Most of Wisconsin's 2021 class -- both for the football and men's basketball programs -- will be heading to Madison shortly, though Paul Chryst's team already welcomed seven players as mid-year enrollees in January.
BadgerBlitz.com has kicked off its annual "Better Know a Badger" series, where we check in with the incoming freshmen as they begin the transition from being prep standouts to college athletes. In 2021, we include some transfers as well.
Miss some? Check out the links below: Basketball: C Chris Vogt | G Isaac Lindsey | F Chris Hodges |
Football: QB Deacon Hill | CB Ricardo Hallman | WR Skyler Bell | S Hunter Wohler | ILB Bryan Sanborn | OL Nolan Rucci | RB Antwan Roberts | OLB Ayo Adebogun | OLB Darryl Peterson | WR Markus Allen | DE Isaac Townsend |
Braelon Allen initially became Wisconsin's first commitment of the 2022 class last July. However, the Fond Du Lac, Wis., native decided in September to reclassify to enter UW in 2021. He made his decision official in December during the early signing period after receiving offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame.
Now after a huge junior season this spring, Allen will start his collegiate career in Gary Brown's room as a tailback.
Allen spoke with BadgerBlitz.com on May 27 about a variety of topics as he now makes Madison home. Questions and his answers have been edited for clarity.
How did your junior year go for you in your eyes?
BA: Overall, I think it was pretty good. Considering our circumstances and everything, I pretty much accomplished what I had wanted to individually and as a team, so it was pretty good.
In what areas do you believe you developed further in the past year, both on and off the field?
BA: Off the field, definitely just keeping my head on straight, keep staying focused no matter what I'm going through with the pandemic and everything. Just keeping a level head and keeping my eyes on my goals and stuff like that.
On the field, probably running the ball really. Defensively, probably just flying around to the ball more, getting to the ball. Probably a little more in coverage, was probably a little smoother, just things like that.
I asked Hunter Wohler about this earlier this month, but hypothetically, if this year's Muskego and this year's Fond Du Lac programs meet up, who do you think wins and why?
BA: It's crazy the amount of times I've been asked this question over the past few weeks.
Seriously?
BA: Oh, yeah. All the time. Every interview, every little podcast, but I got us every day. No doubt in my mind that we would have came away with that victory. I don't think anyone was stopping us this year.
Right now, where are you sitting at in terms of height and weight as you're less than a month away from getting to Madison?
BA: Yeah, I'm 6-foot-2, about 235 [pounds] right now. I've been dropping a little weight, trying to be a little more lean and hopefully faster by the time I get to Madison, so I played my season at 240. I'm down to about 235 right now. I'll probably come in at around 228 to 232, somewhere in that range.
We've seen your weightlifting videos on social media, and just your strength on display both on the field and in the gym. What's your normal weekly schedule for training right now?
BA: Well right now like I mentioned to you earlier, I'm down in Muskego living with my trainer. We train twice a day. Very intense, very productive. I've already seen a lot of changes in my body, and I've only been here, this is my third week down here so very intense training. High volume, heavy weights. We implement a lot of different things such as mobility. We're starting more agility and speed training now, so it's a lot of different things. Just trying to be overall just ready when I get there.
We've seen your squats, we've seen your bench, we've seen your power cleans. What's your favorite lift that you like doing?
BA: Probably squat, for sure. I mean you could argue my clean is more impressive, but I think that the amount of weight that I've been starting to put up at squat is overshadowing my cleans right now.
I'm someone that goes to the gym, and I've been trying to redefine my body, not just in the pandemic, but in the past three, four years as my kids are getting older, and they're jumping all over me. But what does weightlifting do for you, besides improving strength and size?
BA: I feel like [weightlifting] has made me a better athlete overall. I think that lifting weights is the best way to build your foundation. With a strong foundation, a lot of things build off that, and you just become a better athlete overall. So, obviously, you're stronger. Certain lifts will help you, will help your speed, mobility, stuff like that. So I think everyone should take lifting pretty seriously. It'll just make you better athletes.
Going back to the football field, who is the best player you've gone against to this day?
BA: Definitely [Wisconsin 2022 quarterback commit] Myles Burkett. It's Myles Burkett, [Kimberly athlete and Northern Iowa signee] Caleb Frazer or [2022 Sun Prairie defensive lineman] Isaac Hamm, probably a three-way tie. I played Isaac and Myles when they were both sophomores -- so, obviously, they weren't as good as they are now, but definitely still challenging to play both of them -- and Caleb Frazer's always been good.
You signed in December during the early signing period, but which schools, if any, tried to keep in contact or tried to recruit you until you signed on that dotted line for your National Letter of Intent?
