It’s safe to say that Green Bay Packers running back A.J. Dillon did not enjoy his recruiting visit to Wisconsin during the class of 2017 cycle.
Dillon detailed the visit as ‘the most boring [he’d] ever been on’ on a recent episode of his podcast, Toonen to Dillon.
Related: Wisconsin football’s all-time leading rushers
Some background: the current Packers running back and former Boston College Eagle was a four-star running back in the class of 2017. Wisconsin was one of the many top programs to enter his recruitment — a group that also included Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State and Nebraska.
Dillon described his visit to Madison during his recruiting process, saying, ‘I’m there as a high school kid, and all we did is we went to Buffalo Wild Wings.’ He did so after reading what appears to be a letter from the Badgers apologizing for the visit, emphasizing that was the program’s No. 1 running back target in the class.
POV: Your top college visit didn’t go as planned, but everyone ended up where they were meant to be, and now it's a place you call home. #ToonenToDillon @ajdillon7 @wtoonen @BadgerFootball @Pixar pic.twitter.com/R1yAfNH1dW
— Toonen to Dillon (@Toonentodillon) October 29, 2024
Dillon did clarify that his opinion on the state of Wisconsin, and the city of Madison, has changed since beginning his career with the Packers.
“Now I love Wisconsin,” Dillon continued. “And every time I go down to Madison, it’s so much fun.”
Dillon ended up at Boston College in the class of 2017, ranked as the No. 324 player in the class and No. 1 recruit from the state of Connecticut. He went on to play three years with the Eagles before entering the 2020 NFL draft, where the Packers selected him with the No. 62 overall pick.
Dillon’s stats at Boston College from 2017-19 include 845 total carries, 4,382 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.
Those numbers fall short of the top running back that Wisconsin landed in the 2017 cycle — a player who would not have been a Badger had Dillon pledged to the class.
That is all-time great Jonathan Taylor, a fringe-four-star recruit ranked as the No. 24 running back in the class.
Taylor’s numbers from 2017-19: 926 carries, 6,174 rushing yards, 6.7 yards per carry and 50 rushing touchdowns.
It worked out for all parties in the end. Dillon got to the NFL, while Wisconsin saw arguably the greatest three-year run at the position in college football history.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.