Coach on 2020 Wisconsin Commit Jalen Berger: "He Lived Up to All the Hype”

Before becoming head coach of Don Bosco Prep, Dan Sabella saw Jalen Berger firsthand during the 2016 and 2017 season. That was when he led rival Paramus Catholic against the four-star back who was just starting to show signs of being one of the nation's best players in the 2020 class.

According to Sabella, who took over the duties as Ironmen head coach in early 2019, a freshman year performance by Berger acted as a form of coming out party during a 2016 regular season contest.

“I mean he had a monster game against us," Sabella told AllBadgers.com on Monday. "I want to say he went over 200 yards, and that was like his introduction to varsity football at Don Bosco so I was very aware of him. I was real excited obviously when I got the opportunity to come to Don Bosco to be able to coach him and be on the same team with him.

“He lived up to everything. I knew about him. I knew what type of player he was. He lived up to all the hype.”

After taking over at Don Bosco, Berger's work ethic jumped out to Sabella.

“Sometimes with high-profile guys and really talented guys, sometimes when you're going through the workouts and stuff, they're kind of just cruising or maybe not as engaged, and Jalen was always at every workout," Sabella said. "I was the new guy, and I was kind of sitting back and evaluating and looking at the kids. He loves to compete, and he loves to do all the offseason stuff, all the training, all the conditioning, stuff like that.

"I thought his intensity, and like I said, his participation ... was really 100%. I don't think he missed a workout all offseason and that impressed me because you need that from your leaders.”

Watching Berger's Hudl highlights, especially that of his senior year, shows why the recruiting services rate the New Jersey product so high. 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all rate him as a four-star talent, and the latter designates him as the No. 49 player in the country for this 2020 class.

Sabella recalled that his back ran for 1,243 yards on about 123 carries with 14 rushing touchdowns this season while also reeling in 28 catches for about 450 yards and four additional scores through the air.

Don Bosco runs a multiple spread scheme on offense, and Sabella noted that the staff moved him around, whether in the backfield, in the slot running fly sweeps or on the outside catching passes.

"That was one of the things I think that, hopefully he's going to be able to do at the college level as well is the kid has phenomenal hands," Sabella said. "I mean he catches the football so effortlessly and is such a smooth route runner that we just felt like we had to try to take advantage of that.

“We thought by forcing defenses to kind of have to guess where he's going to be -- ‘Is going to be in the slot? Is he going to be out wide in ‘X’ (receiver)? Is he going to be in the wing? Is he going to be in the backfield? Is he going to start on the left side and motion to the right side?' -- we tried to take advantage of that. And because he's so talented and able to, with his speed and his route running ability, obviously just figuring out ways to get the ball in his hands. Then when you want to be able to use him as a decoy a little bit to free up other guys, that's another advantage as well."

As seen this past season from running backs like the now-departed Jonathan Taylor -- who declared for the NFL Draft on Friday -- Sabella noted how Wisconsin can establish a power run game and dish out carries between the tackles but also bounce it to the perimeter with outside zone calls. Along with a "tremendous play action" game and getting the running backs out for screen passes, he believes that Berger can "flourish in that type of role."

From his perspective, Sabella believes Berger's strengths start with his overall explosiveness.

“He can make things happen with the ball in his hands," Sabella said. "He's an instinctive player, too. He’s got great football instincts. He processes things very well, and that’s a great combination to have along with the athletic ability that he obviously possesses.”

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