With Wisconsin football's camp about a month away, there is still plenty to sort out. On offense, the quarterback and receiver room seem solidified, but there is another important group that is much more murky.
With a new offensive coordinator in Jeff Grimes, Wisconsin will look to once again pound the rock in the ground game. But who will start at running back this season is one of the most unknown and anticipated battles that will need to get figured out before August 28th. At this point, it almost seems like a three-way tie between Cade Yacamelli, Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree. So will Wisconsin employ a three-headed monster, or will one back climb to the top?
Who will emerge as the starter at running back for Wisconsin?
Depending on who you ask, any one of the three backs could emerge as the starter. On one hand, it's good to have a deep stable of backs, but on the other, it means no one is really dominating the battle either. Yacamelli is the veteran, and averaged a blistering 8.3 yards per carry last year before being strangely shut down for the second half of the season. Dupree and Jones are largely unknown, having very little snaps to their names, but come is as very highly touted sophomores. Dupree averaged just 4.0 yards per carry last year, but showed potential as a freshman. Jones, meanwhile, hardly saw the field in 2024, but had an incredible spring and showed he can run with the big boys.
Wisconsin didn't bother with any running backs in the transfer portal this cycle, so it's clear that they believe in the current players on the roster. It's probably one of the deepest position groups on the roster, but how these backs are utilized probably won't become clear until August camps.
At this point it feels like Wisconsin will use a varied attack, with all three backs getting significant play time. Their skillsets in the passing game do tend to overlap though, and without a true power back in the group, the one who can provide the most value on early downs may emerge as the starter. Grimes may elect to go with a combo of Jones and Dupree, with Yacamelli coming in on a similar role to last year. For now though, the coaching staff has a great problem on their hands, and it will be exciting to see Badger football get back to their roots.