Wisconsin Football: 3 Unproven Players to Watch in the ReliaQuest Bowl

The Wisconsin football program is gearing up to take on LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl as the Badgers look to put a bow on the 2023 season. 

With loads of opt-outs and transfers since the end of the regular season, Wisconsin will have to lean on some of its unproven talent to defeat the Tigers. Here are three key players to watch on New Year’s Day.

Wisconsin Football RB Jackson Acker

Jackson Acker will take the RB1 spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl, with Braelon Allen preparing for the NFL and Chez Mellusi still working his way back from a leg injury. 

The redshirt sophomore had to take on some of the workload in the regular season due to Mellusi’s injury and Allen playing banged up — and to his credit — he was serviceable in his time on the field. Acker recorded 58 carries for 236 yards and a touchdown in his first season after making the switch from fullback. 

This game will be an interesting one to diagnose the future of this Badgers running back group. Mellusi is returning for one last season in Madison — and he’ll undoubtedly be RB1 — but the question is, who will back him up? UW will have Acker and Cade Yacamelli returning, who both saw time in 2023, but the Badgers will also have three true freshmen running backs coming in. On top of that, Wisconsin just picked up a transfer commitment from Oklahoma RB Tawee Walker on Friday. 

If Acker can put out some good tape, he may be able to stay in the mix for playing time, even with all the new talent coming in. 

Wisconsin Football WR CJ Williams

When CJ Williams transferred in from USC last season, it was a big boost to Wisconsin’s receiving room. The Badgers were able to reel in a former consensus top-75 player in the nation and top-10 receiver, and while he did get some playing time this season, Williams was often overlooked for the likes of Chimere Dike, Skyler Bell, Will Pauling, and Bryson Green. 

The ReliaQuest Bowl will be a significant opportunity for the California native, as he could be given the starting nod with Dike reuniting with Graham Mertz in Florida. Bell, another big contributor for UW, is also in the portal looking for a new home. While Pauling and Green are playing in the bowl game and will likely see the bulk of the targets, Williams has a shot to get himself more firmly in the mix next season with a good performance in the bowl game.

In the regular season, Williams recorded 15 receptions for 158 yards, good for fifth on the team in both categories. 

Wisconsin Football LB Christian Alliegro

With former starting linebacker Jordan Turner off to East Lansing, true freshman Christian Alliegro should see some extended time on the field in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

The Connecticut native has seen lots of time on the field in special teams, but he also got some spot reps at linebacker this season. His stat sheet reads four tackles, two pressures, a TFL, and a pass deflection, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Alliegro showed some real flashes of potential in his first year with his blend of physicality and speed, and if he can carry that momentum into the bowl game, he’ll be one of the most important unproven players to watch. 

Maema Njongmeta will fill the starting role for Jordan Turner alongside Jake Chaney, but Alliegro will definitely see the field in the two-deep. It will be exciting to see if the true freshman can live up to the task and make his case for even more playing time in 2024.

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