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Wisconsin's Braelon Allen took a distinctive journey to become an RB
Braelon Allen, who was once recruited as a top defensive player for Wisconsin, is now the Badgers' star running back, and his journey to the top has been nothing short of spectacular.
As a 16-year-old junior in high school, Allen made the decision to skip his senior year of high school and reclassify to the 2021 recruiting class after being the lone commitment in the 2022 class, a decision that has paid off tremendously.
It was speculated that the incoming freshman could end up playing linebacker due to his size (6'2", 238 pounds). Instead, Allen has become a breakout back for the Badgers, racking up 834 yards and nine total touchdowns on the season heading into Week 12.
The safety-turned-running back has had six-straight 100-yard rushing games, including a monster performance last week where the 17-year-old put up 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Wisconsin’s 35-7 win over Northwestern.
Coming off his best game of the season thus far, Allen sat down with 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart of FOX Sports after he was selected as Leinart's Power Player of the Week.
He shared insight on his unique recruiting process and how he’s developed into such a talented running back.
"I wanna know how you go from a heralded defensive recruit at Wisconsin to now one of the best running backs in the Big Ten," Leinart said.
"My freshman year of high school I played quarterback and safety for the freshman team. They called me up to the varsity team for playoffs, and that's kinda where I started learning — I played corner for the varsity team. So I was really defensive-minded at that time. My focus was defense going forward. I wanted to play defense in college," Allen explained.
"My sophomore year I played safety, but I was getting a little bit bigger at the time," he continued. "I was probably about 200-210 [pounds], so that's already pretty big for a safety. As I kept lifting and growing more, I was getting projected to play linebacker by all these recruiting sites. After I committed, we weren't really sure whether I was gonna be a safety or a linebacker. … I sent my film to the coaches here, and asked them for their opinion on it and where I would fit best on the team. Ultimately, that led me to running back."
When asked about his greatest strengths as a running back, Allen pointed to his size, "strength and power".
"Having that combination of size and strength and then the little bit of speed that I got that I think sneaks up on some people. … Just the blend of all that has been helping me a lot. It's been paying off, for sure," he said.
And when it comes to his favorite NFL stars, Allen revealed which running backs he emulates most.
"I definitely enjoy watching [Ezekiel Elliott]," he shared. "I watched him when I was younger back when he was in college, but I kinda try to watch a lot of guys and take bits and pieces from their game and put it into mine. Guys like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Zeke, Melvin Gordon, [Jonathan Taylor], pretty much all the Wisconsin backs."
The legacy of running backs at Wisconsin is certainly noteworthy, and the young star is well on his way to positioning himself to be in that conversation. While speaking with Leinart, Allen shared how it feels to be included in that list.
"Being a running back at Wisconsin, it's a brotherhood, and I'm just trying to follow in all those guys' footsteps," he said. "We're gonna keep our foot down and finish the season strong."
Allen will be back on the field Saturday as the Badgers battle Nebraska in search of their seventh-straight win.
Watch Allen's full interview with Matt Leinart below:
