The Badgers have had quite a few historic running backs in their program. Are they RBU?
As we all know, it’s all too easy to post hot takes on social media. We don’t need objective facts or evidence to seek those precious clicks. So, when I see (or post) RBU relating to the Wisconsin Badgers, it feels right. But, not a ton of deep thought usually goes into that sentiment.
Today, I want to ask (then answer) the question: Is Wisconsin really RBU? Do the facts support this position, or are we being delusional?
This needs a few parameters to be worthwhile. I’m going to use the modern era of the last 25 years or so (yes, that will allow Ron Dayne to be a part of the conversation), because what some Gopher back who ran a 4.9 40 did in the early 1960s is, frankly, irrelevant.
I’m also going to take NFL success into account to a degree. My analysis, at its core, will lean heavily on college performance, but without considering NFL success, it would feel hollow. When LSU crowns itself WRU, it’s due in part to the heights guys like Justin Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. have hit in the NFL. RBU should be no different.
College Success
Let’s turn first to collegiate success.
Wisconsin has been absolutely aces using this measure. Ron Dayne (1996-1999) has run for more FBS yards than any other back and won the Heisman Tophy in 1999. A robust 14 percent of all 2,000+ yard rushing seasons in NCAA FBS history have been Badgers.
In Madison from 2011-2014, Melvin Gordon’s otherworldly 2014 campaign ranks No. 3 all-time in yards, including a punishing three-quarter, 408-yard mauling of Nebraska, which was, at the time, the all-time single-game record.
2012 Doak Walker Award winner and College Football Hall-of-Famer Montee Ball (2009-2012) is second all-time in FBS Touchdowns by a running back with 77 after terrorizing Big Ten defenses for years.
Jonathan Taylor was a back-to-back Doak Walker winner in 2018 and 2019, and also twice ran for 2000+ yards on his way to being the first player in NCAA history to rush for 6,000 yards in a three-year period.
A number of other Badgers have earned All-American and/or 1st/2nd Team All-Big Ten recognition during their time in Madison, including Michael Bennett (1998-2000), Anthony Davis (2001-2004), Brian Calhoun (2005), PJ Hill (2006-2008), John Clay (2008-2010), James White (2010-2013), Corey Clement (2013-2016), and Braelon Allen (2020-2023).
Yes, you’re reading this correctly: almost every season since the mid to late-90s Wisconsin has had at least one All-Big Ten caliber RB and often more than one, while producing a Heisman winner, a number of Doak Walker Awards (5 total since 1999, most in college football), and, for a time, three of the most impressive NCAA RB records out there— career yards (Dayne), most yards in a game (Gordon), and career touchdowns (Ball).
If RBU were simply based on college success, the Badgers would have this locked up already, as no other school has had a comparable run of success, let alone doing so vs a traditionally stout stable of Big Ten defenses.
NFL Success
Now, we need to look at the NFL, a place where Wisconsin has had its struggles relative to top RB-producing schools like Alabama and Ohio State (but it’s getting better). As noted, as far as determining RBU, this isn’t as important as college success, but it does factor in.
From the late 90s through mid-2010s, it’s fair to say that the Badgers were disappointing as far as NFL production. Stalwarts like Ron Dayne and Anthony Davis simply didn’t parlay their college dominance into successful pro careers.
While Dayne had his NFL moments, he never came close to the heights of his college career, ending his time in the NFL with 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a paltry 3.8 YPC. One can fairly wonder how much tread was left on Dayne’s tires after 1,220 punishing college totes across his four seasons in Madison.
Sometimes, injury has derailed a Badger’s NFL dreams, as was the case with Brian Calhoun in 2006. And, for Montee Ball, it was addiction issues, which he has impressively overcome post-NFL. But excuses aside, the lack of impact moments in the NFL for Badgers running backs from the 1990s to around 2015 is notable.
But, since then, things have changed for the better, and NFL success has been much more frequent.
White won three Super Bowls as a highly productive pass-catching running back, setting records for most receptions and points scored in a Super Bowl (and getting cheated out of a Super Bowl MVP award by Tom Brady).
Gordon was a steady running back for the Chargers and Broncos, rushing for 6,543 yards and 56 touchdowns, while adding an additional 312 catches for 2,513 yards and 14 touchdowns. While never a star, Gordon was a productive feature back for several seasons for two teams. He even won a Super Bowl as a deep reserve with the Chiefs in 2024.
Since being a second-round pick of the Colts in 2020, Jonathan Taylor has been outstanding for the Colts, making the NFL All-Rookie team in 2020, First Team All-Pro in 2021, and two Pro Bowls.
He boasts a fantastic stat line across his first five seasons: 6,013 rushing yards, 51 touchdowns, 141 catches, and 5 receiving touchdowns. He led the NFL in rushing in 2021 and has been over 1,000 yards in all but two injury-shortened seasons. He’s widely considered a top NFL running back and ran for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024.
Other players like Super Bowl champion Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale have hung around the league for years as contributing players. As a rookie in 2024, Braelon Allen had a solid season for a troubled Jets squad, rushing for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 19 grabs for 148 yards and an additional score in a backup role. His future appears bright.
The Verdict
While I’m not going to break down opposing squads in any great depth, Alabama appears to be Wisconsin’s top challenger for the title of RBU (Ohio State is also close). Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris, and Mark Ingram headline an impressive NFL stable of recent talent from Tuscaloosa.
Despite their own major busts like Trent Richardson, it’s fair to say the Crimson Tide holds a heavy advantage over the Badgers in recent NFL success. But, I’m the professor here, and Wisconsin’s unrivaled college success and the weight I’m giving it pulls Bucky up to a neck and neck position with Bama.
I may be the prof, but I can’t be a total homer, so let’s call the Badgers and Crimson Tide co-RBU. Both are worthy, for different reasons, of the somewhat slippery title. So, On Wisconsin and Roll Tide for this one.