Offseason development crucial for Badgers' young offense

After a disappointing and disjointed year, there’s reason for optimism for the University of Wisconsin football team’s offense.

The group posted back-to-back wins to end the year and as the offseason machine starts to churn, it appears the Badgers are retaining more pieces of the puzzle than they may have once thought.

UW’s offense took the step back many expected after losing Jonathan Taylor and Quintez Cephus to the NFL. But the unit was also ravaged by injuries throughout the season, which limited what they Badgers could do. Add in a first-year play-caller in offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph having mixed results and you get an offense that averaged just 25.14 points.

One silver lining to take from the year is the amount of game reps young players got — freshmen like tailback Jalen Berger and wide receiver Chimere Dike became starters and showed they have big-play potential.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz had a year of ups and downs, typical of any young quarterback, but the seven starts he made should help him grow heading into next season.

Let’s take a look at how UW stands at each position as it embarks on the offseason. Note: Seniors have the option to return since 2020 didn’t count toward eligibility, but not all have announced their choices yet.

As featured on

Red Zone podcast: Should Jonathan Davis start? Could the Badgers sweep the college hockey titles?

State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew, Jim Polzin and Todd Milewski get together over Zoom to discuss Badgers’ men’s basketball and both hockey programs as they head toward tournament time.

Why Wisconsin football's 2022 recruiting class is slower to take shape

Recruits' lack of tape and head-to-head competition, as well as program's recruiting tactics, have the Badgers a bit behind some Big Ten counterparts.