'His body hasn't responded': Chez Mellusi 'stepping away' from Wisconsin

Mellusi is Wisconsin's leading rusher through four games.

Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi (1) finds a seam in the South Dakota defense during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, September 7 , 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Wisconsin Badgers will be without running back Chez Mellusi for an undetermined amount of time. The surprising announcement was made Thursday evening, with the university issuing a statement saying Mellusi's absence is related to his health.

"We want to let people know that Chez is going to be stepping away from the team for now and working to get his body healthy," reads a statement from the Badgers. "He's endured many injuries and has worked extremely hard to be able to play this year but his body hasn't responded the way he expected. We're here to support Chez in any way we can and hope he'll be back on the football field again one day."

It's unclear if Mellusi is dealing with a new injury or if significant injuries from his previous years in college football are impacting him. He was limited to four games last season after suffering a broken leg in a game against Purdue.

Mellusi has carried the ball 56 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns this season. This is his fourth season at Wisconsin after he played at Clemson during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

The departure of Mellusi leaves the backfield in the hands of three other Badgers: Tawee Walker, Cade Yacamelli and Darrion Dupree.

On Monday, Badgers coach Luke Fickell indicated that the running back by committee approach could be phased out in favor of a more natural No. 1 running back followed by a standard backup.

"What we need to find out is who can get hot. When we talk about continuing to develop and finding winning habits, we've got to find the winning combination, too," Fickell said. "We're going to have to give some guys opportunities early in the game and ride with them a little bit more."

That likely means that whoever has the hot hand early against Purdue could wind up being the bell cow the rest of the game. Kickoff Saturday is at 11 a.m. CT at Camp Randall Stadium.