Wisconsin running backs coach Thomas Brown was reveling in a job well done last year. National signing day had arrived, and by mid-afternoon, so had the two faxes inking tailbacks Jordan Stevenson and Bradrick Shaw to the Badgers' 2015 recruiting class.
Brown seemed particularly pleased about landing Stevenson, who committed to Wisconsin one day after head coach Gary Andersen left to accept the same position at Oregon State. The decision, Brown insisted, showed Stevenson wasn't just selecting the Badgers based on any single coach.