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Wisconsin Football: Could the Badgers land 4-star RB Jaydn Ott?

By Christian Borman

Oct 9, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Paul Chryst gives a hand to his players during Saturday’s game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Paul Chryst gives a hand to his players during Saturday’s game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Wisconsin football team entered the 2021 season with a crowded and relatively unproven backfield. Now three of those players have either been dismissed from the team or have transferred from the program, including Jalen Berger, who was just dismissed from the team earlier this week.

Luckily, junior transfer Chez Mellusi has been a solid starter for the Badgers this season and freshman running back Braelon Allen has been a pleasant surprise, earning more playing time each week. Granted it was Illinois, but last week the pair combined for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries.

So the Badgers seem to be set at running back for now and for the foreseeable future, but the depth still took a hit when the three backs were dismissed/transferred from the team. Paul Chryst and his staff should be hitting the recruiting trail to bring in some more back over the next couple of years.

One of those backs could be Jaydn Ott our of Norco, California. Ott is a 4-star running back, according to 247Sports. He’s had a very busy recruitment. He’s committed and de-committed from both Oregon and Cal.

The Wisconsin football team is just getting into the picture. They offered Ott a scholarship in late September, but they already have an official visit set up with Ott for the Army and Wisconsin football game this weekend.

Badger247’s Evan Flood has some insight on Ott’s situation with Wisconsin:

"There’s not a lot of backs on UW’s roster. Regardless, the Badgers have shown the willingness to spread the wealth in the past and will use three tailbacks if needed. De-committing from both Oregon and Cal, the early returns are that Ott may prefer more of a downhill attack with an offense that prioritizes the running back position.Things certainly have the potential to move quickly. As of now, UW is Ott’s last scheduled official visit. There’s a lot of schools sitting on the fence right now, such as Oklahoma and Notre Dame, but Ott is enrolling early in January. There’s a sense of urgency to find a home so he can start to get acclimated a bit."

When Chez Melluis was in the transfer portal, he said he wanted to find a team that focused on running the ball. It sounds like Ott may be looking for something similar. With Wisconsin’s commitment to running the ball and the small numbers, the Badgers could be an ideal destination for Ott.

Getting a visit in could also be a big deal, especially if he is looking to enroll early. Being the last official visit can leave a fresh impression for the Badgers too. If things do indeed move quickly and schools like Oklahoma and Notre Dame don’t come knocking, Wisconsin could be in a good position to snag Ott.