As August begins, so does the contemplation of eager football fans who are willing to cling to any significant news they can find in regards to their favorite collegiate team.
Wisconsin fans can kick back and enjoy because there was a lot to learn from the Badgers Annual Media Day at Camp Randall on Friday afternoon.
It all begins with Head Coach Gary Andersen’s press conference, lets take a look at the highlights with a slight reflection.
“First of all, I’d just like to say a couple of things kind of related to football and the state of Wisconsin. I’d just like to wish good luck to all the programs, the Packers, all the college programs, the high schools.”
– Andersen has already caught on to the state’s number one priority, the Packers. One way to be a popular figure in the dairy state is to reference the state’s favorite team. Can he complete the next step in the road to success and win ball games?
Answering a question on 3rd RB after Melvin Gordon and James White:
“Corey (Clement) has big shoes to fill, it seems right now. We’ll try a couple young men in those spots as we go forward, but Corey is big in that situation. He has a purpose. He came here for a reason. We’re never going to play a young man when he’s not ready, but that’s the guy right now… But right now we’re expecting that to be Corey’s show, and we’ll see if the young freshman is ready to handle it. It’s a lot of pressure, but that’s one of the reasons he came to Wisconsin.”
– Four star recruit Corey Clement looks like he’s going to have a legitimate shot at playing a decent amount of snaps as a freshman. The immensely talented running back from New Jersey could have a very important role with the team as Coach Andersen later indicated that three-running back sets are a likely possibility in the offense. Can you imagine three guys as fast and shifty as Gordon, White and Clement all on the field at once?
Answering a question on whether Tanner McEvoy is behind the other two quarterbacks and the learning curve:
“Tanner has a lot of ground to make up just like any junior college kid does. How much Tanner has handled that since he’s been here, we’re about to find out.”
– Many believe McEvoy could be the frontrunner for the starting QB job because he’s Andersen’s recruit and seems to be the prototypical player for the kind of offense he wants to run. It also seems that Andersen is leaning towards wanting Tanner to be ready with the playbook and the quarterback competition.
Video and the full transcript of Gary Andersen’s press conference can be found here at UWBadgers.com.
Stay tuned to The Sports Bank for much more on the Wisconsin Badgers and the upcoming season.
For a in depth look at the Badgers 2013 schedule and how they could go 12-0 or 0-12, click here.
What did you find particular interesting about Andersen’s remarks entering the Badgers practice season? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Pictures obtained from the official Wisconsin Football Facebook Page.