Melvin Gordon gets to partake in one of his favorite activities this weekend: spending time with family in a place he called home.
The former University of Wisconsin football and NFL running back will be back in Madison this weekend, gathering with family and friends as the program honors him on the 10-year anniversary of one of the milestone moments of his college career. Gordon rushed for a then-NCAA record 408 yards in what became a rout of Nebraska, one of a few memorable performances against the Cornhuskers for the Kenosha native. Gordon will be recognized at Wisconsin's game against No. 1 Oregon on Saturday night.
Gordon, who now resides in Arizona, played for nine years in the NFL after becoming a Doak Walker Award winner and finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He spoke with BadgerExtra about his memories of his 408-yard game, the state of the Wisconsin football program and more.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
BE: What’s it like for you to get back to Madison? I know it’s been hard to do that in your playing career but, when you are able to, what does being on campus feel like?
Gordon: It's dope for me, man. The best thing about it is I get to come early and spend time with my family, and when I go to the campus, my family can drive down ‘cause I'm only an hour away. It's just dope coming back. It's always something new that's in Madison as far as like just the feel. I love going back downtown Madison, just roaming around the Capitol, just being able to see, just reflect back, go to the terrace and just think about when me and some of the guys were there. It just brings back a lot of memories. People still show me love. It's cool on game day, people still wear the jersey, that's super dope to see after you know nine years, people still show love. Coach (Bret) Bielema told me that you’ll always forever have love here, especially being from Wisconsin, and that word still holds true.
BE: Going to games last few years, it's your jersey and it's Ron Dayne are the two that I see the absolute most.
Gordon: It’s a nice jersey, it’s a nice number.
Melvin Gordon on his record-breaking performance against Nebraska
BE: Wisconsin is going to be celebrating your anniversary of rushing for 408 yards, a big milestone in your career. You guys were having a pretty good season at that point and it was a big matchup against Nebraska. Did you feel like you would have a big game going into that one?
Gordon: Hell yeah, I practiced hard as hell. It was important to me. Every game was important to me and I just practiced hard in general, but that week I went a little extra hard. I just remember one of the people from the Big Ten Network saying, “Melvin Gordon can't fill Ameer Abdullah’s shoes,” or some comment like that he made that really pissed off after I had a bad game versus Western Illinois where I went for like (38) yards. He kind of (expletive) on me a little bit and I was just like, I just didn't forget it. I was like, all right, I had one game where people were playing unorthodox football to stop me and you guys think that we shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence? I didn't forget it. I was like, “When I play Nebraska, I'm gonna make him eat those words.” And I did.
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon points to the student section while running off the field after the Badgers' 59-24 win over Nebraska at Camp Randall in 2014. Gordon ran for 408 yards and four TDs in the game.
BE: You had success in your career against Nebraska at that point, rushing for 216 yards in the 2012 Big Ten championship game. Was that in your mind going into that one?
Gordon: I guess it was, because the first time I played Nebraska we played them at we played them in Lincoln and I didn't get (many) carries that game, I don't think. And I kept telling them, “Hey, you guys, the jet sweeps are open. Give me a chance, give me the ball, let me work.” And they just never gave me the ball that game. I was just kind of like a decoy guy. We jumped out on them and then they came back and they beat us. When we played them in the Big Ten championship, I was just so pissed, I was so mad, I was so livid, I was just so mad that they came back. Their fans were awesome, I'm not gonna lie, for them, obviously. So loud. I was just like, “Y'all just embarrassed us.” We played them in the Big Ten championship and it was just like, me, Montee (Ball) and James (White) just locked in. It was just like from then on, it was barbecue chicken.
That game is when it clicked for me that I could play in the league and that I had what it took.
BE: Going back to the 408 game, were you somebody who peeked at the stats during a game? Would you look at the board to see where you were at in a game?
Gordon: We were losing (in the first half), so when you're losing you’re not really looking at stats. I did peek the stats at halftime because they put them on the board. And I was like, God, dawg, I'm at like, 240 or something like that (238), and it's a close game, so I’ll still be in, I gotta play some more quarters. I was like, “OK, let's just see where this goes.” And I just didn't think of it. I was just trying to win. Those last three games, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota, we needed those three, they were must-wins to get in the Big Ten championship.
BE: You guys end up putting it on Nebraska in that third quarter with 28 points. When were you able to realize something special was happening?
