Wisconsin Badgers: True Freshmen To Watch in 2020

Every February (and now December) college football teams sign a new class of football players to join their program. It’s exciting to dream about what a prospect can become in the future but come September, some of those freshman will redshirt and wait for their opportunity to shine, while a few will be given the chance to make an immediate impact this season. In this series we will take a team by team look at the true freshman who could be given the opportunity to make a name for themselves in 2020. Today we will look at a few of the Wisconsin Badgers true freshmen to watch in 2020.

Chimere Dike – WR

The Badgers leading receiver in 2019, Quintez Cephus, declared for the NFL Draft and will no longer be catching passes in Madison. The teams fifth leading receiver overall but third among wideouts, AJ Taylor, has exhausted his eligibility. Add in the departure of star RB Jonathan Taylor and that is more than half of Wisconsin’s receiving yards in 2019 that won’t be back in 2020. The Badgers have a solid but unspectacular pair of veteran receivers returning in Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. Also back are largely unproven seniors Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz as the pair failed to reach 100 yards combined in 2019. With Jonathan Taylor gone the Badgers may need to throw the ball more in 2020 and will need some new blood at receiver to step up. Dike is an advanced receiver with the potential to join the rotation in 2020.

Chimere Dike was a star at North High School in Waukesha, WI. Dike is a smooth athlete with good speed and fluid movements on the football field. He is an advanced player who runs solid routes and tracks the ball well down field. Dike has adequate size to be an outside receiver but also has the fluid quickness to play in the slot. He catches the ball well and has good after the catch ability. If he played in more of a recruiting hot spot Dike would have likely been ranked higher in recruiting rankings. He has the talent to make an impact right away and should get a chance to emerge as the year progresses. We look for Dike to crack the receiver rotation as a true freshman and play a bigger role as the season moves forward.

Jalen Berger – RB

Record setting running back Jonathan Taylor will be showing off his talents on Sundays now and the Badgers will have a world of production to replace. Nakia Watson saw some playing time last year and will be in the mix, as will Julius Davis who redshirted last year. Garrett Groshek is a good receiver out of the backfield but is not a workhorse running back. There are a few other running backs who played sparingly last year but none was overly impressive. Replacing Taylor is not likely to be a one man job, leaving the opportunity for a few players to get carries and make an impact for Wisconsin. Berger has a unique skill set and should get his share of touches on offense in 2020.

Jalen Berger was a weapon on offense for football powerhouse Don Boscoe Prep in New Jersey. The Badgers have had a history of success with running backs from New Jersey (Taylor being the most recent). Berger has good feet and balance when he runs, he is always under control and the game appears to come easy to him. He plays with good burst and speed and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Berger is a difficult player to tackle in the open field, he is an elusive runner and defenders rarely square him up. Berger has the ability to contribute as a pass catcher as well and his versatility can only help him see playing time sooner. We expect Berger to be in the running back rotation quickly and become a dynamic playmaker at Wisconsin.

Kaden Johnson – LB

Wisconsin has been known for their strong linebacker play recently and a look at the Position U rankings proves the Badgers are producing linebackers at a high level. Zack Baun and Chris Orr will no longer be anchoring the linebacker group in Madison, but there is still good talent available. Jack Sanborn (#21 LB in our rankings) and Leo Chenal (our breakthrough pick) will be the starting inside linebackers. Noah Burks and Izayah Green-May will likely start on the outside, with Burks being the more experienced of the two. The starting group is solid though better on the inside than the outside, but the depth beyond them is relatively unproven. Johnson has talent and some versatility that will give him the chance to provide depth right away for the Badgers.

Kaden Johnson played his high school ball at Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota. He has good height and length at the linebacker position with a good frame to get stronger. He has good athleticism and can play in various roles but probably best fits as an outside linebacker in the 3 – 4 front. Johnson is an advanced pass rusher from the linebacker position who shows a variety of moves and good quickness to get to the quarterback. He can cover ground on defense and is good in pass coverage as well. Johnson just needs to get stronger and he should be an impact player for the Badgers. That impact should start in 2020 as he will provide depth and play in certain situations that highlight his skills. Expect his role to grow as the year goes on and Johnson improves as a player.

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Camp Randall Stadium Image by Jim Bauer is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.