Former Wisconsin Football RB Hits the Transfer Portal

Coming out of high school, Jalen Berger was a highly-touted recruit. He was a 4-star prospect out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, according to the 247Sports composite. He was the 136th overall prospect and the 15th-ranked running back in the country.

He held over 30 Division I offers from some of the biggest programs in the country like Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, and more.

The former Badger running back committed to the Wisconsin football team as a part of their 2020 recruiting class. The 2020 recruiting class for the Badgers ranked 27th nationally, making it one of the top classes in recruiting rankings history.

Berger spent his first two collegiate seasons with the Wisconsin football team, getting meaningful reps right away. He carried the ball 60 times for 301 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his true freshman season, which was shortened to six games due to Covid.

The back quickly fell down the depth chart the next season with the emergence of true freshman running back Braelon Allen and incoming transfer Chez Mellusi. In his sophomore season, Berger played in just three games for the Wisconsin football team, rushing the ball 24 times for 88 yards and a touchdown.

He entered the portal the following offseason, following the Badgers’ former director of player personnel Saeed Khalif to Michigan State.

In his first season with the Spartans, Berger carried the ball 148 times for 683 yards and six touchdowns as the lead back. However, he struggled with injuries in 2023 and had just 25 carries and less than 100 yards on the season in five games.

The former Wisconsin football tailback will have two years of eligibility remaining.