Wisconsin Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

Wisconsin football aims for another Big Ten title game appearance in 2017 and there are some Badgers that are poised to help them along the way.

Wisconsin is coming off a 2016 season that saw the Badgers finish 11-3 with a Cotton Bowl victory over Western Michigan. The three losses were against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, with each of them decided by a touchdown. Right now, there does not seem to be a lot of separation from the top teams in the Big Ten East and Wisconsin.

The goals are pretty clear this year in Madison and the expectations are high among the fan base: win the Big Ten Championship and notch a spot in the College Football Playoff. Anything short of at least a Big Ten title game spot will be considered a disappointment in Madison.

Let’s take a look at five players that have the potential to help the Badgers achieve big things in 2017.

As a freshman last year, Quintez Cephus saw action in all 14 of Wisconsin’s games. He only had four catches for 94 yards and five carries for 41 yards. He had a good spring camp and is expected to get a starting nod this fall. Cephus has a great vertical and the coaches have a lot of praise for him in practices.

Besides his physical attributes and ball handling skills, Cephus will be playing with emotion this fall. Cephus’ father, Andre Taylor, was shot and killed this past April. A tragedy like that rocks a player’s psyche, but Cephus said he will playing for his father’s honor this season. His teammates have rallied around him and he’ll wear a helmet sticker with his father’s initials.

Cephus will use his emotion to fuel him. He will be a top target of quarterback Alex Hornibrook and we should expect to see big results to follow.