Braelon Allen 2.0: Wisconsin's star running back is ready to build on phenomenal freshman season
MADISON – Braelon Allen doesn't run from a challenge.
Remember it was the sophomore's idea to reclassify out of the 2022 class and join the Wisconsin football team a year early. Don’t forget he was set to join the program as a linebacker until he had a breakout final season running the ball at Fond du Lac High School. And after Allen was placed at running back, he dove into the playbook so well that when an injury opened the door to more playing time, he ran with the opportunity and became a star.
Therefore, the idea that he begins his second season of college ball as a marked man doesn’t faze him. In fact, the effect is the opposite.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “(Former Badger linebacker) Chris Orr was joking with me. He (said): ‘Those guys are in their meetings are circling No. 0. Stop this guy.’
“It motivates me even more that these guys are coming in here trying to stop me. You just can’t let that happen.”
That is a peek into the mindset of a player who enters the 2022 season more knowledgeable and confident than the one we saw a year ago. If the opponents found the 6-foot-2, 235-pound back was tough to deal with last year, then Braelon Allen 2.0 is really going to be a problem.
We will get our first look at Allen and the Badgers at 6 p.m. Saturday when UW plays host to Illinois State at Camp Randall Stadium.
“I always thought he had confidence, but know (that) you see a guy who has more confidence because of knowledge of the position, a guy who always wants to keep learning," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. "Some of the things that I think he understood (last year), he understands at a deeper level where it was I think I got that to I know I’ve got that.”
More: UW fullback Jackson Acker hopes to bring a new dimension to position
Allen’s freshman season was historic. With 1,268 yards, he joined Ron Dayne, James White and Jonathan Taylor as the only true freshmen to have 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Wisconsin. He had eight 100-yard games, including a school-record seven straight. His 6.82 yards per carry tied for the best average in the nation among backs with at least 140 carries.
The fact that can get lost in Allen’s performance is that he didn’t really get going until the fifth game of the season.
Expectations are significantly higher this season, but Allen said he feels no added pressure to perform.
“I plan on approaching it the same as last year, just take it day by day and learn something new every day and just develop,” Allen said. “I know as long as I’m working and being intentional about everything I’m doing, playing on Saturdays it will show.”
The return of Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo should lighten Allen's load
Allen's big-play ability and consistency were impressive for a guy who should have been playing high school ball last season. His nine runs of 30-plus yards were the most in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, only nine of his 186 carries went for negative yards.
Those numbers will be put to the test this year as he runs behind a reshaped offensive line that has just one player starting in the same spot as last season.
A bonus for Allen, however, could be the return to health of Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo, seniors who both didn’t finish last season due to injury. During the team's bowl preparation in December, Allen admitted he felt worn down during the late portion of the regular season.
"We helped each other a lot, pick up each other’s reps," Allen said. "When someone is tired, tap the helmet and someone else can get the job done. I think we can all play off each other and it’s great to have them back. They’ve been playing very well in camp. I’m excited to see them out there for sure."
Having all three backs in the mix should help keep Allen fresher this season, but so should some of the steps he took off the field. With an eye on helping his body recover quicker, he picked the brains of some of UW's former running backs to learn what worked for them and applied some of that to his regimen.
Massage therapy has become an even more integral part of that process.
"I did it last year but not as often,” he said. “Having them work different parts of my body, different things, sometimes the soft tissue, sometimes the deep tissue, just switching it up. I definitely can tell the difference.”
Improving as a receiving threat
Allen put work in on his game, too, improving his blocking and working to become more of a threat in the passing game.
Allen caught eight passes for 38 yards last season, third among running backs on the team last season. During the offseason the coaches asked where Allen wanted to grow his game and he said as a receiving threat. With first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Engram might come some wrinkles added to the passing game to help make that happen.
"There are some new routes the running backs have been working on a lot whether it’s out of the backfield, out wide or in slot,” Allen said. “I think Coach Engram is doing a great job of putting us in those positions to make us a little more versatile.”
That room for growth is part of the reason so much anticipation surrounds Allen's play this year.
He made the preseason award list for the Doak Walker (top running back) and Maxwell (most outstanding player) Awards. The Associated Press deemed him a second-team preseason All-American.
The bar is set high and Allen appears poised to deliver.
"I’ve been really impressed with him in the purposefulness of his preparation,” Chryst said. “He’s got a clear vision of who he wants to be. He’s got a clear understanding of who he is now and he’s not afraid to work.”
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen ready to build on freshman season
