In early August, Wisconsin will open fall camp in preparation for the 2021 season opener against Penn State.

You know what that means -- position previews.

Jalen Berger emerged as a first-year freshman in a Jonathan Taylor-less backfield in 2020, though he played in only four of seven games. Gone is Garrett Groshek to the NFL's Oakland Raiders, but Isaac Guerendo, Julius Davis and Brady Schipper have complementing skillsets and could have opportunities to contribute if they stay healthy.

Can Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi and four incoming freshmen also find reps to solidify what normally is a strength of the team?

Position-by position previews: Quarterbacks |

First year running backs coach Gary Brown inherits a room with talent from last season, but it is mostly unproven potential. Berger, Davis, Guerendo and Shipper were on the spring roster in April, and the new assistant told reporters on April 12 that "all four of those guys have a unique skill set."

"I hadn't been able to watch them on film before I got here, but being that I've had them in practice a few times, I've been able to see that they've been able to grow with some of the teaching," Brown said. "Some of stuff I'm teaching may be a little different than what they're used to, but they all have the skill set to go out and gain yards in the offense that we're going to run.

"Very excited working with all those guys. I think all those guys can have a niche in what we want to do. Obviously, one's going to separate from another when spring clarifies itself and fall clarifies itself, but I'm very excited about all four of those guys."

Berger led the team in rushing last season with 301 yards on 60 carries with two touchdowns. [Fun writer's note -- the New Jersey native had 15 carries in each of the four games he played in 2020.]

Berger showcased the potential to be a top running back in the program early on, especially when he ran for 87, 93 and 87 yards against Michigan, Northwestern and Indiana, respectively.

Brown described Berger "as smooth as a runner that I've coached as far as his being smooth and being able to get in and out of holes and things of that nature," with the longtime assistant saying the former four-star prospect reminded him of DeMarco Murray in that particular attribute.

However, Brown also noted there is room to grow.

"He has a lot to learn, but I think he has a skill set to be a three-phase running back, and when I say three-phase, I mean can run, catch and pass protect," Brown said. "So he has those those type of skill sets. We just have to get it out of him. He's very young.

"You know, there's gonna be a certain standard that we set in the room that all of them are going to have to live up to, and they're all going in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, they're all great kids. They're all going in the right direction, but we got a long way to go. I'm glad that the season doesn't start next week. We got some time to get ready for Penn State, but it's a great situation to be in."

Berger, however, suffered a leg injury during the first spring practice open to reporters -- the sixth overall for the team -- on April 10, and he was not seen again in those remaining four sessions available to select media. For that matter, the injury bug appeared to creep up on others in that room earlier this year as well.

Davis -- whose lone carry of the 2020 season came against Minnesota -- did not dress at all during those handful of practices, and UW designated him with a leg injury. Guerendo rushed for 36 yards on 11 carries last year, and during the spring performed positional work in all five sessions. Chryst said last week during Big Ten Media Days that Wisconsin believes that the fourth-year Badger "has the ability to be a really good back," but he barely worked in 11-on-11 team drills outside of one period on April 13, according to BadgerBlitz.com's notes. The Indiana native also has a history of hamstring injuries that kept him out of a significant chunk of games in 2019 and 2020.

Schipper received the bulk of the carries at tailback in the first three open practices until he himself suffered a left leg injury in April. The walk-on from Stoughton "was having a heck of a spring" before going down, according to Chryst.

All three, if healthy, could provide depth to a group that desperately needs someone to step up next to Berger -- but Mellusi may provide that answer as well. The transfer from Clemson -- whom Chryst discussed last week during Big Ten Media Days -- gained 427 rushing yards on 71 attempts (six yards per carry) and six touchdowns in 21 career contests for the Tigers.

"I've watched a couple clips of his from Clemson," tight end Jake Ferguson said during Big Ten Media Days last week. "But what I've seen at Wisconsin, he's a hard worker. He's here to play ball. He loves the game of football, and I'm excited to start fall camp and just block for him. I tell him a little bit, I'm like, 'Just follow 84. Just follow me through the hole. I'll create one.'"

Then there's the four freshmen coming into Wisconsin as tailbacks. Three-star in-state signees Jackson Acker and Loyal Crawford, along with Tennessee product Antwan Roberts, each provide particular skill sets that could help the offense in due time.

The big name that buzzed this offseason though was four-star standout Braelon Allen. The three Badgers in attendance for Big Ten Media Days -- Ferguson, cornerback Faion Hicks and inside linebacker Jack Sanborn -- all mentioned Allen's feats of strength in the summer.

Allen, the Fond du Lac, Wis., native, confirmed to BadgerBlitz.com in late May that he was 6-foot-2 and was hoping to trim down to around 230 pounds upon arrival in Madison. He exploded for 1,047 yards on 71 attempts with 21 touchdowns in seven games this spring during his final high school season and could provide a "thumper" mentality to the group.

Just who receives these carries and who makes the most of them in August will be a main storyline in fall camp. When addressing a question about a potential game plan for the offensive backfield this season, Chryst noted that "a big part of camp is how will that shape out?"

After naming some of the tailbacks, the Wisconsin head coach ended his answer that there are a lot of players, "and that's the hard part about it because I don't know if you have enough reps for all of them."

"That's something that we've been spending a lot of time talking about as a staff, and how do you manage that group? It's early, but I feel really fortunate with Gary Brown joining our staff, and I have a lot of confidence in him, and certainly, Rudy [associate head coach/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph] spent a lot of time with with the backs, myself.

"I think I'm confident that we'll get there, but today, I couldn't sit there and tell you know this is where it's at. Because if you try to get everyone all the reps, you just don't have enough time for it, and so we got to do a good job early of assessing kind of where everyone's at and really who earns those reps."