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Wide receiver Markus Allen coming back to Wisconsin in 2023

The Wisconsin Badgers will regain one of their top young wide receivers, as Markus Allen removes his name from the transfer portal.

Matt Belz

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Redshirt freshman wide receiver Markus Allen raised some eyebrows earlier this year by entering the transfer portal after Paul Chryst left and then proceeding to commit to Minnesota and P.J. Fleck.

However, the former Wisconsin wide-out has since de-committed from the Gophers and removed his name from the transfer portal altogether. On Thursday, the Ohio native made things official, posting a photo of himself celebrating with teammates, signifying a return to Wisconsin under Luke Fickell.

Allen will officially rejoin his teammates in Madison with three years of eligibility remaining.

Wisconsin wide receiver Markus Allen making a man miss against Rutgers.
Wide receiver Markus Allen running with the football against Rutgers in 2021.  / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

From Northmont High School in Dayton (Ohio), Allen came to Wisconsin as a highly celebrated four-star recruit, according to Rivals. Originally committing to Michigan as part of the 2021 class, he chose to reopen his recruitment in the Fall of 2020, and ultimately signed with the Badgers over other offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.

Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 211 pounds, Allen put together a strong freshman season at Wisconsin despite only playing in three games while redshirting. He hauled in three catches for 65 yards, showing flashes of his playmaking ability against Rutgers and Arizona State.

After emerging as one of the team's top five wide receivers this season, Allen played in the first six games of the 2022 season with the Badgers before ultimately opting to transfer after Paul Chryst's firing. Through the first six weeks, Allen had seven receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, primarily working as the team's No. 4 wide receiver.

Allen had at least one catch in four of the six games he played this season, including 34 yards against Illinois State and 27 yards versus Illinois. He caught the first touchdown of his college career against Northwestern, and his return aligns closely with the Badgers hiring new offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

Longo has helped lead some of the most explosive offenses in college football the past handful of seasons, and adding back a wide receiver of Allen's talent level should only help Wisconsin implement some of the expected changes in 2023.

The Badgers have recently lost multiple reserves to the transfer portal, so bringing back Allen is welcomed news for Wisconsin and Luke Fickell. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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