How do the basketball coaches break down in terms of territory?
Just because Braelon Allen is starting his career at running back doesn't mean he's locked into that position for the next four years. But if the coaching staff said: "How can we get Allen on the field the quickest?" The answer is likely tailback, which was plagued by injuries this spring. At middle linebacker, you have Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal, both of whom are expected to eat up the bulk of the reps in 2021, with a nice mix of young talent behind them. When fall camp opens in a few weeks, I expect the position to be wide open, especially with first-year position coach Gary Brown and his fresh set of eyes overseeing the group. Jalen Berger had a nice freshman season and Chez Mellusi brings some experience, but there's no reason to think Allen can't earn meaningful reps in his first season, especially with the injury history we've seen from Julius Davis and Isaac Guerendo. Physically, Allen is ready to go. As far as the other three backs Wisconsin signed in the 2021 class, I don't think there's any urgency with them. I'd expect all three - Antwan Roberts, Loyal Crawford and Jackson Acker - to work at tailback during their first year as the staff evaluates the future of the position. In my opinion, Roberts is the most likely to stick, but it's too early to say if Crawford (could likely play safety) and Acker (could grow into a fullback) will be working at a different position down the road.