Highest-ranked running back signees for Wisconsin during the Rivals.com era

Rivals250 tailback Darrion Dupree is set to announce his college decision on Friday at 1:00 PM C.T.

Should the four-star talent from Illinois commit to the Badgers over offers from Missouri, Washington and Illinois, among many others, he would be one of the highest-rated backs to land at UW.

BadgerBlitz.com takes a look back at the top-rated running backs Wisconsin has signed since 2002.

Breakdown: John Clay is one of Wisconsin's most storied recruits over the last 20 years. The No. 4 running back in the country and U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant had offers from Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska and a host of other schools. But Bret Bielema landed Clay's commitment roughly one month before Signing Day. That, however, didn't end the drama.

Clay's eligibility was in question all the summer and the Racine Park standout was in summer school in order to qualify academically. But on Aug. 18, 2007, Clay arrived in Madison in the middle of fall camp and ended up redshirting his freshman season. In 2009, Clay led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the country with 1,517 rushing yards but weight issues plagued his final season in Madison. An MCL injury sidelined Clay for the last three 2010 regular season games and he declared early for the NFL Draft, where he was not selected. Clay finished his playing days at UW with the third-highest career touchdown total (41) and seventh all-time in rushing with 3,413 yards.

Breakdown: Jalen Berger, a four-star prospect from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, announced his commitment to Wisconsin at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. The 6-foot, 190-pound prospect 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.

As a true freshman, Berger led the team in rushing with 301 yards on 60 attempts in just four games. The following season, however, Berger was dismissed from the program midway through the year. He landed at Michigan State and led the Spartans in rushing (683 yards) and carries (148) last fall.

Breakdown: When Braelon Allen signed with Wisconsin in December 2020, the in-state standout was projected to play safety. When the four-star prospect began his spring season at Fond du Lac High School at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, inside linebacker looked like Allen's future position. In May of 2021, however, the Rivals250 prospect communicated to BadgerBlitz.com that tailback was the new plan.

It didn't take long for Allen to break onto the scene as a true freshman in 2021. At the age of 17 years old, Allen erupted for 1,219 rushing yards over the final nine weeks of the season. He led Wisconsin and ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten with 1,268 total rushing yards. Last fall, Allen rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns on 208 attempts. He is expected to be UW's starter at the position in 2023.

Breakdown: A 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect from powerhouse Hoover High School in Alabama, Bradrick Shaw chose UW over offers from Minnesota, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Nebraska, Mississippi and N.C. State just days before Signing Day in 2015. He was part of a class that, at one time, also included tailbacks Davon Crookshank and Jordan Stevenson, though neither ever made it to Madison.

At Wisconsin, Shaw rushed for a combined 822 total yards and eight touchdowns in 2016 and 2017. He then made stops at California and Northern Iowa to finish off his eligibility.

Breakdown: In the 2017 recruiting class, running backs coach John Settle helped the Badgers secure of a commitment from four-star tailback Jonathan Taylor, who broke Corey Clement's South Jersey record after he rushed for 2,815 yards and 37 touchdowns during his senior season at Salem High School. A former Rutgers commit, Taylor flipped to Wisconsin after an official visit in 2016.

In three seasons at UW, Taylor was one of the most successful backs in the program's history. He rushed for 6,174 total yards and 50 touchdowns and was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2018 and 2019. Taylor was also a two time Doak Walker Award winner (2018 and 2019).

Breakdown: Melvin Gordon will go down as one of the most accomplished players in the school's history. Luckily for Wisconsin, the staff was able to flip his commitment from Iowa in December of 2010. Gordon's redshirt junior season was historic; he was the Doak Walker Award winner, Heisman Trophy runner-up and a unanimous consensus first-team All-American. That season, Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards, a Big Ten record and the second-most in FBS history at the time, and led nation in rushing at 184.8 yards per game.

Breakdown: Gordon's prep teammate at Kenosha Bradford, Vonte Jackson was ready for the spotlight as a senior but tore his ACL in the Red Devils' season opener. Unfortunately, Jackson, who was the first running back UW offered in the 2012 class, suffered two more knee injuries at Wisconsin and underwent three surgical procedures in hopes of continuing his football career. But in August of 2014, Jackson was forced to give up his battle due to yet another knee injury. During his recruitment, Jackson, who was recruited by then-position coach Thomas Hammock, chose UW over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota, among others.

Breakdown: Wisconsin, led by then-assistant coach Dave Doeren, beat out Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Northwestern for Montee Ball's services. From 2009-2012, the former four-star prospect finished with 5,140 rushing yards, the No. 2 mark in program history, and was a two-time All-American. Ball, a second-round pick by Denver in the 2013 NFL Draft, still has UW records for rushing touchdowns (77) and total touchdowns (83).

Breakdown: A one-time Pittsburgh pledge, Corey Clement flipped to Wisconsin in November of 2012. During his recruitment, the four-star prospect also racked up offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida State and Ohio State, among others. At Wisconsin, Clement, who once held the South Jersey single-season rushing record (2,510), ran for 3,092 and 36 career touchdowns. The former four-star prospect went undrafted in 2017 but played in the NFL with the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Ravens and Cardinals.

Breakdown: Then-head coach Gary Andersen made four-star running back Taiwan Deal a top priority for the Badgers in the 2014 recruiting. A standout from DeMatha High School, Deal chose Wisconsin over scholarships from Iowa, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Maryland, among others. At Wisconsin, Deal battled injuries but played in 28 games with three starts at running back. He rushed for 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns on 231 carries in Madison.

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