Tag: dilin jones

How Darrion Dupree, Wisconsin’s trio of true freshmen performed against South Dakota

How Darrion Dupree, Wisconsin’s trio of true freshmen performed against South Dakota

Several Wisconsin true freshmen shined for UW during Saturday’s 27-13 victory over South Dakota.

Among the first-year standouts were running back Darrion Dupree, running back Dilin Jones and offensive lineman Kevin Heywood. All three saw some of the first action of their collegiate careers in the two-score victory at Camp Randall.

Dupree, a four-star recruit and 2023 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, rushed six times for 24 yards while Dilin Jones, ESPN’s No. 6 running back in the class of 2024, logged four carries for 14 yards.

Heywood, meanwhile, appeared in his second collegiate game and recorded 13 snaps at right tackle without allowing a single pressure.

ProFootballFocus awarded Heywood a 74.3 overall grade for his Week 2 effort, the second highest by any offensive player on the Badgers behind only running back Cade Yacamelli.

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While Dupree and Jones failed to reach the end zone, their respective introductions to Wisconsin’s ground game are certainly a positive sign going forward. Both look like they could morph into mainstays for Luke Fickell’s team moving into the future, especially fall camp standout Dupree.

The two could see a few snaps in Wisconsin’s pivotal Week 3 match vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 14 at Camp Randall.

Wisconsin landed one of the best high school running backs this recruiting cycle

Wisconsin landed one of the best high school running backs this recruiting cycle

Wisconsin football rebuilt its running back room this offseason.

Most notably, the program landed one of the best transfer portal running backs, Tawee Walker.

However, the program’s incoming class of 2024 includes three RBs: four-star Dilin Jones, three-star Darrion Dupree and three-star Gideon Ituka.

Related: Where Wisconsin Badgers stand in first expanded Big Ten 2024 recruiting rankings

Jones is the headliner of the group, and recently finished the 2024 recruiting cycle as one of the top running backs in the class.

Overall, the Olney, Maryland, native is the No. 139 player in the class, the No. 10 player at his position and No. 4 recruit from the state of Maryland.

Wisconsin returns Chez Mellusi to lead the room this season. But the program can now boast high-level depth that should pay dividends in the coming years. That is especially the case with Jones, who appears to be a star in the making:

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Top five running backs signed to the Big Ten during early signing period

We cover the top five running backs to sign with the Big Ten during the early signing period. #GoBucks

The early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent.

It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but we have already dived into the top incoming gunslingers entering the conference. Now we wanted to provide the top five running back recruits who have signed with Big Ten teams during the early signing period, according to the 247Sports composite.

It should make Ohio State fans happy that despite the drama surrounding the flip of one highly ranked running back, the Buckeyes were able to pull in one of the best running backs in the state of Texas and in the whole country, which will be the highest ranked recruit on this list.

The Big Ten snagged five of the top 25 running back prospects in the country, which is a big number but much lower than the quarterback list. Regardless, let’s dive into the haul we saw.

WATCH: A pair of Wisconsin 2024 RB commits go off for their high school teams

Highlights from a few Wisconsin commits this weekend:

Just because the season is here does not mean recruiting stops churning. It’s a quiet period, as Wisconsin’s class of 2024 is practically complete after the mid-summer push.

The class sits in the nation’s top 25 according to most ranking systems, led by top tight end Grant Stec, four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer and a loaded running back group.

Badger fans are rightfully excited about how the class will translate to the field in Madison to help out Phil Longo’s offense. We do get a bit of a glimpse during their high school action which is just getting underway. So after a big weekend of high school football, there are two Wisconsin commits to spotlight.

Related: Predicting every Big Ten team’s 2023 wins and losses, final record and the conference champ

The first is four-star running back Dilin Jones from Olney, Maryland. He rushed for more than 140 yards and a touchdown for Our Lady Good Counsel High School this weekend in a contest against St. Edward…all in the first half.

Here’s his touchdown:

While full stats are not available yet for this year, MaxPreps does note that Jones rushed for 804 yards in six games last year with a yards-per-carry clip of more than nine. He seems primed for a big career in Madison.

The second spotlight today is four-star Darrion Dupree from Mount Carmel, Illinois. Dupree found the end zone several times against East St. Louis on Friday night, also showcasing what he’ll bring to Madison: