MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — After watching video on the high school prospect, Wisconsin running backs coach John Settle took mental notes on what stood out about Jalen Berger, a four-star tailback out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, a borough in Bergen County, 25 miles from Manhattan.

"The first thing that I noticed was his size," Settle said of the 6-foot, 200-pound Berger, who drew scholarship offers from more than 30 schools spread across the Power Five conferences. "Then I watched him, and I noticed his competitiveness – just how competitive he was on film."

How does that manifest itself? Competitiveness on film?

"Nowadays these young guys get away with a lot of animation, some things of that nature," Settle explained. "You could see if he ran over a guy or ran through a tackle, he would fist pump or he would do his muscle man pose, that type of thing. And I kind of liked that.

"I liked the idea he wasn't afraid to show how competitive he was and show the defense, 'Hey, this is going to be a long day if you guys think that you're going to tackle me.'"

As a senior, Berger had 111 carries for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns.

"I knew he was tough, and I liked the fact that he ran behind his pads," continued Settle, a former Pro Bowl running back with the Atlanta Falcons. "They gave him the ball quite a few times a game and it appeared on film that he would always hit in there the same way, no matter what.

"And then I saw his position flexibility where they would have him out wide as a receiver, in the slot as a receiver and at running back. I saw a total package, a guy that could come in – as time permits and he learns the scheme – to play all three downs and give us an opportunity to use his talents."


 

A few days after the Badgers lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, all eyes were on the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where Berger revealed his verbal commitment on national television by donning a Wisconsin cap, thereby eliminating the other finalists (Rutgers, UCLA, Penn State and LSU).

"My selling point was the success of the New Jersey-to-Wisconsin guys," Settle said. "There was Ron Dayne, the Heisman Trophy winner; Corey Clement who's in the NFL and won a Super Bowl; and I didn't have to say much more about what JT was doing here."

JT, of course, is Jonathan Taylor, the two-time Doak Walker Award winner.

Ultimately, Settle played another card, an ace in the hole for most high-profile recruits.

"And I think that really helped us with him – I said, 'Hey, if you come in here and you're the best guy, you're going to play. I don't care if you're a freshman. I don't care if you're a sophomore. That doesn't matter to us because we're going to play the best 11.'"

Settle's words have come to fruition over Wisconsin's last two games.

In a 49-11 win at Michigan, Berger made his collegiate debut by coming off the bench and leading the Badgers in rushing with 15 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. In a 17-7 loss at Northwestern, he got the same number of carries and again led the team's rushers with 93 yards.

"He has been productive every time he has gotten the ball," Settle said. "We didn't play him against Illinois (in the season opener) because we didn't think he was ready. I promised him and his parents that I wouldn't put him out there if he wasn't ready.

"The next thing I know, before Michigan, he was chomping at the bit, he was ready to go. Watching him from the sidelines the last two games, it was like watching him on film. He was going to be tough to bring down, he was going to run behind his pads and break tackles.

"That emphasized in our mind that he's in the right place, that we were doing the right things with him bringing him along slowly to let him grow and mature … He's continuing to learn more week-in and week-out. My thing is to make sure he understands what he's doing so he can go out and play fast."

• • • •

Growing up with three older brothers and two sisters, Berger grew up fast out of necessity, reveling in competition, dating all the way back to his earliest introduction to football. And, mind you, outside of a fleeting interest in basketball, it was the only thing on his radar as a youth.

"I've been into the sport ever since I was 9, that's when I started playing Pop Warner and I was watching all my brothers play," said Berger, who originally lined up at fullback and defensive end because of his body type more than anything else.

"My freshman year of high school, I started off at receiver. But one of our running backs got hurt so they moved me to running back and it kind of just took off from there. I guess it's a natural thing – getting the ball in my hands."

It's no coincidence that Berger's favorite players in the NFL are Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints. In 2019, McCaffrey had 287 rushes for 1,387 yards and 116 catches for 1,005; Kamara had 171 rushes for 797 and 81 receptions.

"When I was younger, I liked Reggie Bush," Berger said of the former USC star. "But nowadays, I look at McCaffrey and Kamara – guys who can do more than just the run the ball. They can come out of the backfield and they can catch it, stuff like that.

"In high school, I was moved around a lot from receiver to running back to Wildcat (quarterback) to corner. For me, pretty much going over the top of somebody and catching the ball is pretty exciting. Just making plays in general is that way."

Berger's first touch as a Badger was a 5-yard pass completion at Michigan.

"He's a natural pass receiver," Settle said. "We've done some things with him in practice and, as he continues to become more comfortable with the offense, we're going to try and put him in some situations where hopefully he can be isolated with a linebacker and have a chance to make a play for us."

