The Wisconsin Badgers of 2017 will have a few fewer spots for scholarships, as late last week the team added a pair of transfers in running back Chris James (Pittsburgh) and cornerback Nick Nelson (Hawaii). Both have a lot of familiarity with the university and the current coaching staff, making both of them a unique set of transfers.
What is also unique are the opportunities available once they sit out the 2016 season. James will step in to a depth chart where both Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale will have graduated, while Nelson will step in as arguably the most experienced cornerback on the Badgers roster outside of Derrick Tindal.
It all adds up to two players with plenty of potential to impact the Badgers, but as is the case with many transfers potential doesn’t always add up to to a successful transition. For every Russell Wilson, there is a Danny O’Brien.
We’re not saying either will be a bust, but will it be Chris James or Nick Nelson making the greater contribution to the Badgers in their two years available to them?
The Case for Chris James
If ever there’s a position the Badgers can decide to be picky at it is running back. UW has churned out 1,000-yard rushers nearly every season since Barry Alvarez stepped foot on campus some 26 years ago. However, things have slowed down a bit after the graduation of James White and with Melvin Gordon leaving a year early for the NFL.
That said, the field behind Clement and Ogunbowale is arguably less experienced and less familiar with this staff than James is. He brings an impressive resume with him already, having racked up 437 yards and four touchdowns on just 87 carries in his one season under the tutelage of Paul Chryst and his staff at Pitt. He totaled 690 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries in his first two seasons as a Panther.
Those are numbers that tell you talent is there, and with his ability to basically redshirt and give his body a breather during the 2016 season he’ll come in fresh to a wide-open battle at running back. Sure, Taiwan Deal has flashed potential and redshirt freshman Bradrick Shaw drew rave reviews in the spring portion of practice, but comfort in Chryst’s offense can’t be denied.
Don’t forget, UW’s offensive line appears to be on the massive upswing once again, and pairing James’ talent with that group could be a dangerous combination.
The Case Against Chris James
It’s simply this — competition.
While the scheme fit may have been different between Chryst’s offense and the one installed under his replacement, Pat Narduzzi, James couldn’t seem to break through as a potential star in his second season in a Pitt uniform.
It’s a bit of a red flag, especially considering the likelihood of Deal and Shaw earning some decent playing time in 2016 as well. All three will go in to the offseason confident that they can be the featured back.
We’ve seen James wilt just a bit under that kind of pressure, as he allowed talented freshman Qadree Ollison to beat him out for the starting job after James Connor was diagnosed with cancer following the first game of the season.
Ollison finished the year with 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry, so the Panthers may have made the right choice.
Can James be in the mix, you bet? But, there are signs that competition doesn’t always bring out the best results in him.
The Case for Nick Nelson
How exactly does one go from a place like Hawaii to Madison, Wis. and sit out a year just to play football? It’s even more mind-boggling when you consider that Nelson finished second in the Mountain West Conference with 15 pass break ups and had an impressive 53 tackles as a cornerback last season.
So, how did Nelson get away? It appear he came away so impressed by the Badgers, Camp Randall and Madison during the Rainbow Warriors’ visit last season that he couldn’t stay away. In Nelson, the Badgers are also getting a veteran returner, and that makes him that rare transfer player who can help in more than one area.
At 6-0, 200 pounds, Nelson can also handle the bigger wide receivers that the Big Ten tends to throw at teams. Not being afraid to go out and hit also doesn’t hurt, and neither does the fact that his size makes him versatile to slide in to different roles for Justin Wilcox’s defense.
The Case Against Nick Nelson
While everything seems to line up nicely for Nelson to be a near lock to be a starter when he’s ready in 2017, there are a crop of really young and promising players taking on roles in 2016 that could mean Nelson doesn’t get the role just handed straight to him.
Derrick Tindal will have one side of the position locked down as a senior most likely, and then there’s the rest of a young crop like Patrick Johnson II, Ke’Shan Pennamon and Dontye Carriere-Williams who could be stars of the future and for right now in the fall too.
Point being, Nelson is going to have some stiff competition in play thanks to the increasing recruiting efforts at defensive back in the Chryst era.
Final Verdict:
It’s tempting to believe the mix of James’ experience and a still young, but extremely talented offensive line are too good to pass up. However, we’re going to go with Nelson on this one.
The competition and overall experience level is just simply greater for James, especially as Deal seems to be increasing his knowledge of the position and Shaw’s raw ability is turning in to something very intriguing.
Nelson may face a bevy of guys willing to compete too, but he’s got the vast experience and the clear collegiate pedigree to be a real starter. He also has demonstrated a great special teams ability and that means even if he’s not a starter, he’ll find a way to make an impact for this team in a greater way than James may be able to.
In the end, Wisconsin is lucky to have both of these guys in the fold and one shouldn’t be surprised to see them both be names we all know when 2017 is in the books for the Badgers.
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