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On Tuesday afternoon, Wisconsin Badgers wide receivers Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor along with new WR coach Alvis Whitted met with the media via Zoom for a 45-minute long chat on how practice has been going, who are the receivers that are going to be getting the most playing time and what Whitted has brought to the table as the “new guy” on staff.
First of all, both Davis and Pryor mentioned that Whitted brings “energy” and “swagger” to practice every day.
Pryor mentions that new WR coach Alvis Whitted brings an "energy and swagger" to the team and it's nice to have someone closer to their age. He also notes that Whitted has a great resume coming from the NFL and coaching guys like Davante Adams.
— BOOky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) October 13, 2020
I don’t know what this says about former WR’s coach Ted Gilmore’s swagger, but...reading between the lines I think we can assume he was swaggerless. Probably why he ended up at Michigan State. Both Pryor and Davis had a mature view of Gilmore leaving. They were both sad to see him go, but understood why he did.
Pryor says former WR coach Ted Gilmore leaving "came out of the blue" but he understands that people change in "this business" all the time.
— BOOky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) October 13, 2020
After listening to the two senior wideouts talk about Whitted and then listening to the man himself speak, I can definitely see why he was an appealing candidate for the job. He has professional bona fides from playing in the NFL and working with players like Green Bay Packers standout Davante Adams and he is charismatic and straightforward even when talking to a bunch of media schlubs on a Zoom call. Being the WRs coach at Wisconsin is not his final stop, he’s going to move up the coaching ranks quickly.
"I would say that this is fairly accurate." - Whitted, laughing, while being asked if Pryor and Davis were correct when they mentioned his "swagger" and "energy" in practice
— BOOky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) October 13, 2020
Here are some other notes from the meeting:
- Whitted confirmed what Paul Chryst had mentioned earlier that the top-five wideouts right now are the four seniors (Pryor, Davis, Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz) followed by true freshman Chimere Dike of Waukesha.
- A.J. Abbott, Stephan Bracey and Taj Mustapha were noted as being “on the cusp.”
- Speaking of Dike:
"Just him being smart. He reminds me of A.J. Taylor. He's making plays when the ball is thrown to him." - Pryor on true freshman Chimere Dike making an impact on the team
— BOOky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) October 13, 2020
- Davis mentioned that not a whole lot has changed with Graham Mertz under center for the injured Jack Coan, but that they all were still working on their timing.
- Whitted said that being the new guy and coming in during a pandemic was “challenging” but that he is “very excited about the leadership I have in my room.”