D.J. Gillins couldn’t take standing on the sidelines during Wisconsin football team games any longer.
He craved to be out there with the Badgers, the team he had dutifully served during the week as the scout team’s quarterback.
But he needed to find a way between the lines on game days.
“I just wanted to help my teammates,” Gillins said.
So, after calling his parents and weeks of deliberation, Gillins marched into head coach Paul Chryst’s office and said he wanted to move to wide receiver.
At first, Chryst was hesitant about the switch, but green-lit his young quarterback’s proposal and said he respects him for wanting to help his team.
“He’s a heck of a teammate, is what he is,” Chryst said. “You talk to the guys on our team, and they think the world of him — and I’m talking about young guys. I’m talking about guys in his class, but I’m also talking about our seniors.”
Gillins entered fall camp competing with Bart Houston for the backup job behind Joel Stave, and Houston was the clear No. 2 by the start of the season.
Gillins said come springtime, he would be back at quarterback competing for the starting job next season. UW offensive coordinator Rudolph said to not read too much into the switch for long-term purposes.
“I think he sees it as a way to make an impact this year,” Rudolph said.
But that doesn’t mean Rudolph won’t enjoy having Gillins at his disposal now, saying Gillins looks like a natural at wide receiver.
“I just love his competitiveness, his toughness [and] his strength,” Rudolph said. “He has great field strength and power. He’s got great energy about him right now.”
Gillins said he’ll first try to get on the field through the special teams unit, and hopes to make plays on offense as well eventually.
This isn’t the first time Gillins has played wide receiver in his life. As a freshman in high school, he was a wideout until the quarterback quit.
Playing wide receiver can only help his knowledge of the offense, Gillins said, adding the many intangibles of running a route is what makes playing quarterback and wide receiver different.
“You have to get the guy off of you, you have to run 10 yards [and] you have to be in one spot at a certain time,” Gillins said.
Gillins can next see the field Saturday when the Badgers take on Illinois in Champaign. Kick off is set for 2:30 p.m.
