Wisconsin Football Added One of PFF’s Top-Graded Transfer RBs

Amidst the offseason craziness, the Wisconsin Badgers made notable strides to improve their football program in the transfer portal.

Luke Fickell and his staff secured a total of 12 new transfer players, headlined by acquisitions like quarterback Tyler Van Dyke from Miami, Jaheim Thomas from Arkansas, and inside linebacker Tackett Curtis from USC.

According to On3, the Wisconsin Badgers transfer class is the No. 10 ranked group in the country and No. 2 among Big Ten programs, trailing only the recently added Oregon Ducks.

Among the standout additions lies the relatively under-the-radar name of former Oklahoma running back Tawee Walker. With Braelon Allen’s departure to the NFL and Chez Mellusi recovering from injury, the Badgers needed to add some depth to their running back room.

Enter Walker, who was heralded as the third-highest-graded Power 5 transfer running back this offseason, according to Pro Football Focus. The Las Vegas native finished with a (82.6) grade, which trailed only Quinshon Judkins and Jonah Coleman among transfer backs.

Highest graded transfer Running Backs👀 pic.twitter.com/kFyFsh6oaT

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 13, 2024

Walker, who will play out his final season with the Wisconsin football team, finished with the 43rd-highest grade in the entire country among RBs who played at least 20% of snaps in 2023. 

Wisconsin Football Added One of PFF’s Top Graded Transfer RBs 

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) celebrates with running back Tawee Walker (29) after Sawchuk scored a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.

In a perfect world, Tawee Walker will be an excellent complimentary running back to Wisconsin football veteran Chez Mellusi.

Lack of depth at tailback came back to bite the Badgers last season when Mellusi went down, and Braelon Allen got dinged up. So, depth became an issue they weren’t willing to let fester again, hence the addition of Walker.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Las Vegas native transitioned from junior college to Oklahoma as a walk-on in the spring of 2022 and quickly rose up the depth chart. Walker finished 2023 with a team-leading 513 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries and 81 receiving yards on 10 receptions.

Walker finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 83.3, which is considered high quality, and accumulated 302 of his 513 yards after contact. He also accounted for 11 runs of 10+ yards for the Sooners offense.

Additionally, PFF gave him elite grades as a ball carrier (88.1) and for ball security (87.3).

His elusiveness, power, and versatility should make Walker a nice fit in the Wisconsin football team’s spread offense.

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