tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
crazybuckfan40 said:
he seems like a great athlete, but he just seems a bit stiff when playing LB.
Upvote
0
-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter Buckskin86
- Start date
he seems like a great athlete, but he just seems a bit stiff when playing LB.
daddyphatsacs
Let the cards fall...
I echo your statements JCOSU. This kid seems like he is high maintenance. I thought that me may have a shot with him, but I think he wants to play as a froshy, and there is no way in hell that he'd beat out any of our starters next year. 
Upvote
0
daddyphatsacs said:
Just wondering...what exactly did Lymon say or do to make you think that?
Upvote
0
tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
something i never thought of until recently.
he said that osu called him to reschedule his 11/20 visit, yet he didn't know who it was that called him, and never got a name.
osu folks were calling him all day trying to find out where he was.
about 10 days later it is reported that he will be verballing to wiscy, who magically appeared on his radar.
perhaps something was afoot?
this is just conspiracy talk for the hell of it. but, it wouldnt surprise me if something like this did happen in recruiting somewhere.
he said that osu called him to reschedule his 11/20 visit, yet he didn't know who it was that called him, and never got a name.
osu folks were calling him all day trying to find out where he was.
about 10 days later it is reported that he will be verballing to wiscy, who magically appeared on his radar.
perhaps something was afoot?
this is just conspiracy talk for the hell of it. but, it wouldnt surprise me if something like this did happen in recruiting somewhere.
Upvote
0
Link
Beckum in a better position
By JEFF POTRYKUS
[email protected]
Posted: Sept. 4, 2006
Madison - Travis Beckum's freshman statistics line did not spark images of future All-American honors:
Ten games played, mostly on special teams; one solo tackle; one assisted tackle; and one position switch from linebacker to defensive end.
Overall, Beckum had little impact on the University of Wisconsin football program in 2005.
If his performance in his first game at tight end is an accurate barometer, the former prep All-American at Oak Creek High School has found a position at which he can make a significant contribution.
"I feel good at tight end," Beckum said. "I have a lot of work to do. But I think I've found a home."
Beckum led UW's receivers in catches (three) and receiving yards (49) in the Badgers' 35-14 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday. He had catches of 16, 19 and 14 yards and picked up a first down each time.
"He has shown the ability since we moved him that he is very athletic and can catch the football," said UW coach Bret Bielema, who moved Beckum to tight end after the Capital One Bowl. "I like what he did after the catch as well on two of those throws. But Travis is just beginning to scratch the surface on how good he can be.
"He understands where we want him to be in the passing game because he likes the passing game. What we need him to do is be a complete football player."
That means blocking as well as receiving.
At this point, Beckum is more advanced in the latter area, yet even that part of his game remains in the formative stage.
"Travis is still really, really raw," quarterback John Stocco said. "Obviously he hasn't played tight end for very long. But he is just an amazing athlete."
He appears to possess more overall athletic ability than former UW tight end Owen Daniels, who was selected by Houston in the fourth round of the NFL draft last spring and has worked his way into the starting lineup.
Beckum, 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, was timed at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash before coming to UW. That's faster than Daniels and puts him in the same neighborhood as current UW wide receiver Paul Hubbard, who ran on the Badgers' 400-meter relay team that qualified for the NCAA national meet in the spring of 2004.
"You've got Hubbard, and Travis is right up there," Stocco said. "He is that fast and he really has a knack for getting open."
And as Daniels did from 2003 through last season, Beckum should be able to stretch the field vertically and cause match-up problems for safeties and especially linebackers.
"He is a guy who can definitely do some special things for us," Stocco said.
Athletically, Beckum doesn't appear to have any limitations.
What he must do is become more disciplined in his route running and add strength so he can be at a minimum an effective blocker. To his credit, Beckum acknowledged he must study his playbook at home and even hold a mini walk-through to go over his routes.
Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has quietly but relentlessly stressed to Beckum the need to run his routes at the prescribed depth: not 1 yard too deep and not 1 yard too shallow.
"It is the little things that add up to the big things in the long run," Beckum said. "He has helped a lot. He lets me know that if the quarterback is going to throw to me then I have to get the job done."
To aid his blocking, Beckum hopes to eventually add 10 to 15 pounds to push his weight into the 235-pound range.
"I have to eat right and drink enough fluids and hit the weights hard," he said.
As early as last spring, tight ends coach Bob Bostad suggested Beckum could one day become an integral part of any game plan.