Gordon: Pretty much after I sat, after I got sat the last touchdown. They were like, “Oh, you broke the record!” And I was like, “Well, what's the record?” I never once in my life looked at how much rushing yards you can get in a single game. The year before when I was with James, I couldn't even get 200 yards a game, like it was just a struggle. To think about 400, too think about 300, I mean … but my senior year, I was getting 200-yard games like it was nothing. It was almost like that guy from Boise State (Ashton Jeanty), but social media wasn’t as big so I didn't get much love at the time. But it was cool. The people that know, know, and it will always be dope.
BE: You mentioned when you got taken out. You knew how badly you guys needed to win out those three games at the end of the season. Were you upset that you got taken out, or were you OK with it because of the game situation leading 52-17?
Gordon: I could’ve stayed in, my coach asked me. One of my close friends and my roommate at the time was Dare Ogunbowale — fortunately and unfortunately, his first touchdown was my biggest game. I was like let him go score, let him go do his thing, let him rock out. That was his first touchdown as a Badger, as a running back, that was super dope. It’s still my Xbox picture, that's one of my favorite pictures actually, me kind of like congratulating him.
I could have stayed in. If the weeks were reversed, my coach probably would have kept me in to get the record. I had a whole quarter left to do it.
BE: I was going to ask if Samaje Perine breaking the record the next week changed your mind at all.
Gordon: It happened how it happened, you know? I kind of hate how it happened now because I’ll always be second to Samaje. Eventually people just look at the number, but the people that kind of witnessed it at the time know the situation.
BE: What do you think was realistic given how that game went for you? 500? 600 yards?
Gordon: Definitely a 500 game; 600 would be kind of crazy, but 500, 460 type of game. I probably could’ve broke another long run in the fourth the way that line was blocking. Those guys were unstoppable.
Melvin Gordon on the state of Wisconsin football
BE: Have you been able to watch the Badgers much this year? What's the situation for you on Saturdays lately?
Gordon: It’s rough. It’s a rough watch. When you let Iowa drop 40 on you, it's pretty tough, tough year. We'll figure it out. I’m done pointing fingers, done victim blaming. You could say it's the coach, you could say it's the players, but at the end of the day, it's got to be some type of leader in that locker room that wants to take over. I can get in front of the team, I’ll talk to those boys, but I don't think we have a guy that just … every year I've watched Wisconsin, every year I've been at Wisconsin myself, even years after, we've always had a player that it was just like, "If you guys don't want to play, I'll take over.” Whether it was T.J. (Watt), whether it was JT (Jonathan Taylor), whether it was me, whether it was James White, Montee, John Clay, I mean, it's a long list of guys. Ron Dayne, you've always had a guy that would be like, “You guys don't want to step up to the table, I will, and I'll carry us.” And we don't have that.
I mean, I can't name a game where it’s like, “OK, we gotta stop this guy.” It's not that. We can't put that on the coach. I feel like the players have to want that and they got to want it more than the coach, because I know he wants that for them. He wants that for the team. He wants that for the whole Badger nation. But until a player is like, “This is this is mine,” we're gonna continue to just be subpar.
BE: I’m sure if you told them you’d want to speak to the team, they’d make that happen.
Gordon: Yeah, I'm pretty sure. If they ask me, I will. Hopefully those guys are locked in because it's a big game, and I don't want it to be anything like that Alabama game (a 42-10 loss). To let Oregon come into the Big Ten and just destroy us like this? I’m kind of pissed.
BE: Do you see any similarities with the end of your career, where the offense was changing a bit under coach Gary Andersen. Or is it just too different now?
Gordon: It’s too different. Coach Fickell is dealing with a lot of things that no Badger coach ever had to deal with in this NIL stuff. You gotta work with him. And I was even tough on them, just because we want to win, but you gotta look at the bigger picture here. Would some of the coaches we've had in the past still be the same type of coaches and get the same type of players, and keep the players that we've had over the years, if the NIL was a thing? We gotta let this thing play out a little bit, I feel like. He's come from a winning background, it's not like he doesn't want to win.
I just feel like with the donors and with everything, we're asking a lot from those guys too. Until we can get in a position to where the money we make from actual football, the revenue, can pay the players, it's always going to be a struggle. And I told some of the guys, we're gonna take a hit with this NIL stuff, because unless we could do it that way where we can pay players, we’re going to struggle. We’re going to fall as a program, everything we've built and continue to uphold is going to diminish if we don't find ways to be able to pay the players to get there. They already didn't want to come there before because of the weather, unfortunately for us, so it's like, “OK, what are you going to pay them to get the guys you want?” We gotta open that checkbook from what we make from the revenue. Let's stop killing those guys, the donors, we’re cleaning those guys up. We got to figure something out, and we will.
