Wisconsin redshirt junior Serge Trezy was stuck in a state of limbo for most of spring.

Being at a new school on a new team and with a position change to top it all off, Trezy was searching for what exactly his role on the football team would be after initially putting in work as a cornerback.

Now, with spring practices wrapping up, the speedy Trezy is making the transition to running back, a position he feels much more comfortable being in.

“I am more comfortable at running back,” Trezy said. “When you are at running back, you have to go based on me and my moves. With cornerback, I have to go based on their moves and how they break down the offense.”

On top of dealing with changing positions, Trezy, a junior-college transfer from Eastern Arizona, is dealing with a whole other kind of transition – one that involves learning to mesh with new teammates, new coaches and an overall new scenery at a larger Division I school.

So far for Trezy, the lone JUCO transfer in this UW class, the changeover has been relatively easy. He realized early on that he had no other choice but to buy into the Wisconsin program and new head coach Paul Chryst.

Whether it was a smooth transition or not, this was his new team.

“The transition has been pretty smooth,” Trezy said. “These guys are my family now, so we need to click together and I really needed to get to know everybody as soon as possible.”

Fifth-year senior Tanner McEvoy has had experience with everything Trezy is going through.

After enrolling at South Carolina, McEvoy transferred to Arizona Western College, where he played quarterback for a season before transferring once again to Wisconsin.

Now, at Wisconsin, McEvoy has not only dealt with the transition from JUCO to Division I, but also with changing positions.

In his first two seasons at UW, McEvoy has stepped on the field as a wide receiver, quarterback and safety, and struggled to find his niche both on the field and within the culture of the team.

But even with some of the struggles and challenges that came with being a transfer, McEvoy is continuing to look forward.

“You have to learn from what you do, so I’m not going to go back and try to change anything,” McEvoy said. “I just have to roll with the punches and take advantage of every time I am out here. I just got to keep going and keep doing what they want me to do.”

In terms of advice for other JUCO transfers, like Trezy, McEvoy kept it relatively simple:

“Listen to the coaches, as they know what’s best,” he said. “Do what they ask and do it as hard as you can.”

Now, as he starts to get his first few reps within the Badgers’ offense, Trezy will continue do just that — work hard and continue to look forward — just as McEvoy did.

He understands that trials and tribulations of the transition are all part of achieving a greater goal.

“It’s been hard work and dedication that’s really gotten me where I’m at now,” Trezy said. “It’s been my dream to be playing Division I football and going to the next level. I’m just trying to accomplish my dreams.”

The positional transition was a rough start for Trezy. In his first two touches as a tailback, he was stopped behind the line of scrimmage and fumbled the ball away, but he eventually was able to effectively display the quickness that made him an intriguing prospect out of high school and junior college.

In three years at Agape Christian Academy in Orlando, he rushed for 4,164 yards and 54 touchdowns. In his 2013 season at Eastern Arizona, he rushed for 814 yards and six touchdowns to earn first-team all-Western States Football League honors.

So despite some early struggles, the potential is definitely there.

“He didn’t take care of the ball real well, but it’s the first snaps,” Chryst said. “He did alright. We are really early in it.”

Along with Trezy, the team is very early in it as well, and with there being about four months between now and when the regular season gets into full swing, Trezy has plenty of time to not only become more comfortable as a piece of a Division I program, but also fight for a position on the field.

With the running back position fairly deep behind starter and junior running back Corey Clement, Trezy knows he has a lot of work ahead of him. Redshirt junior Dare Ogunbowale, redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal, along with incoming freshman Jordan Stevenson and Bradrick Shaw will all be fighting for playing time behind Clement.

“There’s a lot of competition,” Trezy said. “You just got to buckle up and get ready to roll.”