The Wisconsin football program has been as good as any at producing star-caliber running backs over the last 15-20 years. You know the names: Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and James White.
What’s as impressive, even, is the depth at the position. Former Badgers including Corey Clement, Alec Ingold and Dare Ogunbowale have all made legitimate impacts at the next level.
I’m not going to litigate “Running Back U,” or anything along those lines. But it doesn’t take a genius to notice who is next in that line of greatness: rising junior Braelon Allen.
Despite being hampered by lingering injuries, Allen has amassed 2510 rushing yards in his first two seasons in Madison. The stats also include 23 touchdowns, a yards-per-carry clip of 6 and 143 receiving yards. Again, all of that done without being fully healthy or carrying the ball 30+ times per game for a full 12-game season.
The Big Ten Network on Twitter posted a few great notes earlier this afternoon. It got Ball, Gordon, White and Taylor to all chime in on the greatness of Wisconsin’s current running back.
Here’s what the Wisconsin legends had to say:
We had @BadgerFootball RB legends tell us what makes @BraelonAllen so special. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ECitlr37Vj
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) July 6, 2023
It is also worth noting Allen will not turn 20 years old until after the 2023 season concludes. Given health, he has a lot of terrific football left ahead.