With each compliment, however, the UW coaches stress much work remains and remind that Beckum is far from a polished tight end.
"It all depends on how hard I want it," Beckum said. "Last year I played in a couple games (on defense) but I didn't have an impact.
"(Saturday) was shocking at first, just to know that it was the first game and I caught a pass. It's exciting and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."
Beckum in a better position
By JEFF POTRYKUS
[email protected]
Posted: Sept. 4, 2006
Madison - Travis Beckum's freshman statistics line did not spark images of future All-American honors:
Ten games played, mostly on special teams; one solo tackle; one assisted tackle; and one position switch from linebacker to defensive end.
Overall, Beckum had little impact on the University of Wisconsin football program in 2005.
If his performance in his first game at tight end is an accurate barometer, the former prep All-American at Oak Creek High School has found a position at which he can make a significant contribution.
"I feel good at tight end," Beckum said. "I have a lot of work to do. But I think I've found a home."
Beckum led UW's receivers in catches (three) and receiving yards (49) in the Badgers' 35-14 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday. He had catches of 16, 19 and 14 yards and picked up a first down each time.
"He has shown the ability since we moved him that he is very athletic and can catch the football," said UW coach Bret Bielema, who moved Beckum to tight end after the Capital One Bowl. "I like what he did after the catch as well on two of those throws. But Travis is just beginning to scratch the surface on how good he can be.
"He understands where we want him to be in the passing game because he likes the passing game. What we need him to do is be a complete football player."
That means blocking as well as receiving.
At this point, Beckum is more advanced in the latter area, yet even that part of his game remains in the formative stage.
"Travis is still really, really raw," quarterback John Stocco said. "Obviously he hasn't played tight end for very long. But he is just an amazing athlete."
He appears to possess more overall athletic ability than former UW tight end Owen Daniels, who was selected by Houston in the fourth round of the NFL draft last spring and has worked his way into the starting lineup.
Beckum, 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, was timed at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash before coming to UW. That's faster than Daniels and puts him in the same neighborhood as current UW wide receiver Paul Hubbard, who ran on the Badgers' 400-meter relay team that qualified for the NCAA national meet in the spring of 2004.
"You've got Hubbard, and Travis is right up there," Stocco said. "He is that fast and he really has a knack for getting open."
And as Daniels did from 2003 through last season, Beckum should be able to stretch the field vertically and cause match-up problems for safeties and especially linebackers.
"He is a guy who can definitely do some special things for us," Stocco said.
Athletically, Beckum doesn't appear to have any limitations.
What he must do is become more disciplined in his route running and add strength so he can be at a minimum an effective blocker. To his credit, Beckum acknowledged he must study his playbook at home and even hold a mini walk-through to go over his routes.
Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has quietly but relentlessly stressed to Beckum the need to run his routes at the prescribed depth: not 1 yard too deep and not 1 yard too shallow.
"It is the little things that add up to the big things in the long run," Beckum said. "He has helped a lot. He lets me know that if the quarterback is going to throw to me then I have to get the job done."
To aid his blocking, Beckum hopes to eventually add 10 to 15 pounds to push his weight into the 235-pound range.
"I have to eat right and drink enough fluids and hit the weights hard," he said.
As early as last spring, tight ends coach Bob Bostad suggested Beckum could one day become an integral part of any game plan.
With each compliment, however, the UW coaches stress much work remains and remind that Beckum is far from a polished tight end.
"It all depends on how hard I want it," Beckum said. "Last year I played in a couple games (on defense) but I didn't have an impact.
"(Saturday) was shocking at first, just to know that it was the first game and I caught a pass. It's exciting and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."
Upvote
0
Bernini
I don't want to play fair I'm a thugs-are-us coach
Beckum had 8 receptions for 107 yards against Northwestern. On the season he leads Wisconsin in both receptions (23) and receiving yards (315), and is doing so from the tight end position. He's made a smooth transition from the defensive to the offensive side of the ball, transforming himself into quite the weapon.
Upvote
0
Link
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+2] UW gets boost from Beckum [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1] Former linebacker is a find a tight end [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] By Brett Christopherson
Post-Crescent staff writer [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]MADISON - Stardom was stamped all over Travis Beckum when he joined the University of Wisconsin football team last season as a potential hotshot linebacker. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So, how?s the kid progressing these days?
