The New Wisconsin RB Room
Entering the 2023 season the Badgers RB room was lead by what some were saying was the best RB tandem in the country. Superstar Braelon Allen would provide the thunder while jack of all trades Chez Mellusi brought the lightning to help ease the transition from the old school pro style offense to the new school Air Raid. And then what seemed like the inevitable happened. Braelon's season was hampered by a string of reoccurring nagging injuries which took a player who barely fit the system to the brink of disappearing from the scheme altogether. Luckily we had Chez to fill in the gaps right? He was an every down back who truly fit all three phases of the position for Phil Longo...and like clockwork we lost him to a devastating season ending injury. So we were left with a converted fullback and an athlete still making the transition to the position and what we all expected to happen happened. Without the thunder and lightning the running game fizzled out for a good chunk of the middle of the season. A healthier or at least grittier Braelon Allen helped push us of the edge at the end of the year to save face and make a decent bowl.
To ensure this doesn't happen again the RB room needed to be rebuilt with a look toward modern football. Gone are the days of the "feature back" and the emergence of a phrase that used to be seen as an insult to your room: RB by committee. To me there are three types of backs in a committee backfield. First is your every down back. "Every down" is a bit of a misnomer as you're not expecting this player to be on the field every play, however you see him as a player who has a home on the field no matter the situation. Next you have your change of pace back. Taking the place of the traditional third down back you're looking for a player who is very comfortable in space. You want a versatile weapon that can be used in the passing game with the ball in their hands. And finally you want the thumper who is typically a bigger body who can give you the hard yards in short yardage situations and the low red zone.
Now that we know what type of player we are looking for let's take a look at the rebuilt RB room heading into the 2024 season and see how it fits into the new RB by committee mold. I am currently only looking at scholarship RBs as walk-on roles can change dramatically throughout the season.
Every Down Backs - Chez Mellusi, Dilin Jones
If there was a feature back of this offense it would be Chez, but his recent injury luck shows that he is better at the project leader of our back committee. His experience will be valuable to a room where the majority of the players are freshmen. His ability to fit all three phases of RB play (running, catching, blocking) are desperately needed after years of one dimensional lead backs. Dilin Jones bring both speed and physicality between the tackles while also showing a nasty streak that could develop into a solid blocker.
Change of Pace Backs - Darrion Dupree, Cade Yacamelli, Nate White
Darrion Dupree is a true jack of all trades and he is the type of player I expect to be used all over the field and not just exclusively in the backfield. Don't be surprised to see him early as a gadget player in the slot on motions, jet sweeps, etc. Cade Yacamelli is an intriguing prospect a lot of us were excited to see move to the offensive side of the ball, but were ulitmately disappointed in his output. Perhaps another year in the room being coached up on the nuances of the position could lead to him having a bigger role in the offense. At least he gives us an all phases special teams ace. Which leaves us with Nate White. The in-state star came into Madison quite under sized at 170 lbs, but he possesses great feet with a nice burst. He's a player that if he wants to have a role in this offense it needs to be in the passing game and as a player who can get to the edge.
Thumpers - Jackson Acker, Gideon Ituka
Acker gets placed in this category obviously because of his past as a fullback, but he has the potential to "graduate" to every down back because he came into UW with pretty elite speed (for an in-state kid anyways) that was kind of lost when he made the position switch. He is a good single cut in between the tackles type of runner who could take some of those tough carries that used to go to Braelon if he can build up his acceleration back to his high school sprinter levels. Gideon Ituka is the back that I am the most excited to see develop. He runs like a bowling ball and that should be seen as a compliment. He runs so tough and so low to the ground with unexpected speed. While he may have been a better fit for a traditional Wisconsin offense they wouldn't be bringing him in if they didn't see a future for him in the Air Raid.
This is the RB room as it stands today, though I fully expect them to bring in another back in the transfer portal and probably one with multiple years of eligibility. This should show more what the staff thinks about the back of the room more than what it thinks about the front. The drop off is pretty stark and if injuries or unforeseen circumstances hit the room again like it did last year we can't be stuck in a situation where we don't have a back that can fill the basic overall duties the position requires. And while we want the three headed freshman monster to play and play early the best for their development and their longevity is to only get their touches when they are up to speed. But all in all I am very excited in the direction this room is heading. We have variety of body types and abilities that we can use to craft a gameplan where the defense dictates how to beat them instead of stating for the world that this is what we have try and stop it. Welcome to the modern run game ladies and gentlemen.