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Running back U says a bittersweet goodbye to Jonathan Taylor today after he announced his intention to declare for the 2020 NFL draft.
2️⃣3️⃣Thank you Madison!❤️2️⃣3️⃣ #onwisconsin pic.twitter.com/P95PFTMxlS
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) January 4, 2020
Taylor, once a consensus three-star recruit, began his Badger journey on November 1, 2016 when he committed to Wisconsin. He held his commitment until he signed on February 1, 2017.
Over the late summer of 2017, we began to hear rumblings of a Badger back from New Jersey who couldn’t be stopped in practice.
It turns out not many would stop Taylor.
On September 1, 2017, Jonathan Taylor took nine carries for 87 yards and a touchdown against Utah State in his first opportunity to play college ball.
From there, Taylor was off to the races, setting all sorts of records that firmly placed him on the Mount Rushmore of Badger running backs. Take a moment to admire these glorious stats:
Jonathan Taylor Career College Statistics
| Year | Games | Att | Yards | Avg | TDs | Avg/G | Rec. | Rec. Yards | Rec. TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Games | Att | Yards | Avg | TDs | Avg/G | Rec. | Rec. Yards | Rec. TDs |
| 2017 | 14 | 299 | 1,977 | 6.6 | 13 | 141.2 | 8 | 95 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 307 | 2,194 | 7.2 | 16 | 168.8 | 8 | 60 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 320 | 2,003 | 6.3 | 21 | 143.1 | 26 | 252 | 5 |
| College Totals | 41 | 926 | 6,174 | 6.7 | 50 | 152.1 | 42 | 407 | 5 |
In his three seasons, his resume is full. He...
- was twice a unanimous first-team All-American,
- won two Doak Walkers,
- won the B1G Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year award twice,
- was the B1G Freshman of the Week eight times,
- was the B1G Offensive Player of the Week eight times,
- was concensus First-team All-B1G each season,
- rushed for the most yards in three seasons ever,
- finished second all-time in rushing at Wisconsin, and
- passed DeAngelo Williams to have the sixth-most rushing yards in history.
Taylor’s accomplishments are bigger than the sum of these milestones. He is an outstanding representative of the state of Wisconsin and its flagship university. It will be hard to make up for his loss; but before we worry about the running back position in 2020, let’s all take a moment to reflect on Taylor’s undisputed greatness.
B5Q will discuss Taylor’s contributions, top moments, draft potential and overall legacy in the coming days. There is plenty to appreciate about Taylor’s career, please share your favorite memories of Taylor’s career at Wisconsin in the comments and social media.