Ad Disclosure
Wisconsin RBs coach on Braelon Allen: ‘He wants to be great’
Published:
Braelon Allen had one of the best seasons a true freshman could produce in 2021. After starting the year down on the running back depth chart, he emerged as the top ball carrier the Badgers put on the field.
Allen ended his first year in Madison by rushing for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the way for Wisconsin. He hit the 100-yard mark in 8 of his final 9 games, including a stretch of 7-straight 100-yard performances.
That’s just the beginning for the young back.
Wisconsin running backs coach Al Johnson talked about the benefit of working with Allen during spring ball this year. The sophomore ball carrier isn’t satisfied with last year’s numbers.
“The best part working with him is that he wants to be great,” Johnson told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “He wants to push himself. He wants to get better. He wants to find the things that can keep moving him forward and elevate his game.”
#Badgers RB coach Al Johnson on TB Braelon Allen: "The best part working with him is that he wants to be great. He wants to push himself. He wants get better. He wants to find the things that can keep moving him forward and elevate his game."
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) March 28, 2022
Allen flipped back-and-forth between playing linebacker and running back before settling into the backfield role for the Badgers. Once he got adjusted to the offense, he was one of the toughest players in the B1G to stop.
With Chez Mellusi returning to the backfield next season, Wisconsin has the opportunity to have one of the most punishing backfields in the conference. Big surprise out of Madison, right?
After an outstanding freshman season, Allen is hungry to get even better. It’s the attitude coaches want every player to adopt during the offseason.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB