MADISON, Wis. - Wednesday afternoon, as the heat of National Signing Day was cooling down, coach Luke Fickell met with reporters to discuss the newest class, the process of winning them over and where they can fit within the current roster.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from Wednesday's press conference.

In his opening statement, before any questions were even asked, Fickell made it clear that there was a very specific position they were targeting.

“If you asked me the first couple things that we wanted to for sure look for in this class, it wasn't specific positions," Fickell said. "I would have told you the running back position might have been one of the top targets for us, but just because of the nature of the room we were in and what we needed.”

By “nature of the room we were in and what we needed,” Fickell was essentially saying that the running back room was in a dire state and needed some attention.

The star tailback from the past three seasons, Braelon Allen, announced his intentions to declare for the NFL Draft near the end of November. Allen’s departure left a clear vacancy at Wisconsin’s signature position.

Chez Mellusi, who just announced Wednesday that he would return for a sixth season, is a perfect fit in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s system, but his injury struggles have made him ultimately unreliable as a lead back.

The other options, of players we’ve seen, are Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli. This pair traded lead back duties after Allen suffered an injury of his own, and the two made it clear pretty quickly that they are complimentary pieces at best.

“Going into this cycle of recruiting, I told them [recruiting staff], this is the most important position. Obviously we signed three guys, and that's how important it was to us. But I think that they all bring a little bit of a difference to the table,” Fickell said.

“We're going to have to have some young guys that are going to have to play at that position. And if there's any position where a young guy that's very talented can play, I think early on it’s at the tailback position.”

Dilin Jones is a four-star back from Maryland who garnered praise from Fickell for his “versatility” and potential, saying that Jones “is scratching the surface to the size that he can be.”

Darrion Dupree, the four-star from Chicago, has “incredible ball skills,” according to Fickell and could become a part of the passing game early.

The biggest of the bunch, Gideon Ituka, another back from Maryland, will enter with a listed weight of 225 pounds and will bring some much-needed balance to the running back room.

“[These are] three guys that bring some different attributes. But all three of which, I would expect, should and could have a great opportunity to play next year.”

Soon after Fickell was hired, during his introductory press conference, he established a central recruiting philosophy.

“For me, the uniqueness of being here — just like we were at the University of Cincinnati — is within a 300-mile radius, you can do the core and the crux of your program, and that’s what I love about this opportunity,” Fickell said last November. “Within the 300-mile radius, that will be the core of what we do.”

Yet, of Wisconsin’s 22 signings, only eight come from schools inside the 300-mile radius. All in all, they’re collectively from 13 different states, from Hawaii to Florida to New York. Even some of the highest-rated and most coveted recruits come from states like Maryland (defensive end Ernest Willor), Texas (quarterback Mabrey Mettauer) and Pennsylvania (offensive lineman Kevin Heywood, defensive back Omillio Agard).

A major factor in Fickell and company “widening the net” was them discovering the power of Wisconsin’s brand even outside of the 300-mile radius.

“As I walked in the door here, a year ago, I would have said that ‘Hey, we’re going to be regionalized in a lot of ways, we'll make sure our footprint is in the Big Ten.’ But then where else does the brand really reach?” Fickell said. “This was my first real kind of go-around, obviously last year was short. But to see how strong the logo and to see how strong the brand really is, and to stretch over 13 different states with a lot of really, really good football players and guys we targeted for a long time. We see how strong, I see how strong this logo and this brand is.”

Despite Fickell’s original comments, and Wisconsin’s historic emphasis on local talent, the program also has a rich history involving players from all over the country. This is most notable with the litany of running backs from New Jersey (Ron Dayne, Jonathan Taylor, Corey Clement, to name a few).

“I noticed a history of great players coming from the East Coast, in particular Jersey and tailbacks and things like that. But to have three guys from Pennsylvania, or even two guys from eastern Pennsylvania to three guys from Maryland. I mean, there's an East Coast stronghold in what we did this year. And I don't know that I would have known that. And again, you gotta give credit to [co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach] Colin Hitschler, who's got a lot of ties over there, did a really, really, really good job of building some of those relationships.”

Besides the new running backs, who will enter a thin position group, Fickell also expressed hope that a few key recruits, specifically at the linebacker position, could see the field as soon as next fall.

He praised outside linebacker Thomas Heiberger’s versatility and compared him to Christian Alliegro, one of the very few true freshmen who saw real playing time this past season.

“He's got some length, he's got some athleticism. Now we just have to find the fit, the position and continue to build,” Fickell said.

“The great thing about Thomas is he gets to come in here in a few weeks and gets a jumpstart on not just being in the football program, but training with our guys. So we'll get a better idea of where we can get him positioned in the spring to give him as much opportunity and as many reps as possible. Because he's another guy that, I would say, needs to help us to play next year. Just got to figure out where.”

Landon Gauthier is another linebacker whose potential intrigues this coaching staff. Like Heiberger, he’ll also enter the program in just a few weeks, giving both of them an opportunity to make an early impact.

“[Gauthier is] in a position where we need some depth. And not that you count on young guys to come in and to play right away, but the guy that comes in early, the guy that's got the size, the strength that he has. He's got some things walking in the door that gives him an opportunity to be here early, to be able to go through spring, and to be able to really contribute next year,” Fickell said.

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_

*Like us on Facebook