BA: After I committed, my recruitment was pretty much shut down. I didn't really have too much contact with any other schools. I think Ohio State, and they've been the only one after I committed that I actually had stayed in contact with. And then after I reclassified, I think Oregon was the only one that I was talking to at the time, but I just kind of told them that Wisconsin was where I was going to be going.
With the reclassification process, how different was it for you deciding to reclassify to the 2021 class, but also just going through and realizing this junior year is your last year before heading to Madison?
BA: I mean, it wasn't really difficult decision for me. I kind of felt like it was the best decision, and I didn't really wait too long to make it happen after I'd gotten the idea. But yeah, I didn't know for sure if I was gonna play in the spring, but I had a pretty good feeling about it so I wasn't worried about not getting a season in before I would leave for college. I'm glad that I got the season, but it really wasn't a difficult decision.
When it comes to Wisconsin, just how often are you in contact with the staff with your arrival coming up soon, and who are you talking with the most from the coaching staff?
BA: Well, recently, it's been Coach [Gary] Brown, ever since the idea of me playing running back had came up.
So Coach Brown mainly, but other than that, besides Coach [Paul] Chryst today when we had talked about position change, I haven't really talked to them too much, but more recently now that it's getting closer.
Our editor john McNamara said that you're playing running back now. Is that what you're gonna be going into once you head up to Madison?
BA: Yep.
What are the conversations like with with Gary Brown, your coach and in conversations and building a relationship now where you're going to be heading in as that running back?
BA: So after my season, I was sending Coach Chryst my film throughout the season from game-to-game, just letting him kind of see what I was doing on a week-to-week basis at all the different positions I was playing on the defense. Obviously, there was a lot of running back highlights thrown in there as well, so that sparked up some conversation.
Then when I released my full season highlights and sent it over to coach and just with another text, I just kind of said I'm open to playing any position and trust you guys to put me in the best spot. But I feel like I told them, I felt that with some coaching and development at the running back position, and running behind their line that I think I could be a pretty decent running back.
So I texted Coach Brown. We started talking, and he felt the same way, and he felt that I can make a big impact for them at running back. That was pretty much the conversation I was having with them before the decision.
We've seen all your highlights from high school, but what do you feel you can bring to that running back room and Wisconsin's offense?
BA: I think I bring a little more power and size to the running back room, obviously, than what we might have right now. I don't think there's really a big back in the running backs room right now, so I think that I could complement the other backs as well with their speed and quickness, the ability to catch the ball out of of the backfield, stuff like that. I think that we need a guy that can push the pile and get those tough yards. I think I could definitely do that right away. Just another thumper, just a guy that will grind is what I bring to the offense.
With the talk of positions, I know at first there was safety, and then I think in your [Twitter] profile you said, maybe linebacker, and now you're looking at running back. I know it's still even before you get on campus, was it tough to pinpoint or was it difficult for you in terms of figuring out what position you'd play? Or was there any anxiety over where you'd line up once you get to Madison?
BA: Yeah, definitely. Definitely had a lot of anxiety. I mean, I get there in two weeks, and before today, on the itinerary for when we arrive, there's position meetings on the first day. So I'm two weeks away, and I don't even have any idea of where I'm supposed to go for these position meetings or anything. So it was kind of crazy, but got it kind of sorted out today.
So yeah, it was definitely crazy. I had no idea where I was going to play. I mean the coaches really weren't giving me too much, either. I didn't have much of an idea at all. Like, I think the main thing was definitely safety, but I mean I knew that I was not a safety. So I was thinking linebacker, and then possibly running back so I'm just glad that I finally have an idea at least.
Have you had a chance to talk with the midyear enrollees and what their first semester was like?
BA: Yeah, I talked to Al [Ashford] and T.J. [Bollers] a little bit. I kind of just asked them what was the biggest difference between high school ball and college, and they just said technique and probably just the speed of the game.
What is the official move-in date for you, and who's your roommate?
BA: I get down there on June 11, and we move in on the 12th I believe, and my roommate's Hunter Wohler.
What are some of the areas that you see yourself improving once you get to Wisconsin?
BA: I'm pretty raw at the position of running back so just improving my overall game as running back will be, I'm sure, the main thing. Learn the playbook, stuff like that. They're definitely gonna get me faster, more agile so hopefully I can become a three-down back at some point. Be able to catch out of the backfield and block as well.
Just what are your goals right now for your freshman year?
BA: Just to make an impact as best as I can, wherever I can. I'd love to get on the field as a true freshman. That'll be awesome for me. So just make an impact, get better, compete. And then obviously the ultimate goal is to win as much as we can hopefully, get us a Big Ten championship and a national championship run.