Top JUCO running back Julius Pope commits to Wisconsin football
Wisconsin adds Julius Pope from the JUCO ranks, a former Arkansas recruit who emerged as one of the nation’s top junior college tailbacks.
The Wisconsin football program wrapped up spring practice and didn’t waste much time before adding another piece to the roster.
That addition came in the form of top-ranked JUCO running back Julius “JuJu” Pope, whose commitment to the Badgers was first reported by Chris Hummer of 247Sports after Pope emerged as one of the more dynamic junior college backs in the country during the 2025 season.
Pope arrives in Madison with a somewhat unconventional path.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Mississippi native originally signed with Arkansas as a highly regarded four-star linebacker prospect coming out of South Panola High School, where he starred as a two-way player and was one of the top athletes in the state. After redshirting during his lone season with the Razorbacks, Pope entered the transfer portal, transitioned full-time to running back, and resurfaced at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
That move changed the trajectory of his career.
During his lone JUCO season, Pope rushed for 729 yards and eight touchdowns on 120 carries while averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. He also added 32 receptions for 355 yards and three more scores, quickly establishing himself as one of the more versatile backs in the junior college ranks. His production eventually earned him recognition as the top-rated JUCO running back in the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports.
And when you dig into the background, the athletic profile makes sense.
Before becoming a full-time running back, Pope piled up defensive production in high school, posting 82 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and nine sacks during his junior season while also averaging 12 yards per carry offensively. That two-way background still shows up in his game now.
On film, Pope runs with natural burst, catches the football comfortably out of the backfield, and brings the kind of contact balance and physicality that likely stems from spending years playing defense.
There’s also some untapped upside here, especially when you consider that Pope still has up to three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Pope is still relatively new to the position full-time, meaning Wisconsin is betting on traits, athletic development, and what the player could become with more refinement inside a Power Four strength program.
From a roster-building standpoint, the addition continues the aggressive rebuild of the running back room under position coach Jayden Everett.
The Badgers have already added transfer options like Abu Sama, Bryan Jackson, and Nate Palmer to the mix while also bringing back Darrion Dupree and adding true freshman Qwantavius Wiggins.
On paper, the room now features a variety of skill sets and considerably more depth than it had a year ago. But Pope gives Wisconsin’s staff another explosive athlete to develop, and it’s clear the staff believes there’s still more they can unlock from a player who is relatively new to playing running back.
“They understand what it’s like to compete at the highest level. And they all want to come here and help this thing get back on track,” Everett said of the running back room he’s continuing to build at Wisconsin.
“They know that playing at a university known for being an RBU is something for them that is going to change the paradigm of their careers if they commit to giving back to each other and to the team.”
And for a program trying to raise the overall athletic ceiling of its offense, this is the type of late-cycle swing that makes plenty of sense.
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