Settle pointed out that Berger's offseason development was slowed due to the uncertainty that surrounded the start of the season.

"But to his credit, he knew enough – with limited practices and virtual meetings – to get started," Settle said. "It's just a shame when I think where he would be, or where he could be, if he had the whole summer where we could have brought him in and had all June and July to do classroom and film work and get him into camp. I think he'd be so much further ahead. But we're still not going to rush it."

Outside linebacker Nick Herbig and wide receiver Chimere Dike were among seven freshmen who entered school last January. Although classes went exclusively online in March and spring practice was canceled, they still got a jump start on learning the system. And it paid off.

Herbig has started all three games and Dike has started the last two.

"I knew Coach Settle was going to get me up to speed," said Berger, who also credited Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson for his recent growth. "They've pretty much helped me throughout the process. They're always checking up on me to see if I know all the plays."

Groshek is a fifth-year senior and Watson is a redshirt sophomore.

"They've been a big help," Berger stressed of his fellow tailbacks.

Under normal circumstances, and a conventional and uninterrupted preseason and season, Settle could bank on his running back room to look after and groom Berger and the other younger players through their daily interaction. But obviously these are abnormal times.

"We don't meet (in person) anymore as a position group," Settle said. "But he still gets coaching points from the old veteran Groshek, he still gets coaching points from Nakia.

"That's the one thing I like about the group. They don't care who's in (the game). They want to make sure that the guy who is in knows what to do and gets the job done. That's a great definition of a team and it shows why we've been able to be successful over the years."

Groshek has been encouraged by the progress that Berger has made over the last month.

"He's starting to understand everything obviously a little bit better," he said. "He's gotten some reps at it and made the most of his reps. He's a natural … there's something about those Jersey kids."

Berger's on-field actions have spoken more loudly than his words. Referencing his reticence, Groshek said, "He's really quiet, so it's tough to tell sometimes (what he's thinking). But he's obviously been engaged in wanting to show what he can do and he has done a good job of that so far."

Settle laughed and confirmed, "He doesn't say a lot and sometimes that's good."

In the same breath, he added, "But he's observant and he's all about working."

The combination of Berger's work ethic and skill set can be formidable, according to starting quarterback Graham Mertz, a redshirt freshman.

"He can be a dangerous weapon for us, especially with how he can catch it out of the backfield and make a play in the receiving game," Mertz said. "And, obviously, in the rushing game, he can tote that thing. He's a special player and I can't wait to see where he grows."

After the Northwestern game, Berger was not satisfied with his production even though he averaged 6.2 yards per rush against one of the most efficient, seasoned defenses in the country. Through six games, the Wildcats are allowing just 3.7 per carry.

"That whole game, they were diving at my legs and I went down off the first hit," said Berger, who was disappointed that he didn't get more yardage out of those runs, the longest of which was 17 yards. "That's the next step for me, getting my feet up and pretty much getting over those people."

For the most part, he believes that he can do a better job of making some of those tacklers miss.

"In his mind, he's always working to develop," Settle said. "I'm on him, 'Hey, man, get your pads down and take some of those hits on the front of your shoulder pads.' We'll continue to work with him. As he grows, he's 210, as he continues to mature and the next thing you know, he's 215, 218, people are not going to want to tackle him in the secondary."

During Berger's announcement at the All-American Bowl – whose rosters also featured two Badger offensive linemen, Jack Nelson of Stoughton and Trey Wedig of Oconomowoc – he mentioned his "great relationship" with Settle and coach Paul Chryst and how the O-line was "just amazing."

Turns out that Mertz was another influential factor in his decision to choose Wisconsin.

"First, it was the academics, then the offensive line, of course, and definitely Graham," said Berger, who had offers from some top-10 programs, including Alabama and Ohio State. "Graham has been a great help to me, especially committing here, he was one of the main reasons."

Even now, he noted, "He texts me every day to make sure I'm good."

Berger is well aware of the New Jersey pipeline of tailbacks to Wisconsin, a short list of the top rushers in school history: No. 1, Dayne (7,125 yards); No. 2, Taylor (6,174); No. 5, Anthony Davis (4,676).

"It's a big thing being from New Jersey and coming here as a running back with all the great backs that have come through here," acknowledged the 19-year-old Berger, who's from Newark. "It's just something about us and how everyone sleeps on Jersey kids, especially in high school."

When Berger was asked about Settle's observation on the raw emotion or animation that he exhibited as a prep – whether fist-pumping or flexing after big runs – he shyly conceded, "I haven't shown that yet in college. I wasn't that comfortable yet. But I will show it …"

Stay tuned.