Who is David Gilreath? A kick returner, punt returner, wide receiver, maybe even a running back? The answer is all of the above, as the speedy sophomore has registered yards in all four categories this year. Gilreath, a Minnesota native, doesn't have the typical football frame. At 5-11, 165 pounds, one may confuse Gilreath for an average student, but once he laces up his cleats, it's clear that his speed sets him apart from not only the student body, but the rest of the football field.
[Gilreath] likes to run the ball,"" said quarterback, Dustin Sherer said. ""He's one of the fastest kids on our team.""
Badger fans first heard of David Gilreath last year when he made his start as a kick returner, but he has quickly emerged as a go-to player on the offense. He ranks second on the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, only behind junior tight end Garrett Graham in both categories.
Incredibly enough, he also ranks third on the Badgers rushing chart with 290 yards, behind junior P.J. Hill and freshman John Clay. 168 of those yards came off a big game last Saturday as Gilreath recorded two rushing touchdowns, one of them on a 90-yard end-around.
""I haven't really mastered [the end-around] yet,"" Gilreath said. ""It might look good, but I'm missing a couple things. Going inside instead of outside or outside instead of inside.""
It was a stellar performance last week versus Indiana and it was enough to earn the talented sophomore Co-Big Ten Player of the Week. His performance also put him into the record books at Wisconsin, registering the second longest touchdown in school history. Gilreath, along with Hill and Clay, also broke a school record for most 100-yard rushers in one game as well as tying the school record of seven rushing touchdowns in one game.
Inside or outside, Gilreath certainly has found his way into the end zone on the offensive side. Along with his Indiana performance, he recorded two touchdowns of the receiving variety against Illinois that sparked the 27-17 Badger win on Homecoming.
Although he may have cleared the hump by registering a touchdown on offense, it is his first touchdown as a returner that the Cardinal-clad fans wait for. With the amount of opportunities that he has had, including a near kickoff return in the first game of the season against Akron, David Gilreath is poised to find the end zone as a special teamer.
What does the future hold in store for Mr. Gilreath? First he must face his home state, Minnesota, in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Gilreath was heavily recruited by the Gophers but ended up siding with the Badgers after a long debate. In last years meeting with Minnesota, Gilreath was very close to returning a punt for a touchdown, as he got just inside the red zone but was pushed out of bounds. Gilreath and the rest of the football team will be ready for a physical and vicious battle, as both sides know what is at stake. The last time Wisconsin failed to capture the Axe was in 2003.
""When you get a nasty rivalry...scratching, clawing, punching, grabbing,"" Gilreath said. ""Things like that happen to try and get the win.""
As for the distant future, David sees this season as a learning tool and still hopes to make a bowl game.
""You don't want the season to go down the drain,"" Gilreath said. ""You want something good to come out of it. I guess a bowl game would do that.""
Although the Badgers may not be in a prominent bowl this year, understand that they have the talent to make pushes for greener pastures in the coming years.
That talent may be centered around Wisconsin's new Renaissance man, David Gilreath.
