Luke Fickell made it clear in February that the University of Wisconsin football program would likely be without the Badgers’ starting running back, Chez Mellusi when spring practice began.
During a radio appearance, Fickell stated that Mellusi “won’t get a big load, if any load, in the spring” while he recovered from a broken leg suffered against Purdue last September.
However, several reporters on hand for practice conveyed that Mellusi rotated in with the Badgers’ first team — and got plenty of work at that.
When Fickell was questioned after practice about whether or not Chez could do more this spring for the Wisconsin football team than initially thought, he responded simply with a “Yeah.”
“I thought maybe we would hold him in a lot of situations,” Fickell told reporters. “But I don’t know that that’s the best thing for Chez, and I don’t know if that’s the best thing for us. And that’s not what Chez wants.
“We’re going to be smart,” Fickell continued. “But he [Mellusi] needs the reps, he needs the shots, he the ability to get the confidence back.”
Although the sample size was small, the Florida native seemed like a terrific fit in Phil Longo’s offensive scheme. In four games, Mellusi carried the rock 51 times for 307 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He had seven carries of 10+ yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
Mellusi is joined in the Wisconsin football backfield this spring by Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker, returning options like Jackson Acker, Cade Yacamelli, and Nate White. True freshman Gideon Ituka is also on campus participating in spring ball after enrolling early. Fellow signees Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree arrive this summer.
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