MADISON, Wis. -- Braelon Allen had modest expectations for his first season at Wisconsin.
"I didn't really expect to play at all," he told ESPN.
His initial goal, like many true freshmen at a program that prides itself on player development, was to simply get on the field. Special teams provided the likeliest path. Maybe he could mix in a few carries as a short-yardage back. Allen didn't enroll early, as he was playing a pandemic-delayed high school season in the spring of 2021. He began college as a 17-year-old, a factoid that would follow him throughout his first fall as a Badger.