Wisconsin football 2020 returnee profile: Dean Engram

During the summer doldrums of sports news, many college football fans are starved for news and information regarding their favorite teams.

With that in mind, we at B5Q have decided to take a more detailed look at each walk-on contributor and scholarship player on the Wisconsin Badgers football roster for 2020 in a running feature, our 2020 returnee profiles.

Each weekday we will breakdown one player on the football roster to look back at their recruiting process, their career as a Badger to this juncture and lastly preview their potential contribution to the team in 2020 and beyond.

Today the focus is on an athletic, young cornerback in Dean Engram.

Name: Dean Engram

Position: cornerback

2020 eligibility: redshirt freshman

Recruiting info out of HS: 247 Composite 3-star, No. 84 cornerback, Columbia, Md.

2018 Recruitment: Dean Engram was a player that received a lot of attention from schools on the east coast. Engram’s first unofficial visit was at Penn State, where he received his first offer back in 2016. Shortly after that, the likes of Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Boston College all got in the mix before Engram took an unofficial visit, followed by an official visit, to Madison. A week after his visit to Wisconsin, Engram committed to the Badgers.

Career statistics: no games played (redshirt)

2019 statistics: no games played (redshirt)

Player overview: Dean Engram is a very athletic player that has found a way to make an impact on the football field in many different ways. At Gonzaga High School in the D.C. area Engram played many different positions before ending up as a corner at Wisconsin. Engram lined up at safety in a lot of his high school tape, where he developed skills that would help in the run game as an eventual corner.

On the offensive side of the football Engram was an explosive wide receiver with very strong route running skills. Engram also played a big role as a punt returner and kick returner, something we could see from him at Wisconsin in the future. Regardless of his role one thing is certain, Engram is strong and dangerous with the football in his hands.

Best case scenario for 2020: After his redshirt season a year ago, Engram looks to be a guy that will be battling to work his way up the depth chart in 2021. Best-case scenario for Engram is that he leapfrogs a handful of players, and works his way into a starting spot. While I do not estimate that happening, it has before for other players and Engram is athletic enough that he could certainly wow some people in fall camp.

Likely role on team in 2020: Given his athleticism Engram could be a very strong player on special teams. As mentioned before, Engram played a good amount of safety, so he wouldn’t be afraid to tackle on kickoff or punt team packages. Additionally, Engram could be a player that fills in at the punt or kick return role as the season goes on and the Badgers look to develop players for the future in those spots. On the defensive side of the ball you’ll likely see some backup time for Engram as the Badgers look to groom him for a big role in future seasons.