Tag: Jalen Berger

Former Wisconsin RB Jalen Berger officially enters the transfer portal

Former Wisconsin RB Jalen Berger officially enters the transfer portal

Former Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger was dismissed from the football program earlier this week. The move was made after Berger played in three of Wisconsin’s five games and carried the ball only 24 times.

Berger led the team in rushing in 2020 as a true freshman, though reportedly didn’t react well to Wisconsin bringing in former Clemson running back Chez Mellusi during the offseason.

The former four-star recruit has now officially entered the NCAA transfer portal. He will begin the recruiting process and search for a new program to play out his remaining years of eligibility.

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Army on Saturday

A few destinations make some sense for Berger:

  • Rutgers, which is his home state school and was in the running to land him during his recruiting process
  • Kentucky—where former Wisconsin RB coach John Settle now coaches running backs

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Paul Chryst, RB Chez Mellusi comment on the dismissal of RB Jalen Berger

Paul Chryst, Chez Mellusi comment on Jalen Berger’s dismissal from the Wisconsin football program

It’s no surprise as to what the initial questions for Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst would center around during Monday’s press conference. On Sunday, the Badgers announced the dismissal of RB Jalen Berger from the Wisconsin program. The move came after the 2020 four-star recruit had surprisingly played only sparingly in Wisconsin’s first four games, before not playing at all against Illinois.

On Monday, it was apparent that Chryst was ready to move on to this week’s matchup with Army.

“I spoke with Jalen yesterday, and I am going to keep that between me and Jalen,” said Chryst when asked about Berger’s dismissal. Chryst declined to go any further on the matter.

Starting RB Chez Mellusi was caught off guard by Berger’s dismissal, and talked about his relationship with the New Jersey native when asked about the situation on Monday.

“Im going to continue to support him,” Mellusi said on Monday. “I don’t know much about the situation, that’s kind of out of my hands. I just told him I’m here for him and I’m going to continue to support him.”

While the full story may never be out there, the move did come as a surprise to many including Mellusi, who was Berger’s roommate during road trips. Berger appeared in seven games at Wisconsin, and finished his Badger career with 389 yards on 84 carries.

Wisconsin dismisses RB Jalen Berger from the football program

Wisconsin dismisses RB Jalen Berger from the football program

Wisconsin has dismissed redshirt freshman running back Jalen Berger from the football program, according to a press release.

Berger carried the ball 24 times for the Badgers this season, totalling 88 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He also caught 2 passes for 17 yards.

The news comes a day after Berger did not appear in Wisconsin’s 24-0 victory over Illinois.

Related: Big Ten power rankings after Week 6 — Hey, Iowa

Here is the full release:

Redshirt freshman running back Jalen Berger has been dismissed from the Wisconsin football program, UW head coach Paul Chryst announced Sunday.

Berger, a native of Newark, N.J., appeared in seven career games for the Badgers, carrying the ball 84 times for 389 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He also had four career receptions for 30 yards.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Wisconsin football: Snap count breakdowns that need to change on Saturday

Wisconsin football: Snap count breakdowns that need to change on Saturday

The Wisconsin offense has struggled mightily through the team’s first three games this season. The unit put up 10 points against Penn State thanks to historic red zone woes and scored only 13 against Notre Dame while the Fighting Irish defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Production just hasn’t been there across the board. Graham Mertz has struggled to find open receivers and take care of the football, the offensive line is yet to find an effective five-man group and the running game still leaves a bit to be desired.

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

So entering this weekend’s crucial matchup with No. 14 Michigan, what will Paul Chryst and his staff need to change about their attack? Let’s start with the snap count breakdown from last weekend’s game because there were some real head-scratchers.

BallySports’ Dave Heller tweeted out those snap count dispersions earlier in the week. Here are those numbers and what Chryst will need to change on Saturday:

Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst comments on Jalen Berger’s status within the RB room

Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst comments on Jalen Berger’s status within the RB room

One of Wisconsin football’s major storylines during and after Week 1’s 16-10 loss to Penn State was the playing time, or lack thereof, of sophomore running back Jalen Berger.

Berger figured to enter the season as one of the main contributors in the backfield, alongside Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo. Well, he ended up not playing a single snap during the contest while Mellusi carried the ball 31 times and Guerendo 13.

After the game, Chryst said it was more of what Mellusi and Guerendo were doing than what Berger wasn’t.

“Jalen’s had a good approach — we also like what Chez and Isaac have done,” Chryst said. “The way the game played out, we weren’t thinking we needed to go with three (tailbacks) at the time…Just because he didn’t play doesn’t mean he’s doing something wrong. It’s also (we) liked what Chez did and Isaac did.”

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The answer was typical Chryst coach-speak and didn’t provide much clarity about the situation.

Well, today the Badger head coach spoke more clearly about the sophomore running back, saying there “isn’t a sideshow going on” with him in the backfield.

“With Jalen, he’s had a good week of practice,” Chryst said. “He was doing some good things before…A part of it is we had a lot of snaps last game. But I don’t know how many times we really felt like we were in a great rhythm. I think that always helps when you can get guys in and guys in a rhythm…But I’ve liked the way that Jalen has practiced this week. There is not a sideshow going on. He’s a guy that has had success before and was young last year, a true freshman. As long as he continues to approach it the right way and work, which he’s been doing, had a good week of practice. His opportunities will come.”

