30 college football players with big shoes to fill in 2017

6

Zack Baun

Linebacker, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers were the quintessential Big Ten school in 2016, and their solid play led them to a shot at the Big Ten title. The Badgers were led by an incredible running game, a stout defense, and a coaching staff that seemed to pull the right strings at the right times. They would eventually lose to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship, but finished their season with a win against Western Michigan in their bowl game.

On offense, the team was led by running back Corey Clement, who finished his career as another in a long line of solid Wisconsin running backs. On defense, the unit was led by Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Both players are gone for the 2017 season, which means head coach Paul Chryst is going to have to find the right guys to take those spots.

Replacing Watt is going to be tough, as he was the kind of player that others rally around. The next man up will be Zack Baun, who, like Watt, has an incredible motor of his own. He is a solid athlete, and based on what we have seen in him, loves to come up and make the big hit, much like Watt did during his time with the Badgers.

Baun redhsirted his first year on campus in 2015, before finally getting on the field last season. He showed the ability to get into the backfield, racking up 3.5 tackles for a loss in limited time. He was the No. 4 rated player in the state Wisconsin during his time at Brown Deer High School, serving as a two-way starter. He was a quarterback in high school, and in his first season as a starter for the Badgers, will be asked to be the quarterback of their defense.