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Wisconsin Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

By Nathaniel Reeves

Nov 19, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Bradrick Shaw (7) celebrates his touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Bradrick Shaw (7) celebrates his touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wisconsin
Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Paul Chryst during the Big Ten Championship college football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /

Here are a few key storylines to watch when the Wisconsin Badgers take the field for their annual Spring Game on Friday night.

After defying expectations a year ago, the Wisconsin Badgers enter the 2017 season as the favorite to take the Big Ten West once again.

Second-year head coach Paul Chryst led the Badgers to their third straight double-digit win campaign with an 11-3 record in 2016. Wisconsin closed out the season with a victory over Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl, and all three of its losses came by one possession against a trio of top 10 teams.

The Badgers return 15 starters from last year’s talented squad, which should have them hovering around the top 10 of the initial AP Poll. While the Badgers have to replace running back Corey Clement and left tackle Ryan Ramczyk, the roster hasn’t shown a lot of glaring weaknesses so far.

Even so, Wisconsin has a few questions to answer by the conclusion of spring ball. Wisconsin’s annual Spring Game is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 21 at Camp Randall Stadium, where a few important storylines will unfold.

5. What does Jim Leonhard’s scheme look like? 

The Badgers constant coaching turnover continued this offseason, as Wisconsin will have its third different defensive coordinator of the Chryst era in 2017.

Justin Wilcox replaced the departed Dave Aranda last year, only to be hired as the head coach at California in mid-January. While the Badgers have a ton of returning defensive talent and have managed to remain successful despite the turnover, Chryst was surely hoping for some stability that late in the offseason.

Wisconsin chose to promote from within this time around, promoting defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard to a coordinator position. Leonhard has just one year of coaching experience and has never coordinated a defense before, so Friday’s scrimmage will give him a first chance at calling plays in something resembling live game action.

The Badgers aren’t expecting Leonhard’s defense to look much different, but there are always going to be some changes under a new coordinator. So far in spring practice, Leonhard has kept Wilcox’s base 3-4 but has been much more aggressive with stunts on the defensive line in an attempt to become a little more versatile.

All the pieces are there for Leonhard to be successful, but Friday’s Spring Game is still an important step for a coach with so little experience.

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