As we count down the days before the start of fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look back at the four- and five-star signees during the Rivals.com era. How did they fare in Madison and how have the Badgers recruited each position when it comes to the high-end talent?
Today, we examine how Wisconsin has done at running back, one of the premier positions on the roster over the last 20 years.
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Recruitment: The No. 4 tailback in the 2003 class, Michael Turner chose Wisconsin over New Mexico and Ball State, the two other schools he visited officially during his recruitment. As a senior, the Texas standout ran for 1,926 yards and 27 touchdowns.
"I liked the family atmosphere," Thomas told Rivals.com. "The people seem close at Wisconsin. And the football program is good."
Career: Turner appeared on the 2003 roster, but did not appear in action that season and was not on the roster the following year.
Recruitment: John Clay is one of Wisconsin's most storied recruits over the last 20 years. The No. 4 running back in the country and 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 a month before Signing Day. That, however, didn't end the drama. Clay's eligibility remained in question and the Racine Park standout attended summer school in order to qualify academically.
Career: 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. 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.
Recruitment: Wisconsin, led by then-assistant coach Dave Doeren, beat out Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Northwestern for Montee Ball's services.
"Everything fits me perfectly. I love the academics. I love the environment, and I love how I fit their offense … I sat down with the running back coaches to watch film," Ball told BadgerBlitz.com. "Their style of offense is very similar to what we run at my school. At Timberland, they focus the offense to what my strengths are as a running back, and if you watch Wisconsin's offense, it's really based on the running back."
Career: 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. A second-round pick by Denver in the 2013 NFL Draft, Ball still has UW records for rushing touchdowns (77) and total touchdowns (83).
Recruitment: Melvin Gordon will go down as one of the most accomplished players in the program's history. Luckily for Wisconsin, the staff were able to flip his commitment from Iowa in December of 2010.
"When I have a connection to someone, I get my mind set and that's what I want to do," Gordon told BadgerBlitz.com. "I had a real, real close connection to the running backs coach (Lester Erb) at Iowa. You want to have a strong connection with your future position coach, and I did. But I just got a better feeling with Wisconsin and some other things factored in, so I altered my decision."
Career: Gordon's redshirt junior season was historic. He was the Doak Walker Award winner, Heisman Trophy runner-up and a 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 the nation in rushing at 184.8 yards per game.
Recruitment: 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. The first running back UW offered in the 2012 class, Jackson, who was recruited by then-position coach Thomas Hammock, chose UW over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota, among others.
Career: Unfortunately, Jackson 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 after another knee injury.
Recruitment: 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.
Career: At Wisconsin, Clement ran for 3,092 and 36 career touchdowns and was signed as an un-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.
Recruitment: 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.
Career: Deal battled injuries during his time at Wisconsin but he still played in 28 games and made three starts at running back. During his career, he rushed for 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns on 231 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.
Recruitment: A 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect from powerhouse Hoover High School in Alabama, Bradrick Shaw chose Wisconsin 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.
Career: Shaw is part of the 2015 recruiting class, but the former four-star prospect is still playing college football. After he transferred from Wisconsin to Cal prior to the start of the 2020 season, Shaw announced in April that he would compete at Northern Iowa this fall. As a Badger, Shaw played in 31 career games and ran for 938 yards and 10 touchdowns on 202 carries.
Recruitment: Then-running backs coach John Settle helped the Badgers secure a commitment from four-star tailback Jonathan Taylor, who broke 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 the fall of 2016.
Career: A two-time Doak Walker Award winner, Taylor will go down as one of the best running backs ever in college football. He finished his junior season with 2,003 yards, becoming only the third tailback to have multiple 2,000-yard seasons. Taylor's career rushing total of 6,174 yards ranks second all-time in the Big Ten, and he also left Madison as No. 3 on the NCAA’s all-time rushing list, trailing San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey by 231 yards.
Recruitment: Wisconsin didn't ink a scholarship running back in the 2020 recruiting class during the early singing period. But that changed in February after Jalen Berger's commitment to UW at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. A four-star prospect from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Berger trimmed his list to LSU, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA and UW, but he also rjbheld scholarships from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among many others, during the course of his recruitment.
Career: As a true freshman, Berger played in four games with one start at running back. He led the Badgers in rushing with 301 yards and topped all UW running backs at 5.0 yards per carry. Berger is expected to open fall camp as Wisconsin's No. 1 tailback.
Recruitment: When Braelon Allen, who also had offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame, signed with Wisconsin last December, the in-state standout was projected to play safety. When the four-star prospect began his spring season at Fond du Lac at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, inside linebacker looked like Allen's future position. In late May, however, the Rivals250 prospect communicated to BadgerBlitz.com that tailback is now the plan. In seven games this spring, Allen, who reclassified from the 2022 class, rushed for 1,047 yards on 71 attempts with 21 touchdowns. He was named The Associated Press player of the year for the WIAA's alternate season.
Career: Allen is set to begin his first camp with the Badgers in a few days. He is one of four tailbacks Wisconsin signed in the 2021 recruiting class, along with Loyal Crawford, Jackson Acker and Antwan Roberts.
