The Wisconsin Badgers enter the 2024 football season with many more questions than answers surrounding the team.
There are legitimate unknowns, including whether Phil Longo’s aerial attack can work in year two, what veteran quarterback Tyler Van Dyke brings to the team, how Mike Tressel’s defense performs after a transfer-heavy offseason and, most importantly, how the team will act. against a challenging schedule.
Related: Phil Steele Ranks Wisconsin Football’s 2024 Position Groups Compared to the Rest of the Big Ten
Along these lines, there is a thought that is constantly used when predicting the Badgers’ upcoming season: “Wisconsin has lost star running back Braelon Allen, which will hurt the team’s accelerated production.”
Allen is a household name across the country and rushed for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns on 181 carries in 2023. He became a star after a big freshman season in 2021. But his production in 2023 didn’t necessarily add up to that billing. .
The loss of a star name like Allen will appear in every magazine and preview paragraph. But these previews will inevitably ignore the team’s returning super-senior Chez Mellusi and Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker.
I predict Mellusi and Walker will surpass Allen and Jackson Acker’s 2023 season in total (1,306 combined yards, 14 rushing touchdowns). In other words: They form a 1-2 punch that makes this running back corps an upgrade from last season.
Mellusi is back for his final collegiate season after suffering a demoralizing season-ending injury in the Badgers’ win over Purdue in Week 4 of 2023.
The former Clemson Tiger has been just as productive when he’s been on the field (career 5.0 yards per carry, 6.0 yards per carry in 2023 before the injury). But the big question is his health, which must be taken into consideration when discussing this tandem.
Mellusi is a true top running back when healthy. That health should only be improved by Walker’s presence.
Walker transferred to Wisconsin this offseason after two years at Oklahoma. His role with the Sooners grew significantly in 2023, which led to a final stat line of 102 carries, 513 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He alone isn’t a top running back in the Big Ten, especially considering how good the conference is at the position. But the duo of Mellusi and Walker could be as productive as any this season.
Phil Steele ranks Wisconsin’s running back room 6th in the Big Ten to start the year. Ohio State is an easy #1 with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Penn State is number 2 with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Steele then ranks Minnesota, Oregon It is Michigan respectively ahead of Wisconsin.
I’m betting the Badgers’ running back duo, healthy, not only surpasses the team’s rushing production in 2023, but also moves up to third on the Big Ten leaderboard.
So yes, Wisconsin’s running back duo is overlooked and underrated heading into the season. May be updated compared to last season’s group.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to keep up with ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinions.
