Four-star RB Jalen Berger commits to Wisconsin at All-American Bowl
Wisconsin didn't ink a scholarship running back in the 2020 recruiting class during December's early singing period.
But that will change in February after Jalen Berger's commitment to UW on Saturday afternoon at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
“For the next three to four years I will be attending the University of Wisconsin," Berger said Saturday. "I just felt very comfortable at Wisconsin. I built a great relationship with coach (John) Settle and coach (Paul) Chryst and the offensive line is amazing, so Wisconsin is the place for me.”
Berger, a four-star prospect from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, is the 20th member of Wisconsin's 2020 class. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior trimmed his list to LSU, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA and UW, but Berger also listed scholarships from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among many others, during the course of his recruitment.
"Wisconsin brought in a couple of coaches," Berger told Rivals.com in a previous interview. "Head coach Paul Chryst came to see me. They pretty much said the same thing. Just talked about all the different ways that they can use me and the impact I can have as a true freshman.
"The campus is amazing. Madison is a beautiful city and just to be able to meet with Jonathan Taylor and talk about football was amazing. He was telling me that they like to run the ball a lot and he proved it to me. I went for the Iowa game and he had 30-plus carries for like 250-plus yards."
The No. 49 prospect in the country took an official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of Nov. 8. While on campus, the No. 1 player in New Jersey was able to talk with fellow New Jersey standout Jonathan Taylor, who announced that he will forego his senior season in Madison on Friday evening.
“I got to sit down with Jonathan Taylor and he talked about a day in the life at Wisconsin,” Berger told Rivals.com earlier this week. “I got a great vibe. It’s just a place I feel I can play at and I feel comfortable. They have a pretty good o-line class coming in.”
Berger's commitment to Wisconsin keeps a strong running back pipeline from New Jersey to Madison in tact. Previously, the Badgers have had a great deal of success with Ron Dayne (Pine Hill), Anthony Davis (Plainfield), Corey Clement (Glassboro) and, most recently, Taylor (Salem), a two-time Doak Walker Award winner at UW.
As a senior, Berger had 111 rushing attempts for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 357 yards and four scores.
