Clay, 2007) the Badgers have landed in the recruiting rankings era.
Berger’s hometown of Ramsey, N.J., is about 150 miles north of Salem, N.J., the town that produced Jonathan Taylor. Wisconsin’s two-time Doak Walker Award winner announced Friday he’d be foregoing his senior year and entering the 2020 NFL Draft.
Before Taylor and Berger, the Badgers had also hit it big with several other players from the state, including Ron Dayne, Anthony Davis and Corey Clement.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Berger is the first running back in Wisconsin’s 2020 class.
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Wisconsin takes down No. 5 Ohio State on the road
Remember when Wisconsin couldn’t win away from Madison? Yeah, neither do the Badgers.
Coach Greg Gard’s team went on the road Friday night and upset No. 5 Ohio State 61-57. The two key stretches were at the end of each half. Wisconsin closed on a 8-0 run to take a 29-25 lead into the break, before the Buckeyes used a 13-2 stretch at the beginning of the second half to retake control. But the Badgers didn’t falter, keeping it close until finishing on a 14-6 run to steal one in Columbus.
Junior Nate Reuvers led the way with 17 points, including 10 from the free throw line. Perhaps the biggest shot of the night came courtesy of Brevin Pritzl. The senior got an open look in the corner off a nice inbounds play and drilled the 3-pointer with 1:10 left to give Wisconsin a 55-51 lead. Ohio State answered with a three of its own, but Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to close it out.
The unsung hero of the night was easily Tyler Wahl. The true freshman continues to impress and was on the floor in key moments. He had just four points, but finished with seven rebounds (five on the offensive end), three steals and two assists in 25 minutes.
https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/1213284626002841602
Sophomore Kobe King had 13 points, while Pritzl had nine. Micah Potter, in his first game against his former team, had four points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. Wisconsin is now 4-0 since Potter became eligible.
Ohio State was paced by Kaleb Wesson's 22 points and 13 rebounds. His foul trouble in the first half allowed Wisconsin to keep it close when it wasn't shooting the ball well.
The victory was just the second road win for a Big Ten team in conference play this year. It was also the fifth top-5 win under Gard in his five seasons as coach, including three away from Madison.
UW improved to 9-5 (2-1 Big Ten) and will now come home to face Illinois on Wednesday at the Kohl Center.
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Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor announces he's headed to the NFL
After the most productive three years by a running back in FBS history, Jonathan Taylor is headed to the NFL.
The Wisconsin tailback announced on Twitter Friday night that he had declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.
https://twitter.com/JayT23/status/1213253490924900352
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to live out a childhood dream of playing Division I football,” Taylor said. “Now I have the opportunity to live out another childhood dream, which is playing at the highest level of football. With that being said, I’ve decided to declare for the NFL Draft.”
A two-time Doak Walker Award winner (best running back), Taylor finished his career with the Badgers having rushed for 6,174 yards. That’s the most any running back has run for in his first three years of college. It left him No. 6 all-time in total rushing yards in FBS history. Also the only two-time consensus All-American in Wisconsin history, Taylor scored 65 total touchdowns in his career and averaged 6.7 yards per carry.
“I may be leaving Madison, but at heart, I’ll always be a Badger," Taylor said. "Thank you and On, Wisconsin.”
As a junior, Taylor became the first Wisconsin running back to run for at least 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and the only player in school history to finish in the top-10 of the Heisman Trophy voting in three different seasons.
"As impressive as JT’s accomplishments have been on the field, I have been even more impressed by how he has done it," coach Paul Chryst said in a statement released by the team. "He will rightly be discussed as one of the best running backs in college football history.
"But what I will remember most about being around him is how he handled himself and how much he cared about his teammates. He is truly humble, always working to get better and cares a ton about this program. He gave everything he had to maximize his opportunity in college and I wish him all the best as he moves into the NFL."
Most draft experts have Taylor among the top three running backs in the 2020 class. He figures to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in April.
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The Camp: Jan. 3, 2020
On the season-ending episode of The Camp, Zach Heilprin and Jesse Temple look back at the Rose Bowl, what the future holds on offense and defense for the Badgers and they answer your Twitter questions.
5:31 -- Breaking down the four turnovers
7:24 -- The offensive pass interference on Danny Davis was largely trash
11:50 -- The good stuff of the Rose Bowl? The defense and Aron Cruickshank
What the future holds:
QBs: 16:55
RBs: 22:17
WRs: 27:07
TEs: 31:42
OL: 34:51
LBs: 39:45
DL: 44:57
DBs: 47:13
STs: 54:31
Twitter questions -- 58:20
