Bret Bielema needs only one play to describe Garrett Graham.
It was a second-and-10 early in the second quarter of a battle between Wisconsin and Michigan State. Badgers quarterback Tyler Donovan nailed Graham on an out route, and as Graham turned up field, he rammed into Spartans safety Nehemiah Warrick. The screws on Warrick’s helmet got stuck in Graham’s left forearm, ripping open his skin. Unfazed, Graham went back to the huddle. After another play, offensive lineman Kraig Urbik noticed Graham’s arm was bleeding and suggested he have someone look at it. Only then did Graham leave the game.
“(Graham) came up and had a huge three-inch cut where his arm was hanging open with muscle exposed,” Bielema said at Big Ten Media Day in July. “He went inside and had it stitched up and was playing a quarter later. They originally told me he wasn’t going to play at all. That kind of gives a little synopsis of what he’s all about.”
Graham managed to stay off the injury report after that game, but he has not been as fortunate on other occasions. Last year, Graham was held out of two games with a right foot injury, and earlier this season Graham suffered a concussion.
Originally from Brick, N.J., Graham played defensive end, tight end, punter and kicker in high school. Wisconsin coaches envisioned Graham as a tight end, which is no easy task in its power offense. But Graham got a gift in the form of new offensive coordinator Paul Chryst. The former NFL tight ends coach was not at Wisconsin when Graham made his decision to become a Badger, but Chryst’s arrival in 2005 changed the course of Graham’s career. Graham credits Chryst for his development at the position.
“I don’t know why I was so happy with the offense (before Chryst),” Graham said. “But it worked out well when coach Chryst came here, and we’ve gotten to be productive.”
In five years, Graham has put on 25 pounds and transformed into an all-around tight end.
“I have definitely developed,” Graham said. “In high school I was more of a wide receiver type. Coming in here (offensive line coach Bob Bostad) really got me going on blocking and being a hard-nosed player.”
Linebacker Jaevery McFadden has witnessed Graham’s new athleticism firsthand in practice.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s hard (to defend Graham in practice),” McFadden said. “You know what route is coming, you know what he is going to run, but he still puts a move on you or he still catches the ball and makes a play.”
Graham stepped onto the national stage last year, following in the footsteps of former Badger tight ends and current NFL players Owen Daniels and Travis Beckum. After leading the Badgers in receiving yards and touchdowns, Graham was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. He contemplated entering the 2009 NFL Draft but decided to return for his senior season.
The decision paid off. This year, Graham has grabbed five touchdowns and 35 receptions, good for first and second on the team, respectively.
“At the end of the day what impresses me most about him is he is really a two-way player,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “He does a good job blocking and a good job receiving.”
Though Graham may not admit it, he has quietly made a name for himself at Wisconsin.
“He’s a quiet dude, he doesn’t talk a lot,” McFadden said. “He lets his actions speak for themselves.”
