Wisconsin has been having a busy offseason. They officially have Bobby Engram on the staff and signed a class of 15 recruits including six transfer portal commits. However, Wisconsin has a very rich past when it comes to great players who came through the program. It’s important to remember those who made the Badgers football program as consistent as it is today. As a fan, I have been fortunate enough to see a lot of great players play over the years. Here are my top Wisconsin Badgers of all-time on offense.
Ron Dayne
This guy is in a class all by himself. Whenever you think of the program, the first player that comes to mind is Ron Dayne. The “Dayne Train” is one of the greatest running backs of all-time in college football history. He was the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher until 2016. Dayne’s non-boisterous demeanor set the standard for what Wisconsin football is today.
Ron Dayne is also only the second Wisconsin Badger ever to win the Heisman Trophy. During his career, Dayne would also win other major awards including the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards. He also set a program record for most yards rushing in a bowl game. In the 1996 Copper Bowl, he gashed Utah for 246 yards and three touchdowns. It was also during this time that he helped Wisconsin win back-to-back Rose Bowl’s in 1999 and 2000 and was MVP in both games.
Dayne would be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and his iconic number 33 is now retired. He’s just one of six players to ever have that honor in program history.
Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor is a millennial Badger fans answer to Ron Dayne. Taylor is probably the only Wisconsin running back to even be able to be compared to Dayne. Even fans argue which player was better because of how distinguished Taylor’s career was at Wisconsin.
During his time in Madison, Taylor helped the Badgers win the Orange and Pinstripes Bowl games. He even helped the Badgers get back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2013. In his career at Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor won the Doak Walker Award twice, set an NCAA freshman record for yards rushing (1,977), first Badger to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was a two-time unanimous All-American along with other honors.
He is the first and currently only Badger to be selected multiple times a unanimous All-American. He also rushed for at least 2,000 yards in two of three seasons in Wisconsin. While he never won a Heisman, there are plenty of things Taylor did that Dayne didn’t.
Right now, Taylor is starring for the Indianapolis Colts. Soon his number 23 will sit amongst the legends at Camp Randall Stadium. No other player has worn the number since he left. Dayne didn’t have a successful NFL career and Taylor might be the greatest running back ever to come out of Wisconsin.
Russell Wilson
Although Russell Wilson was only a Badger for a season, he’s still Wisconsin’s greatest quarterback of all-time. While arguments can be made for Darrell Bevell or Scott Tolzien; they didn’t have the same impact that Wilson did when he arrived. The fact that he made the impact he did in just one season is an accomplishment by itself.
In his one season at Wisconsin, Wilson set program records for career completion percentage and touchdown passes in a season. Both records still stand today. Wilson helped lead the Badgers to a 9-3 record, a Big Ten Conference title, and an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
Russell Wilson has an argument to be the greatest player ever to transfer into the Badgers football program. No single player has ever reinvigorated an offense quite like Russell Wilson. The fact that his two program records are still standing is another reason why he is the greatest quarterback in program history. Wisconsin also hasn’t had a passing offense as lethal since Russell Wilson’s magical 2011 season.
Melvin Gordon
Continuing Wisconsin’s long tradition of great running backs, Melvin Gordon cemented a great legacy in Madison. Gordon still holds program records for rushing yards in a season and in a game. His 29 rushing touchdowns in a season are second only to Montee Ball.
Despite being the third-string running back behind Montee Ball and James White; Gordon made a huge impact on offense. That season, he rushed for 621 yards and three touchdowns. However, his best performance came on the biggest stage in the Big Ten Championship game. Melvin Gordon gashed Nebraska for a career-high 216 yards on just nine carries and a touchdown. This would help Wisconsin blow out 12th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 70-31 culminating in an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
Fans fondly remember Gordon for his 408-yard and four rushing touchdown performance against Nebraska in 2014. That performance set an NCAA FBS record for yards in a game. This rushing outburst aided him in becoming to a 2,587 rushing yards season. This was the second most number of yards gained in a season behind only Barry Sanders.
The 2014 season proved to be a memorable one for Gordon. He won the Doak Walker Award, became a unanimous All-American, finished second in the Heisman Trophy race, and won Big Ten Offensive Player and Running Back of the Year. At the time of his All-American selection, he became just the ninth Badger to be unanimous. His second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy race is the closest a Badger has ever come to winning it in recent years.
Jared Abbrederis
While running backs have dominated the scene at Wisconsin, the Badgers haven’t had a lot of great wide receivers. However, occasionally the Badgers end up getting a great receiver to come through the program. Jared Abbrederis falls into this category.
While Lee Evans has an argument, nobody ever imagined Abbrederis having the career he would have. He owns program records for career receptions with 202 (tied with Brandon Williams), receptions in a season (78), and kickoff return yards in a game (201) and average in a season (25.8). His career 3,140 receiving yards are second to only Lee Evans. Abbrederis is also third in career touchdown catches with 23 trailing only Lee Evans and Tony Simmons. He is also presently the last Badger to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
Abbrederis originally walked on as a spread quarterback in 2009 on the scout team. However, it would not take long for him to make an impact. That season despite not having a scholarship, he appeared in 13 games making two starts. He finished the season second on the team in touchdown receptions (3), fourth in receiving yards (289), and fifth in receptions (20). He would go on to be named Rivals.com’s Freshman All-Big Ten Team.
Abbrederis was named a starting wide receiver and punt returner the following season and would appear in all 14 games. That season he caught 55 passes for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. His 933 receiving yards led the team. His eight touchdown catches were second on the team and tied for fifth-most in program history. Abbrederis’ 55 catches were second on the team and they were the seventh most in Badger football history. Abbrederis would also set a Rose Bowl record for all-purpose yards with 348 yards against Oregon. That record stood for five years until Christian McCaffrey broke it in the 2016 game.
After the 2011 season, he was named an All-American honorable mention punt returner by SI.com. In the beginning of 2012, he earned an athletic scholarship from the University of Wisconsin.
In 2012 and 2013, Abbrederis was named the first-team All-Big Ten. 2013 proved to be a career year for Abbrederis. He caught 78 passes for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had two rushing touchdowns that season. His 78 receptions are still the most in a single season by a Badgers receiver. He would finish his career tied for the most career receptions with Brandon Williams at 202. He would also win the Burlsworth Trophy for being the most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on.
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