"He?s a playmaker," Badgers senior quarterback John Stocco said. "I know I can put it up there for him and he?s going to make a great play for me and for our offense."
Offense?
Turns out this little experiment of switching Beckum from one side of the ball to the other is paying off handsomely for the 17th-ranked Badgers, who will carry a four-game winning streak and 7-1 record into Saturday?s Big Ten matchup against Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium.
Despite initially harboring hopes the 6-foot-4, 219-pound sophomore would blossom into a defensive star, Badgers coaches instead are doing back flips after unearthing a player suddenly considered one of the nation?s top tight ends.
Through eight games, the former Oak Creek High School star has 32 receptions for 501 yards - both team highs - and three touchdowns.
He leads the Big Ten in average receiving yards per conference game at 83.2, is averaging 5.3 receptions for 90.8 yards over the past four games and is one of only three tight ends in the nation with at least 500 receiving yards.
By comparison, former UW tight end Owen Daniels, drafted by Houston in the fourth round this past spring and now a starter for the Texans, caught 22 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns a year ago while playing a vital role in an offense that set the school record for points scored in a season with 446.
Talk about finding gold in your own back yard.
"On our roster, we have a certain round of players who we feel can change the game," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. "And Travis is one of those because of the athleticism that he has, and also because of his speed, his desire to be successful. He came from a very successful high school program. So when he came here to the University of Wisconsin, he was expected to follow that same path."
Of course, that trail was supposed to lead him to an eventual starting spot as an outside linebacker.
As a senior at Oak Creek, Beckum posted 108 tackles, including 38 for a loss, 16 sacks, seven interceptions and eight forced fumbles.
He also proved to be a force offensively with 22 receptions for 506 yards - totals that earned Beckum Associated Press unanimous state player of the year mention and had a list of college football heavyweights drooling to dress him in their colors, which reportedly included Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
It?s no wonder Beckum graduated ranked the No. 1 prep football player in Wisconsin and the sixth-best linebacker and the 56th-best player in the country by Rivals.com.
"We knew right away he was a great athlete, but we didn?t know how he?d handle the transition of moving to tight end," Stocco said. "It?s a lot of stuff to think about and a lot of different things that go with that."
Like learning the blocking schemes and absorbing a myriad of offensive plays and formations.
"It?s not something where you can just go down and look at it one day and be fine," said Beckum, who finished with two tackles in a reserve defensive role and on special teams in 10 games with the Badgers last season. "It?s something you have to work at."
Beckum said he initially approached Bielema, then Wisconsin?s defensive coordinator under Barry Alvarez, about the idea of moving to offense late last season.
Recognizing the difficulty in earning playing time given the Badgers? depth at linebacker and defensive end, where he also saw duty last season due to injuries, Beckum sensed an opportunity to get on the field and excel at a tight end spot that would be in need of some help.
"Just me knowing that our top three tight ends from last year were leaving, I thought that I could contribute to the offense and help us move the chains," Beckum said. "It came out well. I watch the game and I?m like, ?Yeah, that?s me.? It feels good just knowing I?m helping the team move the ball."
Added Bielema: "I wanted to be able to put him in a position to get on the football field and have success. Travis would probably be the first to tell you he?s kind of a pretty boy. He likes doing all the things in the spotlight, and he?s handled it very well to this point. We were happy to accommodate him."
So is a Badgers offense that came into the season full of questions and depleted of many of the stars who helped it churn out a school-record 34.3 points per game.
With young receivers struggling to find consistency from the outset, Beckum quickly emerged as Stocco?s favorite target and caught three balls for 49 yards in a season-opening win against Bowling Green.
But it was recent back-to-back games against Northwestern and Minnesota in which he caught a combined 13 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns that Beckum emerged as a serious big-play threat.
Against Minnesota, Stocco opened the second half by hitting Beckum on successive plays of 41 and 40 yards for a two-play, 81-yard scoring drive that took just 50 seconds.
In both cases, Beckum was lined up tight against the line, ran skinny posts over the middle and used his speed - his 40-yard dash time has reportedly been clocked at 4.5 seconds - to find the open pockets downfield.
Beckum finished with five receptions for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 48-12 victory against the Gophers, the latter score a leaping fourth-quarter grab in which he showed off his athleticism by landing his left foot in the back right corner of the end zone before eventually slamming into the Camp Randall Stadium concrete wall.
