JadeSync

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen said he woke up Thursday morning unaware of the message board rumor that had surfaced the previous evening linking him to Michigan as a transfer portal addition after the season. Only when a friend sent him a screenshot of the discussion and asked what was going on did Allen learn that he had quickly become a major talking point among two fan bases as speculation ran rampant about his playing future.

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“I saw it and I was confused by it,” Allen said. “I tried not to pay too much mind to it. I didn’t really see what people were talking about. I just tried to clear it up as best as I could.”

Allen would spend the next two days addressing the rumor in various ways. By Saturday night, following Wisconsin’s 24-10 loss to Iowa, Allen stood against a wall in a small room underneath Kinnick Stadium and answered 13 questions from reporters during his six-minute media availability, nine of which were focused on the rumors in an effort to provide more clarity on the situation. Allen denied that he had spoken with coaches from Michigan or any other school.

“I haven’t had any contact with them,” Allen said. “The fact that rumor sprouted up is surprising to me, especially like Michigan specifically.”

The rumor began Wednesday night when On3 Michigan reporter Chris Balas responded to a message board comment about the possibility of an elite-level running back looking to enter the portal and come to Michigan. Balas noted that it was Allen. “But now that it’s out, we’ll see what happens.” The speculation was fueled, in part, because Allen had followed Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart and USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald on Twitter.

“It snuck up on me because it was a message board,” Allen said. “Whoever said that, I 100 percent never talked to him and he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know what’s going through my head, so how he got that supposed information doesn’t make sense.”

Allen initially responded publicly to the rumor during a weekly sponsored radio segment with 97.3 The Game that aired Friday by saying: “The only thing I can really say for me is ‘On Wisconsin.’ And as long as coach (Jim) Leonhard is here, that’s where I’ll be.”

Former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was fired by athletic director Chris McIntosh on Oct. 2 following the Badgers’ 2-3 start, which opened up an immediate 30-day window for players to enter the transfer portal during the season. Quarterback Deacon Hill, wide receivers Markus Allen and Stephan Bracey and offensive tackle Logan Brown entered the portal, though Brown’s transfer occurred after he was dismissed from the team for an internal incident.

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Leonhard, Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, was promoted to interim coach. He is 3-2 in that role with two regular-season games remaining, and players — including Allen — have repeatedly voiced their support for him to earn the permanent role. Wisconsin’s final regular-season game takes place Nov. 26 at home against Minnesota. The head-coaching position, which has not yet been publicly posted by the school, must remain open for at least seven days before it can be filled. The 45-day transfer portal window runs from Dec. 5 to Jan. 18.

“Obviously we’ve made it pretty clear as a team that we want coach Leonhard to be our coach,” Allen said. “I thought I made it pretty clear with what I had said on the radio. That’s just what it is. We want him to be our coach. We’re going to continue to play for him to get him that job. But until then, we’re just focused on us and winning ballgames the rest of the year.”

Leonhard addressed the Allen rumor after the Iowa game and didn’t hold back in his displeasure with the circumstances he believes his players are enduring.

“Unfortunately, we have to recruit our own team every day right now,” Leonhard said. “I would never accuse any teams of tampering with your players, but teams are tampering with other people’s players. It’s unfortunate to see where it’s at. But I have to continue to show a clear vision.

“I’ve mentioned it a number of times. The uncertainty is going to cause people to look and see what the best decisions for their future are, and we have to be real about that as coaches. It’s why we have these conversations almost daily with our team about where we’re going, what the plan is and how we’re going to get there. That’s all we can do at this point. It’s unfortunate that a kid has to address that with the media when it’s not supposed to be real. But obviously it is.”

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Allen, an 18-year-old sophomore from Fond du Lac, Wis., acknowledged that he has a friend he has known since high school who plays wide receiver on Michigan’s team that he keeps in contact with on a regular basis. It had been reported that Allen was close with Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, but Allen said he had never spoken to Edwards. Allen repeated that he had not had any contact with Michigan’s staff, noting that it was “the honest truth.”

Multiple Wisconsin players said after the game that they were unaware of any report linking Allen to Michigan.

“All I know is that Braelon’s a great guy and he’s an awesome football player,” Badgers center Joe Tippmann said. “I just hope he sticks around.”

Allen took to his Twitter account after the game to relay his support for the program.

I love my teammates, I love our coaches, and I love us against anybody when we’re playing our best football. Truth is I need to be better, and I need to learn how to better help my brothers play to our standard consistently. We WILL finish strong. #OnWisconsin

— Braelon Allen (@BraelonAllen) November 13, 2022

Wisconsin dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten on Saturday. Allen leads Wisconsin with 189 carries for 1,029 yards and 10 touchdowns and has 2,297 career rushing yards with 22 touchdowns. He finished the Iowa game with 17 carries for 40 yards and has battled a left-shoulder injury he sustained against Purdue that he said he expects to be dealing with for the remainder of the season.

“Braelon’s a warrior,” Leonhard said. “He’s a banger. He’s a very physical back. When you play that style of football, you’re going to get beat up a little bit. Just proud of the way he’s handled everything this year. He wants that role. He wants to be an enforcer out there and he wants the ball in his hands. That’s all we can ask for our lead back.”

Allen insisted the events during the week did not create a distraction for him or the team. But he noted that he felt compelled to discuss the rumor with at least some players.

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“I had to talk to the guys a little bit and just tell them that’s not true,” Allen said. “I’m focused on you guys. I’m focused on the guys in this room. I love all you guys and I’m going to play for you until the end of the year.”

(Top photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

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