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The freshman phenom—there is something about a first-year player making a difference in sports that get fans worked up. It provides hope for the future, solidifies a belief that this player belongs or surprises the masses by coming out of nowhere.

For the Wisconsin Badgers, there were a couple of freshmen that made their presence known last season, including wide receiver Jordan Fredrick, fullback Derek Watt, punter Drew Meyer and running back Melvin Gordon.

As much as those rookies contributed, nobody could have expected redshirt freshman quarterback Joel Stave to step into an absolute mess of a situation on offense and right the ship. Now, he is set up to be the starting quarterback in his sophomore season after battling back from a fractured clavicle suffered in late October last season.

While there could be and likely will be more than three freshmen that contribute during the 2013 season, it's these three that will have the biggest impact in fall practice.