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Wisconsin Football Trying to Flip Penn State Running Back Commit

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Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen
Oct 22, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

This past week, Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football coaching staff handed out a new scholarship offer to Kiandrea Barker, a four-star tailback in the 2025 recruiting class.

That tidbit of information is more intriguing when you consider that the offer made to Barker out of The Woodlands in Texas went to a player already committed to Penn State in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Barker, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound RB, is a high school teammate of 2024 Wisconsin football commit Mabrey Mettauer, who gave his verbal commitment to the Badgers last December.

The industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings have Barker as the No. 172 recruit in the 2025 class, the No. 18 running back, and the No. 28 prospect to hail from Texas.

As it stands, he has offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Miami, Missouri, Ole Miss, Pitt, SMU, TCU, UCF, and UNLV.

Can Wisconsin Football Flip the Four-Star Running Back?

From what I’ve heard, Wisconsin football is relatively new in Kiandrea Barker’s recruitment, and Penn State was considered one of his dream schools.

That said, there are still two years before he steps foot on campus, so there is plenty of time for Luke Fickell and running backs coach Devon Spalding to form a relationship and work to get him on campus. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ll have his QB1, Mabrey Mettauer, in his ear, helping recruit the speedy tailback to RBU.

It’s not all that difficult to sell the Wisconsin football program to running backs when you’ve rolled out a laundry list of star tailbacks such as Ron Dayne, Montee Ball, James White, Melvin Gordon, Jonathan Taylor, and more recently, Braelon Allen.

If Wisconsin truly wants to enter the race for Barker, there is more than enough time to complete the flip. However, flipping someone from a storied program like Penn State will be challenging.

Wisconsin Football Transfer Wide Receiver CJ Williams Has Star Potential


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Wisconsin Football Attempting to Flip ACC Commit, Recruiting Updates, More

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Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader carries the Wisconsin flag following a score during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a busy couple of days for the Wisconsin football program, especially on the recruiting front, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important Badgers news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Trying to Flip a Defensive Line Commit 

Defensive line coach Greg Scruggs and the Wisconsin football program recently offered 2024 Pittsburgh commit Francis Brewu out of Columbus, Ohio, who committed to the Panthers in March.

According to the industry-generated composite rankings, he’s the No. 88 DL in the country and the No. 39 player in Ohio.

Brewu, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound three-star defensive lineman, registered 25 tackles and 12.5 sacks for Thomas Worthington High School as a junior.

It’s unknown whether or not Wisconsin has a real chance to flip the ACC commit, but from what I’m hearing, the Badgers coaching staff is trying to get him on campus for an official visit in June.

Wisconsin Football Makes the Cut for 2024 Offensive Tackle 

Wisconsin football currently holds just one offensive line commit in the 2024 recruiting cycle: four-star OT Derek Jensen, who pledged to the Badgers in April. However, they still need several more bodies at the position and made the cut for one of their top remaining targets.

Three-star offensive tackle Ronan O’Connell announced his top three schools: Clemson, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, O’Connell is the No. 39 OT in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 13 player in Tennessee.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Tennessee native probably projects best at guard in college and has an official visit on the books to visit Madison on June 9.

Other Wisconsin Football News

After Wisconsin football coaches flew out to Maryland to watch 2024 cornerback Lloyd Irvin workout in person, the coaching staff extended him a scholarship offer, and he wasted no time repaying the favor, scheduling an official visit to Madison shortly after that.

Irvin, a 6-foot-3 unranked cornerback prospect who holds offers from Michigan, Maryland, Boston College, Michigan State, West Virginia, and several others, will be on campus for an official visit the weekend of June 9-11.

“They’re a big contender,” Irvin said. “This coaching staff at Wisconsin has experience getting long cornerbacks into the league and helping them develop.”

Although he’s not currently ranked in the industry-generated recruiting rankings, some major schools are involved or circling, so this could be a sneaky talent worth locking down to develop.

It would be an understatement to say that the Badgers’ defensive coaching staff has a type with their defensive backs. If you don’t have plus size and length, you can forget about getting an offer from Wisconsin at this point.


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Wisconsin Football Recruiting: Badgers Trending for a Pair of Four-Star RBs

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Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) runs the ball toward the end zone against the Oklahoma State Cowboys as his teammate wide receiver Chimere Dike (13) begins to react during the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Game at Chase Field on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Ncaa Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin football program’s running back room is in an interesting spot approaching the 2023 season.