"I went over to ask him if he was all right, and he said, ?Yeah, but you better go check that concrete out, though,? " Bielema said with a grin. "He?s a playmaker. He?s one of those kids that just has the ability to change the game."
The performance against the Gophers earned Beckum the John Mackey Tight End of the Week honors by the Nassau County (N.Y.) Sports Commission. It also proved noteworthy in another way as Beckum outperformed Minnesota senior Matt Spaeth, the reigning first team all-Big Ten tight end, who finished with four receptions for 42 yards.
So far this season, the 6-7 Spaeth has 35 catches for 439 yards and a pair of TDs.
"I told him he could be a dominant player for us. He could be our big-play guy," Badgers sophomore cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu said. "I told him he?s got to want to do that. He?s got to want to go out there and make the big play, and I think he?s starting to realize the kind of talent he has and the caliber of player he can be."
So does Stocco, who scoffed at the notion Beckum is nothing more than his safety valve.
"I?d say main option a lot of times," Stocco said. "A lot of times he?s not exactly in the right spot or doesn?t run exactly the right route. But he just goes up and makes plays, and that?s what it?s all about." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+2] UW gets boost from Beckum [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1] Former linebacker is a find a tight end [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] By Brett Christopherson
Post-Crescent staff writer [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]MADISON - Stardom was stamped all over Travis Beckum when he joined the University of Wisconsin football team last season as a potential hotshot linebacker. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So, how?s the kid progressing these days?
"He?s a playmaker," Badgers senior quarterback John Stocco said. "I know I can put it up there for him and he?s going to make a great play for me and for our offense."
Offense?
Turns out this little experiment of switching Beckum from one side of the ball to the other is paying off handsomely for the 17th-ranked Badgers, who will carry a four-game winning streak and 7-1 record into Saturday?s Big Ten matchup against Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium.
Despite initially harboring hopes the 6-foot-4, 219-pound sophomore would blossom into a defensive star, Badgers coaches instead are doing back flips after unearthing a player suddenly considered one of the nation?s top tight ends.
Through eight games, the former Oak Creek High School star has 32 receptions for 501 yards - both team highs - and three touchdowns.
He leads the Big Ten in average receiving yards per conference game at 83.2, is averaging 5.3 receptions for 90.8 yards over the past four games and is one of only three tight ends in the nation with at least 500 receiving yards.
By comparison, former UW tight end Owen Daniels, drafted by Houston in the fourth round this past spring and now a starter for the Texans, caught 22 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns a year ago while playing a vital role in an offense that set the school record for points scored in a season with 446.
Talk about finding gold in your own back yard.
"On our roster, we have a certain round of players who we feel can change the game," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. "And Travis is one of those because of the athleticism that he has, and also because of his speed, his desire to be successful. He came from a very successful high school program. So when he came here to the University of Wisconsin, he was expected to follow that same path."
Of course, that trail was supposed to lead him to an eventual starting spot as an outside linebacker.
As a senior at Oak Creek, Beckum posted 108 tackles, including 38 for a loss, 16 sacks, seven interceptions and eight forced fumbles.
He also proved to be a force offensively with 22 receptions for 506 yards - totals that earned Beckum Associated Press unanimous state player of the year mention and had a list of college football heavyweights drooling to dress him in their colors, which reportedly included Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
It?s no wonder Beckum graduated ranked the No. 1 prep football player in Wisconsin and the sixth-best linebacker and the 56th-best player in the country by Rivals.com.
"We knew right away he was a great athlete, but we didn?t know how he?d handle the transition of moving to tight end," Stocco said. "It?s a lot of stuff to think about and a lot of different things that go with that."
Like learning the blocking schemes and absorbing a myriad of offensive plays and formations.
"It?s not something where you can just go down and look at it one day and be fine," said Beckum, who finished with two tackles in a reserve defensive role and on special teams in 10 games with the Badgers last season. "It?s something you have to work at."
Beckum said he initially approached Bielema, then Wisconsin?s defensive coordinator under Barry Alvarez, about the idea of moving to offense late last season.
Recognizing the difficulty in earning playing time given the Badgers? depth at linebacker and defensive end, where he also saw duty last season due to injuries, Beckum sensed an opportunity to get on the field and excel at a tight end spot that would be in need of some help.
"Just me knowing that our top three tight ends from last year were leaving, I thought that I could contribute to the offense and help us move the chains," Beckum said. "It came out well. I watch the game and I?m like, ?Yeah, that?s me.? It feels good just knowing I?m helping the team move the ball."
