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Markus Allen (Clayton, Ohio) made it known that he wanted to surprise people when he eventually made his commitment. That definitely happened on Friday afternoon, as the highly regarded wide receiver picked the Wisconsin Badgers despite no real rumblings leading up to the announcement.
Committed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison ! #LongLiveJarred #SW4L pic.twitter.com/wxlik1gR7N
— Markus Allen☆ (@MarkusAllen19) November 6, 2020
Allen was previously committed to Michigan, but opted to open up his recruitment back in September. Since then, the Wisconsin staff and the 2021 commits have been very active in their pursuit of his commitment.
Ranked as a high 3-star recruit by 247Sports and as a 4-star by Rivals, Allen was arguably the top remaining target on the board for the Badgers in the 2021 class. Boasting offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Virginia and West Virginia among others, the Badgers won out despite late interest from in-state Ohio State.
https://t.co/mDXnpCOStP
— Markus Allen☆ (@MarkusAllen19) October 27, 2020
60 rec/844 yards/14 TD’s in 8 games! Last year stats 51 rec/1,099 yards/15 TD’s in 11 games! Baller!
Overall, Allen represents one of the bigger gets for the staff in the 2021 class given the need for difference makers at wide receiver. At just over 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Allen has a tremendous frame for the wide receiver position, and his game is very similar to former Wisconsin wideout Quintez Cephus on film. He shows a keen ability to make contested catches and create separation from the defender using his size and speed. His game should pair very well with Skyler Bell who is the other wide receiver that Wisconsin is excited about in the class.
His commitment maintains the Badgers top-20 class ranking according to both 247Sports (No. 16) and Rivals (No. 15), and further demonstrates the phenomenal work that new wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted has done on the recruiting trail since taking over back in March.
Wisconsin is still in the hunt for a pair of linebackers, with both Yanni Karlaftis (West Lafayette, Ind.) and Jake Ratzlaff (Rosemount, Minn.) in play to potentially round out what currently stands as one of the best recruiting classes in program history in the rankings era.