For the last two seasons, the two-headed monster of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi has handled the tailback duties. However, with Mellusi entering his final year of eligibility and Allen potentially leaving for the NFL, the future of the running back room has some question marks.

While players like Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker will be next in line, they’re unproven tailbacks. Because of that, finding a running back (or multiple) in the 2024 recruiting cycle is critical. 

Luckily, Wisconsin is firmly in the running to land a pair of talented four-star running backs.

Wisconsin football is firmly in the running for Darrion Dupree and Dillin Jones

The Badgers have heavily recruited in Illinois over the past few years. One of UW’s top targets in the 2024 cycle, Darrion Dupree, hails from the Chicagoland area, and Wisconsin is in a great spot to land the dynamic tailback.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Dupree is the No. 369 player in the nation, the No. 34 running back, and the No. 8 player in Illinois. 

Multiple recruiting sites have submitted predictions for Dupree to land in Madison. With Wisconsin seemingly leading the charge in his recruitment, Dupree will head to Madison for an official visit on June 2nd. He’ll be one of many prospects in attendance as a massive recruiting weekend awaits the Wisconsin football program.

Another top running back prospect, Dilin Jones, has also set an official visit date with Wisconsin. The four-star athlete will head to UW on June 16th before trips to Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Maryland. 

According to the 247Sports Composite, Jones is the No. 177 player in the nation, the No. 11 tailback, and the No. 4 player in Maryland.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound running back was recently named the top performer at the Under Armour All-American Camp. He spoke with 247Sports’ Brian Dohn following the camp and named Wisconsin as one of the top contenders in his recruitment. 

Jones wants to decide which school he’ll attend in the summer, but no official commitment date has been announced. If Wisconsin can work some magic during his official, they could be in an excellent spot to land the standout from Good Counsel.

Final Thoughts

With Allen and Mellusi likely on the way out, Wisconsin is in a prime spot to land these prospects. One of the major selling points for the four-star tailbacks will be the potential for immediate playing time. If Fickell and company can make that a point of emphasis, I think UW has the potential to land both prospects.

If I had to give my prediction, I’d say I feel really good about UW landing Dupree. Jones will be a tougher recruiting battle, but I certainly wouldn’t count the Badgers out.

The Wisconsin football program currently holds eight commitments in the 2024 cycle.


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Wisconsin Football News: Badgers Make the Cut for 4-Star Safety, New Offer, More

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Sep 10, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers logo on a flag prior to the game against the Washington State Cougars at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a busy few days for the Wisconsin football program. Don’t worry; Badger Notes has you covered with the latest UW news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers make the cut for 2024 4-star safety

Wisconsin made the top choices for a standout safety in the 2024 class. Four-star safety Koy Beasley announced his top four schools on Twitter.

According to the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot, 180-pound safety is the No. 216 player in the nation, the No. 17 safety, and the No. 7 player in Ohio.

Beasley is set to make an official visit to Wisconsin on June 16th before traveling to Purdue on June 23rd. Afterward, the Ohio native will have a quick turnaround to make his decision, as he set a commitment date for June 28th.

Beasley is a standout safety with top-tier athleticism that would be an excellent fit for the program. We will see if Fickell can work some magic to bring in the sought-after athlete.

Wisconsin football offers the No. 1 player in Minnesota

The Badgers extended an offer to the top player in Minnesota on Sunday. Four-star EDGE Wyatt Gilmore took to Twitter to announce the offer.

According to 247Sports, Gilmore is the No. 499 player nationally, the No. 20 edge rusher, and the No. 1 player in Minnesota.

The four-star athlete currently holds 15 offers. Notable schools to offer a scholarship include Oregon, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, Kansas State, and others.

Gilmore is a tenacious edge rusher with a quick burst off of the line and some unique block-shedding abilities. Gilmore could be a high-level impact player if Wisconsin is able to land his services.

Former Wisconsin football running back finds a new home

Former Badgers tailback Julius Davis has found a new home. The Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin native announced his commitment to Montana State on Saturday.

Davis entered the portal in April after three years with the Wisconsin football program. The former Badgers tailback was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and looked to be a player who could be an essential piece to the running back room. However, the 5-foot-10, 201-pound running back saw limited run in his time with the Badgers, posting 35 carries and 200 yards in eight career games.

Davis will have two years of remaining eligibility. With his skill set, he could finally reach his full potential at Montana State.

Wisconsin Football Still Has One Glaring Roster Hole to Address This Offseason


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