Added Bielema: "I wanted to be able to put him in a position to get on the football field and have success. Travis would probably be the first to tell you he?s kind of a pretty boy. He likes doing all the things in the spotlight, and he?s handled it very well to this point. We were happy to accommodate him."
So is a Badgers offense that came into the season full of questions and depleted of many of the stars who helped it churn out a school-record 34.3 points per game.
With young receivers struggling to find consistency from the outset, Beckum quickly emerged as Stocco?s favorite target and caught three balls for 49 yards in a season-opening win against Bowling Green.
But it was recent back-to-back games against Northwestern and Minnesota in which he caught a combined 13 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns that Beckum emerged as a serious big-play threat.
Against Minnesota, Stocco opened the second half by hitting Beckum on successive plays of 41 and 40 yards for a two-play, 81-yard scoring drive that took just 50 seconds.
In both cases, Beckum was lined up tight against the line, ran skinny posts over the middle and used his speed - his 40-yard dash time has reportedly been clocked at 4.5 seconds - to find the open pockets downfield.
Beckum finished with five receptions for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 48-12 victory against the Gophers, the latter score a leaping fourth-quarter grab in which he showed off his athleticism by landing his left foot in the back right corner of the end zone before eventually slamming into the Camp Randall Stadium concrete wall.
"I went over to ask him if he was all right, and he said, ?Yeah, but you better go check that concrete out, though,? " Bielema said with a grin. "He?s a playmaker. He?s one of those kids that just has the ability to change the game."
The performance against the Gophers earned Beckum the John Mackey Tight End of the Week honors by the Nassau County (N.Y.) Sports Commission. It also proved noteworthy in another way as Beckum outperformed Minnesota senior Matt Spaeth, the reigning first team all-Big Ten tight end, who finished with four receptions for 42 yards.
So far this season, the 6-7 Spaeth has 35 catches for 439 yards and a pair of TDs.
"I told him he could be a dominant player for us. He could be our big-play guy," Badgers sophomore cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu said. "I told him he?s got to want to do that. He?s got to want to go out there and make the big play, and I think he?s starting to realize the kind of talent he has and the caliber of player he can be."
So does Stocco, who scoffed at the notion Beckum is nothing more than his safety valve.
"I?d say main option a lot of times," Stocco said. "A lot of times he?s not exactly in the right spot or doesn?t run exactly the right route. But he just goes up and makes plays, and that?s what it?s all about." [/FONT][/FONT]
Upvote
0
Link
Badger mates learned together
Wisconsin's Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum found success after switching from defense to offense.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Launched:11/02/2006 06:36:45 AM EST
Nov 2, 2006 ? As the Wisconsin Badgers lost in Beaver Stadium last November, Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum were nowhere to be seen. The two Badger linebackers were stuck on the sideline, finishing lost seasons.
Who would have known ...
The year before, Crooks was a freshman sensation, and Beckum was one of the most hotly-recruited high school players in the nation.
Then came injury and waiting and disappointment.
It would take the risk and uncertainty of changing positions, of changing entire sides of the team, to try and make this work out.
They would they do it, and do it together.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] Crooks came first.
The high school linebacker from small-city Wausau, Wis., was an immediate force in college.
He started five times for the Badgers as a true freshman linebacker in 2004. He even intercepted a pass and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown against Georgia in the Outback Bowl.
Then came last year's trouble.
He injured a knee in preseason camp and was never the same. He recovered but lost his starting spot. His tackles dropped from 38 as a freshman to 18 as a sophomore.
"He was pretty down on himself, doubted himself," said his father, Mike Crooks. "It wasn't much fun for him. He wanted to be on the field."
So did the coaches. And they saw a different kind of opportunity.
Move the linebacker to tight end?
Crooks took to the idea, saw hope. He was thrilled.
"He just wanted to get back on the field and play," his father said. "He would have played nose guard if they wanted him to."
The Badgers had their first tight end.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] Beckum came next.
He was big city. He was the man in high school.
Rivals.com, a national recruiting service, rated him as the No.1 prospect in Wisconsin, the No.6 linebacker in the nation, the No.56 player in the nation overall.
Everybody wanted him. Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee.
But a funny thing happened last year when he came from Milwaukee to Madison. He wasn't really needed at linebacker, so they switched him to defensive end.
And he wasn't really needed there, either. He made only two tackles all season.
