Camp Update: Berger's motivation is 'to the roof'

East Lansing, Mich. - When Jalen Berger met with media for the first time as a Michigan State Spartan earlier this week, the easiest question he faced was one about his level of motivation for the 2022 season.

“It’s to the roof,” he said. “I just can’t wait to get back on that field. I really miss it.”

Berger transferred to Michigan State in January after two noteworthy but uneven seasons at Wisconsin.

He seemed to be on track to become the next great Badger running back when he led Wisconsin in rushing as a true freshman during the COVID-shortened season of 2020. He rushed for 301 yards on 60 carries that year.

The former four-star recruit from Don Bosco Prep in Newark, N.J. rushed for 93 yards on 15 carries against Northwestern in 2020, and 87 yards on 15 carries during his college debut against Michigan.

But Berger fell out of favor last year. He had 15 carries for 62 yards against Eastern Michigan, but then had only one carry against Notre Dame and eight carries against Michigan.

He didn’t play the following week against Illinois, and then Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst announced one day later, on Oct. 10, that Berger had been dismissed from the team.

Chyrst announced the move in a press release, without specifying a reason.

“I never got a chance to really explain what happened,” Berger said on Monday, his first chance to speak publicly about it. “I guess Coach Chryst didn’t really say anything much, so everybody just has their own suggestion of what happened.”

Those suggestions include rumors of accountability issues, flickering motivation, tardiness at team meetings. Meanwhile, blossoming stars Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi came on as the Badgers’ top ball carriers.

“I mean it’s all in the past now,” said Berger, a redshirt sophomore. “I’m a Spartan now so it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

When Berger sought a second chance, Saeed Khalif, MSU’s General Manager and Executive Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting, vouched for him.

Khalif was Director of Player Personnel at Wisconsin from 2017-20, including Berger’s freshman year with the Badgers.

“He talked to a couple of people over there on their staff and that’s what ended up with me being here,” Berger said. “Saeed kind of figured out what was going on. So it wasn’t really that big of a deal.”

Meanwhile, Michigan State had 263 rushing attempts and 1,636 rushing yards to replace with Kenneth Walker III jumping to the NFL.

“Saeed was definitely a part of the reason I transferred here,” Berger said. “Another reason was just the success they had using the running backs last year with K-9 and seeing all the ways they use their running backs, out of the backfield, handing it off and in the slot and all that.”

Berger is emerging as the favorite to become the starting running back job at Michigan State. Sources indicate he received first-string reps at Saturday’s first scrimmage of August camp.

Berger was the first player head coach Mel Tucker mentioned on Monday when discussing the scrimmage.

“(Jalen Berger) was about five yards a pop,” Tucker said. “He was running behind his pads and falling forward on contact. He had really good traffic burst through the hole. He showed good vision and ran hard.”

Berger said it was a positive day.

“I felt like I did good,” he said. “I have some things to work on: finishing more runs, staying tighter to the blocks of my o-linemen. My big focus for this fall was pass protection.

“I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied with it. There was one play that I broke for like 15 yards but I feel like I should have scored on it. I saw the hole and I just went through.”

Berger is competing with Colorado transfer Jarek Broussard, junior Jordon Simmons and senior Elijah Collins for playing time at running back. All four of those players have led a Power Five team in rushing at some point in their careers.

Collins led Michigan State in rushing in 2019, Simmons led Michigan State in 2020 and Broussard led Colorado in each of the past two seasons. Add 2021 Auburn transfer Harold Joiner and redshirt freshman Davion Primm to the mix, and it’s the deepest position group on the team.

“It’s great competition, but that’s what makes good backs, great competition,” Berger said. “It gives you an opportunity to soak in everything from each running back and see what they know. You have a lot of running backs that have played, so I’m fine with sharing reps but I’m ready for a bigger role. I think I’m ready for a much bigger role.”

Berger and Broussard have formed a close relationship.

“I talk to Jarek almost every day,” Berger said. “We chill at each other’s house. I’ll probably be at his house later today.

“He’s a great back. He’s small but he’s a powerful back. He can catch out of the backfield. I’ve been learning from him because he’s an older player. He’s a great guy.”

Berger isn’t solely a power back, but he has more size and power than Broussard. Broussard is a smallish, nifty, jump cut type of back. Their contrasting styles could form a positive combination for the Spartans.

“It goes hand in hand,” Berger said. “In high school, I did the same thing, sharing the backfield with two other backs.

“I consider myself an all-around back. I can get the handoff or go in the slot.

Berger said he wasn’t in great shape when he arrived at Michigan State last winter. Transferring in time to participate in spring practice and off-season conditioning have been key in giving Berger a chance to make a major impact.

“When I got here, they made sure I got back in shape,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the transition was hard. The practices, compared to Wisconsin, are more fast-paced here. It’s kind of shorter. At Wisconsin, we used to practice over 25 periods or something like that but here we never went over 18 periods.

“Wisconsin was a run-heavy offense. It kind of prepared me for over here. They Michigan State like to run the ball too, but they (Michigan State) likes to dish the ball out more to the running back.”

With Michigan State looking to throw the ball more than Wisconsin did, the importance of pass protection for running backs is greater at Berger’s new team. Also, pass pro wasn’t a strong suit for his game in the past.

“Pass protection, that was my main focus coming into here and I feel like I’ve improved,” he said.

Michigan State will play Wisconsin this season, for the first time since 2019. The Spartans and Badgers will clash on Oct. 15, in the seventh game of the season.

“Yeah, I looked at it,” Berger said with a smile. “I’m not going to keep it in my head throughout the whole season. When the game comes, it comes. I’m just focused on the first game.”

That’ll be on Friday, Sept. 2 against Western Michigan. Berger feels the team and program are in a good place.

“As a culture standpoint, I feel a tension in the room, the motivation,” he said. “They want to win here.”