Wisconsin FB News: Badgers Lose RB to Transfer Portal, Braelon Allen Honored, More
Your weekly Wisconsin football news recap.
It's been a busy couple of days for the Wisconsin football program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important news you may have missed.
Badgers Lose Running Back to Transfer Portal
After four seasons with the Wisconsin football program, running back Julius Davis has officially entered the transfer portal and will finish his collegiate career elsewhere.
“I’d like to thank God for all of the blessings and opportunities you have provided me,” Davis said in a statement announcing his decision. “I am grateful for all of my relationships that have been built with the coaches, my brothers, and those I have met throughout my time at the University of Wisconsin. I’d like to thank Paul Chryst and John Settle for giving me an opportunity to be a part of this brotherhood that I will always cherish. To coach [Luke] Fickell and staff, thank you for bringing in a new mindset to this program and showing our team what greatness consists of. I will be graduating with my bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison this spring while exploring options to maximize my remaining eligibility.”
In four seasons with UW, the Wisconsin native carried the ball just 35 times for 200 yards while catching the ball once for an additional three yards.
With the Badgers returning several talented running backs in 2023, including Braelon Allen, Chez Mellusi, and Jackson Acker, Davis faced an uphill battle for playing time. Rather than wait and hope for a chance to emerge, he has decided to take matters into his own hands and search for a situation where he can play a more significant role.
The 6-foot, 200-pound tailback has two years of eligibility remaining.
Wisconsin Has a Walter Camp Preseason All-American
The first preseason honors have rolled out, and Wisconsin has a representative in junior Braelon Allen, who earned a nod to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America team as the second-team running back.
In 2022, Allen earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades after carrying the ball 230 times for 1,242 yards (5.4 YPC) and 11 touchdowns. He also caught a career-high 13 passes for 104 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-2, 238-pound tailback registered 671 yards after contact, 2.92 yards after contact per attempt, and was the highest-graded starting offensive player for the Badgers (79.6).
Allen, a Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin native, could be in line for his best season yet under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who intends to space out defenses, allowing for more prominent running lanes.
Other Wisconsin Football News
Last weekend, following an unofficial visit to Madison, 247Sports recruiting insider Evan Flood placed a crystal ball prediction for the Wisconsin Badgers to land 2024 four-star running back Darrion Dupree out of Chicago, Illinois.
"It's a running back school," he told 247Sports. "Can't go wrong with that. The offensive line they always have a good offensive line. Then coach Fickell overall; I just know he'll develop me as a person.
According to the 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 360 player in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 35 RB in the country, and the No. 8 player in Illinois.
You can watch his HUDL film here.
Dupree currently holds 28 offers, most notably from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and several other Power 5 programs.
The Badgers expect to take two RBs in the 2024 recruiting cycle, and it's clear that Luke Fickell and his staff are prioritizing the 5-foot-10, 190-pound tailback from Mt. Carmel High School.
No commitment is imminent, but the shifty tailback reportedly scheduled an official visit in June before leaving campus, and all indications point towards Wisconsin being in the driver's seat.
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