Related: Everything you need to know about the 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles

If Berger comes on and carries the ball a lot against Eastern Michigan it will mirror his 2020 campaign in a lot of ways, as Berger didn’t see the field in the team’s opener against Illinois yet came on and was a key piece of the offense during their next contest.

Only time will tell whether Berger figures to be a big piece of the backfield this season. From what Chryst said today, it seems like he’s still very much in the rotation to receive snaps moving forward.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Wisconsin has depth chart changes at RB for Week 2

Wisconsin updates the Week 2 depth chart at RB:

Heading into Week 1 against Penn State, one of the bigger questions surrounding Wisconsin’s depth came at RB. No, this wasn’t a question of would the Badgers have enough at the position, but rather of how to deal with the many potential options for snaps. An embarrassment of riches is not the worst problem to have. On Saturday, they certainly looked like a group that will be a strength all season.

There were, however, unexpected surprises in terms of distributing the carries. Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi was listed as the top back, and he certainly looked the part. Mellusi had 31 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown despite his offensive line struggling against the Nittany Lions. Next in line was not second-year Badger Jalen Berger, but instead speedster Isaac Guerendo who carried the ball 13 times for a productive 56 yards.

Berger, in fact, did not see the field on Saturday despite being active. No reason was given postgame for why the New Jersey native was on the sideline. Despite not having Berger, the Badgers RB tandem ended up being the strength of the offense.

Heading into Week 2 against Eastern Michigan, depth chart changes at RB are small but noteworthy. Thanks to Jake Kocorowski of BadgerBlitz on Twitter, here is a look at those changes:

With Berger and Guerendo getting that “OR” designation, it feels like we will again see Mellusi and Guerendo as the 1-2 punch on Saturday. If there is any time to see a heavy dose of all three, it would be at Camp Randall in Week 2.

Wisconsin RB Jalen Berger named to Doak Walker Award Watch List

Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger was named to the prestigious Doak Walker Award Watch List on Wednesday morning:

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On Wednesday morning, Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger was named to the prestigious Doak Walker Award Watch List. It is awarded to the best running back in college football every season.

Related: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

Many Badgers fans may be familiar with the Doak Walker Award because Wisconsin running backs have won the award five times. Some notable Wisconsin alumni of the award include two-time winner Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and Ron Dayne. Former Wisconsin running back Nakia Watson was also named to the watch list for the award before last season.

After a promising true freshman season where Berger averaged 6.5 yards per carry, it is no surprise to see high expectations for the sophomore running back with a full offseason under his belt.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Five worst-case scenarios for the Wisconsin Badgers this season

We are 14 Saturdays away from Wisconsin taking the field at Camp Randall Stadium and kicking off their 2021 football season. 2020 brought

We are 14 Saturdays away from Wisconsin taking the field at Camp Randall Stadium and kicking off their 2021 football season.

2020 brought a flurry of worst-case scenarios for the team, as starting QB Jack Coan broke his foot before the season, the program experienced a COVID-19 outbreak, injuries plagued a few top positions and Graham Mertz wasn’t able to find his rhythm.

Related: The 2021 Wisconsin Badgers may have multiple paths to reach the College Football Playoff

2021 will probably bring a few more best-case scenarios for Paul Chryst’s team. But today, I’m here to look at the five worst-case scenarios (again) for the 2021 Wisconsin Badgers:

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Rivals links Wisconsin football with former 4-star Clemson RB

In an article by Mike Farrell of Rivals, he links the Wisconsin Badgers with former Clemson running back and 247sports 4-star Chez Mellusi.

In an article released by Mike Farrell of Rivals, Farrell links the Wisconsin Badgers with former Clemson running back and 247Sports four-star recruit Chez Mellusi. Mellusi entered his name into the transfer portal yesterday after spending two years with the Tigers.

Mellusi signed to Clemson in 2019 and rushed for 427 yards in his career on 71 carries. The Naples, Florida, native rushed for only 151 yards in his second season on 27 carries, compared to 276 yards on 44 carries in his freshman season.

Farrell mentioned Purdue, Wisconsin, Liberty, UCF, Louisville and Vanderbilt are pursuing Mellusi, but “right now it is the Badgers that are the most aggressive, and they are certainly attractive to running backs.”

Mellusi would provide key depth alongside Jalen Berger to a Wisconsin backfield that lost Garret Groshek and Nakia Watson this offseason.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

2021 Wisconsin football position preview: Running backs and fullbacks

The Wisconsin football program took the field for spring practice last week, doing so for the first time since the 2019 offseason. There are

The Wisconsin football program took the field for spring practice last week, doing so for the first time since the 2019 offseason.

As head coach Paul Chryst noted in a press conference, it was the first spring practice for 44 players on the roster. Yes, 44.

There are a lot of worthy questions to ask about the 2021 Wisconsin Badgers, especially after a 4-3 2020 campaign that saw inconsistent play from multiple positions.

This spring we’re out to answer those questions and provide clarity on what the team will look like when they take the field in September.

So for the first edition of BadgersWire’s spring position previews, here is a breakdown of the running back and fullback positions:

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