Wisconsin football spring questions: the running back position
With spring practice set to begin in the next week or so, we are just days away from the Wisconsin Badgers being back on the practice field.
With a number of key additions and subtractions to the roster, as well as a revamped coaching staff, this spring will provide us the first look at what next year's football team might look like when they open up against Illinois State on September 3.
Previous spring previews:
Today we continue our position-by-position look at the major questions heading into the spring for the Badgers with a look at the running back room.
Braelon Allen (Sophomore)
Chez Mellusi (Senior)
Isaac Guerendo (Senior)
Julius Davis (RS Junior)
Brady Schipper (RS Senior)
What does Braelon Allen have in store for year two?
Braelon Allen blossomed into one of the best running backs in the entire country a year ago, and the now 18-year-old will be participating in his first spring camp.
After making the jump to college a year early last summer, it took Allen a few games to get a chance, but from there he displayed why he was a four-star talent out of high school. Playing in 12 games, Allen tallied 1,268 yards (6.8 ypc) and 12 touchdowns.
Already a physically imposing specimen with incredible balance and strength, how Braelon Allen continues to round out his game will be exciting to watch this spring.
The Badgers worked to get Allen more involved in the passing game as the season wore on a year ago, but with a full off-season, pass protection is an area of potential growth that could help Wisconsin become more potent.
Who will be available and healthy?
Isaac Guerendo and Chez Mellusi each missed the latter part of last season due to significant leg injuries. The two upperclassmen of the running back room neither are expected to participate this spring as they recover from surgery.
If Guerendo and Mellusi indeed miss the spring as expected, it could provide more opportunities for Julius Davis and Brady Schipper to further gain the trust of the staff and carve out a role for the 2022 season.
Davis was a highly-touted running back out of high school that has yet to reach his full potential and has only been used sparingly. Shipper on the other hand is a walk-on who has beaten the odds to see playing time over some of his scholarship teammates. How the two former in-state recruits play this spring could determine their future with the program.
Who will be coaching the running backs?
As reported last week, Wisconsin is reportedly set to hire Al Johnson to the offensive coaching staff. Given the uncertainty surrounding the health of Gary Brown, who coached the running backs a year ago, Johnson is expected to take over the position room.
Johnson doesn't have experience coaching the position though, and the athletic department has yet to officially announce his hiring or position of focus. The running back position was far from a problem a year ago, but in Wisconsin's offense, the backfield is incredibly important. I for one will be interested to see how Johnson, or whoever oversees the position group, helps navigate injury concerns and the development of a young superstar.