BE: Because of your career and everything, does anybody hit you up in terms of donorship? Or how does that work for a guy like you?
Gordon: Heck no. Them guys, the guys that donate, the guys they ask for the money, they’re high rollers. They've been high rollers since I was in college. It’s not like I’m getting Pat Mahomes money.
I can affect the school in so many other ways with ideas, but we just got to work on trying to bring alumni back. I think we haven't been really good on that. We got to find a way to connect with the younger (audience), we got to evolve.
Get to know the members of Wisconsin football's 2025 recruiting class
Landyn Locke — Rockwall (Texas)
Landyn Locke became Wisconsin's first 2025 commit when he announced his intentions to become a Badger in June 2023.
Locke, the younger brother of current Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke, is a consensus three-star recruit who’s listed at 6-4 and 185 pounds on Hudl. He was named District 10-6A co-offensive MVP for the 2023 season. He completed 60.6% of his throws for 1,702 yards and 19 touchdowns to only four interceptions as a junior, according to MaxPreps.
Remington Moss — Fredericksburg St. Michael (Virginia)
Remington Moss, who's father is a cousin of former Wisconsin running back great Brent Moss, announced his commitment to the Badgers in August 2023.
Moss is rated as a four-star recruit by On3 and 247Sports composite rankings. On3 evaluates him as the No. 192 player in the 2025 class as of June 12.
He's been back to Madison multiple times since committing to Wisconsin, and his position versatility could help the defensive backfield.
Michael Roeske — Wautoma
Wisconsin won a key recruiting battle for Michael Roeske, an in-state offensive lineman who said Notre Dame was also one of his top schools before deciding to stay home. The Wautoma product also announced Power Four offers from the following schools: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Syracuse and defending national champion Michigan.
As of June 12, Roeske was rated as a four-star recruit by On3's Industry rankings, which is the outlet's algorithm that computes evaluations from the four major recruiting outlets.
Cooper Catalano — Germantown
Another key in-state target, Cooper Catalano announced his commitment to Wisconsin in November 2023. Catalano's a consensus three-star recruit who also tweeted offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan State and Missouri.
Catalano earned all-state large school honorable mention accolades from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association as a junior. He finished the 2023 season with 138 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, according to wissports.net.
Expect Catalano to play for Mike Tressel's inside linebacker room when he arrives as an expected early enrollee starting in January 2025.
Jai'mier Scott — Cincinnati Mt. Healthy (Ohio)
Jai'mier Scott was another early recruiting win for coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin staff, as he announced his commitment in January.
Scott is rated as a four-star recruit by On3, Rivals and 247Sports composite rankings as of June 2024. Rivals evaluates him the highest as the No. 136 player in the 2025 class.
He announced offers from the following Power Four schools: Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke (under current Texas A&M coach Mike Elko), Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Scott's another defensive back who could provide versatility to Wisconsin's safety room. He recorded 56 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five passes defended and two interceptions this past season as a junior, according to the Southwest Ohio Conference.
Sam Lateju — The Lawrenceville School (New Jersey)
Sam Lateju is another long, athletic recruit (listed at 6 foot 5 and 230 pounds on Hudl) in the style the Wisconsin staff is looking for at the outside linebacker position.
Lateju committed to Wisconsin in March. He took an unofficial visit during one of the program's junior day events in the winter.
He is a consensus three-star recruit who had previously tweeted Power Four offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.
Grant Dean — Neenah
Neenah's Grant Dean visited twice in the spring before receiving an offer from the home-state Badgers, but he jumped on the offer once it was presented by the staff.
Dean, a three-star defensive back, announced his commitment to Wisconsin in April. He announced offers from Army, Northern Illinois, Wyoming and FCS powerhouses North Dakota State and South Dakota State before committing to Wisconsin.
Dean was a two-way standout for Neenah, rushing for 1,774 yards on 7.3 yards per carry with 25 touchdowns in 2023, according to wissports.net. The site also reported that he finished his junior season with 59 tackles, one tackle for loss and two interceptions.
Dean could be another versatile member of Wisconsin's safety group.
Cam Clark — Dexter (Michigan)
The first offensive line commit for new assistant AJ Blazek came from Cam Clark, who announced his decision to become a Badger in April.
Clark's a consensus three-star lineman who has announced Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others.
