Melvin Gordon
The Big Ten’s preseason football meetings are underway in Chicago today.
Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen is on hand for the next two days with junior tailback Melvin Gordon, senior offensive tackle Rob Havenstein and senior defensive lineman Warren Herring.
The Badgers have already been picked by a panel of Big Ten Conference sportswriters to win the new West Division in 2014, edging out Iowa.
Today, Gordon and Havenstein earned preseason recognition from the Big Ten Conference, both selected to the Players to Watch list for the league’s West Division.
The Badgers are among 10 tabbed to the Players to Watch list, which includes five honorees each from the East and West Divisions.
Gordon enters the season as the nation’s second-leading returning rusher behind fellow West Division Player to Watch Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska. Abdullah rushed for 1,690 yards last season, while Gordon piled up 1,609 yards.
Havenstein heads into his senior season as the Badgers’ most experienced player with 40 career games to his credit and he has made 27 consecutive starts at right tackle.