Finally, Beckum approached his coaches, asking about a possible move.
He wanted to try tight end, too.
"I knew we were losing three tight ends after the year. I knew in high school, even with only a few reps (at tight end), I was successful there."
The Badgers had another one.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] So small-city and big-city changed positions together, moved from defense to offense at the same time.
They began rooming together on the road.
And they became dual starters this fall, the Badgers often using two tight ends at the same time.
Crooks is more power and blocking, even lining up at fullback sometimes. But he's still made 16 receptions and a team-leading four touchdown catches.
"Andy's more of a blue-collar tight end. He hasn't left the field for a single offensive play, other than when he lost a shoe," his father said.
"He's a great player, a great blocker," Beckum said. "I don't think a lot of teams realize he has the ability to catch the football."
Beckum, meanwhile, has been the "glitzy" tight end. He not only leads the team with 37 catches for 577 yards (64 yards per game), he also is the fifth-leading receiver in the Big Ten. He has three touchdowns.
Together, they are an unusual, though, devastating combination.
"Me and Crooks are real close," Beckum said. "If we're in practice or a game and we realize the receivers aren't getting the job done, we say, 'Maybe it's time for us to step up and make some plays.'"
The linebackers who finally found a home.
Badger mates learned together
Wisconsin's Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum found success after switching from defense to offense.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Launched:11/02/2006 06:36:45 AM EST
Nov 2, 2006 ? As the Wisconsin Badgers lost in Beaver Stadium last November, Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum were nowhere to be seen. The two Badger linebackers were stuck on the sideline, finishing lost seasons.
Who would have known ...
The year before, Crooks was a freshman sensation, and Beckum was one of the most hotly-recruited high school players in the nation.
Then came injury and waiting and disappointment.
It would take the risk and uncertainty of changing positions, of changing entire sides of the team, to try and make this work out.
They would they do it, and do it together.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] Crooks came first.
The high school linebacker from small-city Wausau, Wis., was an immediate force in college.
He started five times for the Badgers as a true freshman linebacker in 2004. He even intercepted a pass and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown against Georgia in the Outback Bowl.
Then came last year's trouble.
He injured a knee in preseason camp and was never the same. He recovered but lost his starting spot. His tackles dropped from 38 as a freshman to 18 as a sophomore.
"He was pretty down on himself, doubted himself," said his father, Mike Crooks. "It wasn't much fun for him. He wanted to be on the field."
So did the coaches. And they saw a different kind of opportunity.
Move the linebacker to tight end?
Crooks took to the idea, saw hope. He was thrilled.
"He just wanted to get back on the field and play," his father said. "He would have played nose guard if they wanted him to."
The Badgers had their first tight end.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] Beckum came next.
He was big city. He was the man in high school.
Rivals.com, a national recruiting service, rated him as the No.1 prospect in Wisconsin, the No.6 linebacker in the nation, the No.56 player in the nation overall.
Everybody wanted him. Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee.
But a funny thing happened last year when he came from Milwaukee to Madison. He wasn't really needed at linebacker, so they switched him to defensive end.
And he wasn't really needed there, either. He made only two tackles all season.
Finally, Beckum approached his coaches, asking about a possible move.
He wanted to try tight end, too.
"I knew we were losing three tight ends after the year. I knew in high school, even with only a few reps (at tight end), I was successful there."
The Badgers had another one.
[SIZE=+1]* * *[/SIZE] So small-city and big-city changed positions together, moved from defense to offense at the same time.
They began rooming together on the road.
And they became dual starters this fall, the Badgers often using two tight ends at the same time.
Crooks is more power and blocking, even lining up at fullback sometimes. But he's still made 16 receptions and a team-leading four touchdown catches.
"Andy's more of a blue-collar tight end. He hasn't left the field for a single offensive play, other than when he lost a shoe," his father said.
"He's a great player, a great blocker," Beckum said. "I don't think a lot of teams realize he has the ability to catch the football."
Beckum, meanwhile, has been the "glitzy" tight end. He not only leads the team with 37 catches for 577 yards (64 yards per game), he also is the fifth-leading receiver in the Big Ten. He has three touchdowns.
Together, they are an unusual, though, devastating combination.
"Me and Crooks are real close," Beckum said. "If we're in practice or a game and we realize the receivers aren't getting the job done, we say, 'Maybe it's time for us to step up and make some plays.'"
The linebackers who finally found a home.
Upvote
0