A history of successful Wisconsin Badgers backs from New Jersey

Wisconsin's 2020 class received a big boost with the verbal commitment of four-star running back Jalen Berger on Saturday during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Tex.

Rivals ranks Berger as the No. 49 player in the nation for this recruiting cycle, and now he will join a talented class that includes fellow All-American Bowl invitees Jack Nelson and Trey Wedig.

Berger comes from Ramesy, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep), and of course, Wisconsin has seen significant success recruiting in that mid-Atlantic region previously.

The latest commit for the 2020 class still has his own story to be written at UW. That being said, AllBadgers.com breaks down four previous backs from "The Garden State" who made an impact at UW during their time in Madison.

Committed!! AGTG #OnWisconsin 🦡 pic.twitter.com/cZLXzNhdwq
— Jalen Berger (@JalenBerger) January 4, 2020

Ron Dayne

The all-time rushing leader in Wisconsin history (and NCAA history if the governing body would rightfully acknowledge his bowl game statistics), Dayne accumulated 7,125 yards on 5.84 yards per carry in his four-year career in Madison between 1996-99.

His 71 career rushing touchdowns rank second at UW to only Montee Ball, his 1,220 carries first by nearly 300 touches, and his career yards per attempt average fourth by a Badger.

According to UW, Dayne -- who came from Berlin, N.J. -- rushed for 100 or more yards 32 times and 200 or more yards 14 times. He accumulated 2,000 yards in a season twice, and his name continues to be prominently scattered throughout the school's record books.

Dayne claimed the 1999 Heisman Trophy in a year where he eclipsed the NCAA career rushing yards record, though San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey officially passed him in 2016.

Anthony Davis

From Plainfield, N.J., Davis currently ranks fifth in school history with 4,676 rushing yards after Jonathan Taylor (6,174) jumped him during the 2019 season. Carrying the rock between 2001-04, his 908 rushing attempts place him third at UW, while his 42 rushing touchdowns sit tied for seventh in program lore. For what it is worth, Taylor's 50 scores from the ground game surpassed him and other Badger backs this year that include James White, Melvin Gordon, Billy Marek and P.J. Hill in this category).

His 1,555-yard and 1,466-yard seasons in 2002 and 2001, respectively, now rank 14th and 18th in history for single-season marks. His career-high single-game performance came against Minnesota on Nov. 23, 2002 where he ran for 301 yards on 45 carries and five touchdowns in a win over the Gophers.

Corey Clement

247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all rated Clement as a four-star recruit coming from Glassboro, N.J.

He played in 43 games, 15 of those starts, during his four years at UW from 2013-16. His 3,092 yards ranks 13th, his 36 rushing scores 10th, and his 5.37 yards per carry ninth in school history.

Clement also finished his UW career with 15 100-yard rushing performances and claimed first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches in 2016. During that senior campaign, the current Philadelphia Eagle and Super Bowl champion ran for 1,375 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Jonathan Taylor

What more can be said about the Salem, N.J., back? After being rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports standalone rankings and Rivals, Taylor came to Wisconsin and set the college football world ablaze between the 2017 and 2019 seasons.

On Friday evening, he officially announced his intention to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, foregoing what would have been his senior year.

As stated in AllBadgers' article about Taylor's draft declaration:

A two-time unanimous first-team All-American, two-time Doak Walker Award winner and two-time Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year, the New Jersey native ran for 6,174 yards on 6.7 yards per carry and 50 rushing touchdowns.

He earned the distinction of being the seventh player in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to accumulate 6,000 rushing yards. However, Taylor achieved the feat in only three seasons, the first person to do so in that timeframe.

Wisconsin listed the FBS records set by the Salem, N.J., native in the same press release:

• Rushing yards by a freshman: 1,977

• Rushing yards by a sophomore: 2,194

• Rushing yards by a player through his sophomore season: 4,171

• Rushing yards by a player through his junior season: 6,174

• Rushing yards in any two-year span: 4,197

• Rushing yards in any three-year span: 6,174

*Historical data courtesy of Wisconsin's Fact Book