John Settle is having a blast at University of Wisconsin spring football practices.

That's because Settle, the running backs coach at UW, has quadrupled his fun since last spring.

"I'm very excited," Settle said Saturday. "At this time last year, we had one guy. Lance Smith took about every rep. Now we're in a totally different situation. We have four talented players competing for playing time."

Indeed, while most eyes are focused on who will replace Tyler Donovan at quarterback for UW, a more important competition is taking place at tailback.

Three veterans who have flashed ability in the past — P.J. Hill, Zach Brown and Smith — and highly acclaimed freshman John Clay are competing at a position where extensive job sharing isn't part of the plan.

"It's very hard probably to get more than two guys involved in the game plan," coach Bret Bielema said. "Three, if there's a specific role for that third guy. But ... you get a running back in the rhythm of a game that is doing good things and it's hard to get him out of there."

Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who was down to Brown at times last season when Hill was injured and Smith was unavailable for road games, is wondering himself how many backs he can use effectively at one time.

"It used to be (you needed) 2� backs," Chryst said. "You had a starter and a quality backup who's really a starter and then a guy who could get you out of trouble if something happens. Depending on how this thing unfolds, we've got four guys that we think have the potential to bring something to the table — if they all reach their potential."

That would be a bonus. What the coaches really want is for one of the four to assert himself and become a back who can carry the load.

Who carries the ball might end up being the biggest decision the coaches make because UW figures to return to its running roots this season. With most of its blockers back and a new quarterback under center, UW is looking for someone who can pound out yards against good defenses as well as bad.

Whether that is a big back like Hill (225 pounds), a potential game-breaker like Clay (228), an ultra-reliable back like Brown (213) or a pass-catching threat like Smith (205) remains to be seen.

So far, Hill has re-established himself following two productive but injury-interrupted seasons. He is participating in his first spring practice at UW and shows the consistency one would expect given his experience, though he hasn't grabbed the job like the coaches had hoped.

Brown, who is battling a forearm injury, is probably the best of the four at running where he should on a given play. Chryst said Brown is not only mentally sharp but has some talent, too.

Smith was used some as a receiver in the Outback Bowl and the coaches plan to take advantage of his speed and pass-catching ability even more this season. However, Smith still isn't as reliable as the coaches want him to be.

Clay has the best combination of size and speed of the group, though he's behind the others mentally after redshirting and then missing bowl practices with a concussion. Chryst said Clay needs to run like the big back he is rather than freelancing and bouncing plays outside.

"John's an impressive player," Bielema said. "He doesn't say anything, he just works. I like the way the kids respond to him. On offense and defense, when John starts running, everybody kind of gets quiet to see what he can do."

With two more weeks of spring ball and then fall camp before the season opener, Clay has the time to make up ground. Right now, though, it appears reliability has separated Hill and Brown from the pack just a bit.

"I like where P.J. and Zach are right now," Settle said. "They've kind of picked up where they left off. P.J.'s healthy. His weight's down. He's been lifting and working out. This is his first full offseason where he's been able to do everything and it's showing. I like where he is because mentally he doesn't think that he's arrived. I like Zach. Zach is a steady guy. He's our security blanket. We feel confident putting him on the field."

No one is committing to anything at this time, but here's a prediction: Whenever the coaches reach the point where they feel confident putting Clay on the field, they will do so very quickly.