Will Wisconsin Football Take Three Running Backs in the 2024 Cycle?

On Saturday, the Wisconsin football program picked up its first tailback commit in the 2024 cycle. Three-star RB Gideon Ituka took to Twitter to announce his commitment. 

SEALED DEAL 1000% COMMITTED!! 🔴⚪️🦡@jgpvisuals #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/ci5lsjHoPy

— Gideon Ituka 🇨🇲 (@GideonItuka25) June 17, 2023

Ituka was one of UW’s top running back targets and the first domino to fall as the Badgers look to fill a colossal need with Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi entering their final year as Badgers.

Wisconsin is looking to take at least two running backs in the 2024 class. Ituka filled one of the spots, but four-star tailbacks Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones are still on UW’s board. So that begs the question, will Wisconsin take three running backs in the class?

Where Wisconsin football stands with Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones

Dilin Jones, a top-15 running back in the 2024 class, just wrapped up an official visit this past weekend.

Jones has kept his recruitment rather hush-hush thus far, giving out very little indication of which school he is leaning toward. However, Wisconsin impressed the four-star prospect during his official.

“It was way better than I thought,” Jones told 247Sports, “I got there, it was a beautiful city, restaurants all around, the capitol is right there, surrounded by lakes. I loved it.”

Wisconsin is also in the running for Darrion Dupree, who has had Wisconsin at the top of his list for quite some time now. The standout from Mount Carmel, Illinois, took an official to Wisconsin on the massive June 2nd recruiting weekend and is still the team to beat in his recruitment. 

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Dupree is the No. 367 player in the nation, the No. 32 RB, and the No. 8 player in Illinois.

Dupree has been UW’s No. 1 running back target from the jump. The four-star prospect would be an every-down back if he pulls the trigger on a commitment, but will the Badgers have room for him?

Will Wisconsin football take three running backs?

Looking at the tailbacks remaining on UW’s board, it’s hard to imagine they’ll turn away Jones or Dupree, even if they have two running back commits. Having the chance to take two highly-touted running backs does not come often. If the opportunity presents itself, I don’t see Luke Fickell and company passing up on either.

The most important prospect to follow right now is Dupree. The Illinois native wants to be the “the guy” for a program, and if the Badgers land a commitment from Dilin Jones, that could make Dupree look closer at other options.

Jones is still making his rounds on official visits, with a trip to Florida State coming this weekend. On the flip side, Dupree will visit Missouri on his last official this weekend. 

Although the Wisconsin football staff wants to wrap up the recruiting class as soon as possible, letting things play out is the name of the game right now. Both prospects have UW at the top of their list, but letting the players sort out where they want to go is the priority. 

If Jones and Dupree both want to commit, I don’t expect the staff to say no to either player. Both prospects can compete for playing time from the jump and could be a dynamic one-two punch down the road. 

Running back recruiting will be something to watch as UW continues to build a strong 2024 class. As it stands, the Wisconsin football program holds 16 commits, good for the No. 14 class in the country. 

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