2021 S Braelon Allen signs his letter of intent

By far the youngest prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, Braelon Allen made things official Wednesday by signing his letter of intent as part of early signing day.

Originally a 2022 recruit, Allen is the youngest recruit in the class after reclassifying to join the team a year early. Despite being a trip around the sun younger, Allen might be the pound-for-pound strongest player in the group.

Allen is a very talented athlete that could project to multiple different positions on the defense. As things stand he is being brought in as a strong safety, but his combination of strength and speed could also make him a force in the box at times as well. Regardless of which position he plays for the Badgers though, the 4-star defender brings a hard hitting tenacity that should fit right in.

Forgoing his junior and senior seasons to become a Badger early, Allen’s most recent statistics come from his sophomore season in which he ran for 600 yards and six touchdowns as a running back, and tallied 48 tackles, four sacks, and three interceptions on defense.

Rankings

247 Composite: 4 stars; grade: .9156; No. 217 player in the nation; No. 12 LB; No. 3 WI

247 Sports: 4 stars; grade: 90; No. 19 ILB; No. 3 WI

Rivals: 4 stars; 5.8 rating; No. 195 player in the nation; No. 14 Safety; No. 3 WI

ESPN: 4 stars; Grade: 83; No. 10 Safety; No. 18 Regional; No. 2 WI

Verbally committed on July 14, 2020

Braelon Allen was the first commit for the Badgers in the 2022 recruiting class. The rising junior in high school chose Wisconsin over other offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame, as well as strong interest by Ohio State and Florida State.

After his fall football season was shut down due to COVID-19, Allen opted to reclassify into the 2021 class and he now intends to join Wisconsin a full year early.

Allen and fellow in-state safety Hunter Wohler will pair up in Madison as two of the highest ranked defensive backs in program history.

Video highlights

Player bio (courtesy of UW Athletic Department)

• Four-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals
• Initially committed as member of 2022 class, reclassified and will join Badgers in 2021
• High school team will compete in the spring
• Recorded 48 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and three interceptions as a sophomore
• Ran for 621 yards on 76 carries with six TDs, and averaged 29.1 yards as a kick returner
• Named second-team Sophomore All-America by MaxPreps