Will Braelon Allen stay at Wisconsin?
MADISON, Wis. (BVM) – The 2022 season has been a tumultuous one for the Wisconsin Badgers. Anything that could have gone wrong, has, and it has led to a lot of shake ups within the program. Could the next domino to fall be the departure of star running back Braelon Allen?
After losing three of the first five games of the season, including blowout losses at Ohio State and at home to Illinois, the Badgers decided to move on from longtime head coach Paul Chryst. In his place, Wisconsin promoted defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to interim head coach. From there, the Badgers continued to see mixed results, with strong wins against Northwestern, Maryland, and eventual Big Ten West winner Purdue, but also devastating defeats to Michigan State, Iowa and Minnesota.
Despite the ebbs and flows, it was widely assumed by most that Leonhard – who played for the Badgers from 2001-04 and has been an assistant at Wisconsin since 2016 – was in line to be named the program’s permanent head coach going forward.
Over the weekend, that all changed. Just hours following Wisconsin’s loss to Minnesota at Camp Randall, rumors began swirling that former Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell could become Wisconsin’s next coach. By Sunday morning, the news was confirmed.
𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝚰𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝚰𝐒𝐎𝐍
Welcome @CoachFick ! pic.twitter.com/ybE9U3b3nu
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 27, 2022
While the future of the Wisconsin program looks bright with the 2021 National Coach of the Year now at the helm, there still might be some trying times ahead before things get better. Following Fickell’s hire, many current Badgers players were reportedly frustrated and disappointed that their beloved former coach in Leonhard did not get the full-time job, with several taking to social media to further voice their displeasure and curiosity.
Coach leonard was the most brilliant guy I ever learned from. Just baffling man
— Justin Clark (@jclark_24_) November 27, 2022
Losing jimmy Leonhard will be the worse decision Wisconsin will ever make 🤷🏽♂️ I said what I said
— Eric Burrell (@EricBurrell_) November 27, 2022
Current players were not the only ones shocked by the hire, with fans, media and former players all weighing in with mixed emotions.
I think there's a very small list of guys you hire above Jim Leonhard.
Luke Fickell is either 1A or 1B.#Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) November 27, 2022
https://twitter.com/TroyFumagalli/status/1596940926915862528
Luke Fickell is huge for this program! It is now time to EXPECT greatness!
— Travis Beckum (@TravisBeckum47) November 27, 2022
Fickell met with the team shortly after he was hired, but Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh noted that “emotions were pretty raw” with the team’s continued support of Leonhard.
So, now the question becomes which players might leave Wisconsin to play elsewhere? Already this season, receivers Markus Allen and Stephan Bracey, quarterback Deacon Hill and offensive lineman Logan Brown all left the program. Several Class of 2023 commits have also re-opened their recruiting including Trey Pierce, Christopher Terek, Collin Dixon, Jamel Howard and Trech Kekahuna.
However, it remains to be seen what some of the biggest names in the program will do, such as Nick Herbig, Graham Mertz, and Allen.
For Allen, 2022 hasn’t quite been the season many expected following a breakout freshman campaign. In 2021, Allen didn’t earn a full-time role until early October, but he quickly ran with the starting job from there. The then 17-year-old freshman impressively compiled 1,268 rushing yards on the season, with the looks of becoming Wisconsin’s next great running back.
Allen’s 2022 season has not been bad by any means, as he still has rushed for 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, his yards-per-carry average has dropped from 7.1 to 5.4, and he failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark in five games before sitting out due to injury against Minnesota, with the low point coming in Wisconsin’s loss to Illinois in which Allen had eight carries for two yards.
While the numbers were down and some nicks and bruises caught up with the sophomore running back by the back half of the season, there is no denying he still has elite potential. Badger fans would love to see him back at Camp Randall in 2023, and it remains to be seen what kind of relationship Fickell and Allen will form to potentially make that happen.
If he doesn’t return and Allen decides to look to play elsewhere, there are plenty of suitors that could be fits for the star running back.
Michigan
Some of the late-season drama that occurred for the Badgers included rumors that Allen was considering transferring to Michigan. However, he was quick to address the rumors in a radio interview during “The Drew and KB Show” on Milwaukee’s 97.3 The Game, reinforcing his support for Wisconsin.
“The only thing I can really say for me is on Wisconsin,” Allen said. “And as long as Coach Leonhard is here, that’s where I’ll be.”
Of course, Leonhard is no longer the head coach at Wisconsin, and despite everything that has been said, all options might now be on the table again for Allen. If he leaves, it could be most likely he ends up at Michigan. The Wolverines have proven to be the cream of the crop in the Big Ten the last two seasons, and they have done so with strong defense and a tremendous running game. Blake Corum became a Heisman candidate in 2022, and Allen could be the next in line.
Other Big Ten schools
Born and raised in Wisconsin, it might make sense that Allen would not want to travel out of the Midwest for the remainder of his college career. If Michigan isn’t the answer, perhaps he would choose cross-state rival Michigan State, who already has a Wisconsin running back transfer on its roster currently in Jalen Berger.
It’s possible Allen could also consider entering a similar system with Bret Bielema at Illinois should Chase Brown decide to go pro, or maybe he heads north to P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers to help replace Mo Ibrahim. Spending a season to showcase his talents with fellow Big Ten West foes such as Purdue or Nebraska could also be plausible.
Notre Dame
One option to stay in the Midwest but also get out of the Big Ten for Allen would be Notre Dame. Currently, the Fighting Irish do have a nice trio of rushers that includes sophomores Audric Estime and Logan Diggs, as well as junior Chris Tyree. If Allen would make the move to South Bend, he would likely be headed for more of a timeshare than what he saw at Wisconsin.
However, to this point in their careers, Allen is the most accomplished running back of the group with his back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and could take firm control of the backfield going forward. The team fit may not seem the best, but the location and the chance to play on a bigger national stage week in and week out could be enticing.
The SEC
Considering his Midwest roots, it may be less likely that Allen looks to the SEC for his next college football home. However, there’s no doubt that the SEC has become the who’s who of college football, and if Allen wants to make a serious push to the NFL as soon as 2024, he may look to latch on with a program in the conference.
It’s hard to speculate exactly where Allen could go within the SEC, but there is no doubt he would be going up against some of the top defensive playmakers in all of college football.
