Wisconsin football: Jalen Berger named to Doak Walker watch list

Ladies and gentleman we are sooooo close to college football season. With the Bucks taking Wisconsin fans’ focus deep into July, kickoff will be here before we know it. Usually the sign of college football getting close is the drop of Phil Steele’s magazine, and then watch list season which is now underway as the Badgers have picked up a few already.

The latest addition to the watch list is Wisconsin’s own Jalen Berger, who was named to the Doak Walker Watch List after a strong opening season in Madison. Berger played in just four games a season ago and finished with 60 carries, 300 yards, and two touchdowns. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but averaging 6.5 yards per carry should! Regardless, it’s clear the Doak Walker watch list respects what they saw from Berger in 2020, and sees the potential for a much bigger season in 2021.

Overall, 86 running backs made the Doak Walker Watch List which is a pretty big number, but it’s better to be on it than off it right? Berger will certainly be a player that could make the first cut of the list when they trim it down, but there are a lot of other quality players on there that will pose stiff competition.

Headlining the group are guys like Iowa State’s Breece Hall, Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, and Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks who are all looking to put up monster seasons at their schools. If Berger can breakout and continue to put up big numbers on a heavier workload there is little doubt that he can make a run at being in the Doak Walker conversation later in the season.