Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers

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Jonathan Taylor wins Doak Walker Award as nation's top running back

Including a pair of first-team selections, three members of the Wisconsin football team were named Thursday to the prestigious Walter Camp All-America team.

Sophomore RB Jonathan Taylor and senior RG Beau Benzschawel earned spots on the Walter Camp All-America first team, while senior LG Michael Deiter was a second-team pick.

Taylor, a finalist for the Doak Walker Award for the second consecutive season, is a repeat Walter Camp All-America selection after being named to the second team as a freshman. He is the nation's leading rusher with 1,989 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Two of the linemen who have set him up for that success – and allowed the Badgers to rank seventh nationally in rushing at 268.4 yards per game – join Taylor as Walter Camp All-Americans.

Benzschawel is just the third player in Wisconsin's storied history of offensive linemen to repeat as a first-team All-American, joining Dennis Lick (1974-75) and Joe Thomas (2005-06). He was a first-team selection by Sports Illustrated last season.

Deiter is a second-team All-American for the second consecutive season after earning that distinction from Sporting News last year.

The Walter Camp All-America Team is the nation's oldest, with Thursday's announcement marking its 129th edition. This marks the fifth-consecutive season the Badgers have placed a player on the Walter Camp squad. Running back Melvin Gordon earned first-team honors in 2014, OLB Joe Schobert received a second-team nod in 2015 and LT Ryan Ramczyk earned second-team status in 2016. Last year, the Badgers had four second-team selections in Taylor, RT David Edwards, ILB T.J. Edwards and TE Troy Fumagalli.

Photo: Getty Images

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