Luke Emmerich — Monticello (Minnesota)
Wisconsin's staff once again found a Minnesota standout to join its program, as Luke Emmerich announced his commitment to the Badgers on May 3.
"First time I saw it I knew it was the place I wanted to be, whether I was a student or an athlete, and then God blessed me to be able to become an athlete," Emmerich told BadgerExtra. "So it was a no-brainer for me. The second I got the offer, me, my family, they knew it was the one I wanted and it was the one I've been hoping for."
Emmerich is another Wisconsin commit who’s shined on the track, as according to athletic.net, he ran a 10.69 in the 100-meter dash on April 23.
Emmerich also announced other Power Four offers from Boston College, California, Utah, Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Southern Cal and Utah. Wisconsin views him as an “athlete” in this class, which means his projected position within the program is yet to be solidified.
Cameron Miller — Atco Winslow Township (New Jersey)
Wisconsin locked in a key target when Cameron Miller announced his commitment on May 15.
Miller, a four-star recruit by On3's Industry rankings as of June 12, is projected to play the crucial slot receiver position in Phil Longo's Air Raid passing scheme.
He caught 59 receptions for 1,342 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns as a junior last season, according to Winslow Township coach Bill Belton, with Miller breaking the school’s single-season records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Logan Powell — Phoenix Brophy (Arizona)
Wisconsin started its June official visit season on the right foot with the commitment of offensive lineman Logan Powell on June 1.
Powell's a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3's Industry rankings. Wisconsin was among his top five schools April 23, which included Alabama, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Tennessee. He also announced offers from Florida State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Southern Cal and Washington, among others.
Wisconsin said he can play on the interior of the line at guard or potentially even center, according to Powell.
Nolan Davenport — Massillon Washington (Ohio)
Another highly rated offensive lineman committed to Wisconsin in June with the addition of Nolan Davenport.
Davenport, who's rated as a four-star recruit by On3 as of June, announced the following Power Four offers: Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, NC State, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford and Vanderbilt. The offer from the Commodores came in August 2023, when Wisconsin assistant AJ Blazek was offensive line coach for the SEC program.
Davenport took an official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of May 31-June 2.
Jahmare Washington — Chicago Morgan Park
Wisconsin continues to find recruits to add to its program from the Chicagoland area with the commitment of Jahmare Washington.
Washington, a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals, took an official visit to Madison the weekend of June 7-9. He then announced June 9 his intentions to become a Badger.
Washington, listed at 6 foot 2 and 170 pounds on Hudl, is expected to play cornerback in the Badgers' defense.
Washington received Power Four interest, with announced offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State and Michigan State.
Nizyi Davis — Indianapolis Lawrence Central
Wisconsin finally found its 2025 tight end when Nizyi Davis announced his commitment June 10.
Davis is listed at 6 foot 6 and 215 pounds on Hudl, and Rivals evaluated him as the No. 33 tight end in the nation for the 2025 class as of June. He took an unofficial visit to Wisconsin on April 13 and returned for an official visit the weekend of May 31-June 2.
Torin Pettaway — Middleton
Wisconsin didn't give up in pursuing Torin Pettaway after his flip to Minnesota in late March, and it paid off for the Badgers less than three months later.
Pettaway, a three-star recruit from nearby Middleton, flipped back his commitment to Wisconsin on June 11.
Pettaway, who is listed at 6 foot 5 on wissports.net, told BadgerExtra in June that he was around 285 pounds. All four major recruiting outlets evaluate him as a three-star recruit after his first season of playing high school football. He announced Power Four offers from Nebraska, Minnesota, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Illinois and Washington.
Mason Posa — Albuquerque La Cueva
Mason Posa became Wisconsin's highest-rated commit of its 2025 class when he announced June 13 his commitment to the Badgers.
Posa is a consensus four-star recruit, with 247Sports evaluating him the highest as the No. 154 player and No. 18 linebacker in the 2025 class as of June 13. He finished his junior season with 133 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions, according to Hudl.
Posa was one of the priority recruits for coach Luke Fickell and his staff, and he took two multi-day trips in May. That included an official visit to campus the weekend of May 31-June 2.
He's expected to play at one of Wisconsin's inside linebacker positions, joining Germantown's Cooper Catalano.
Posa is also a two-sports standout, as he has won three state championships in wrestling.
Eugene Hilton Jr. — Zionsville (Indiana)
Wisconsin secured another verbal commitment in June when 2025 wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. announced his intentions to become a Badger.
Wisconsin’s summer success on the recruiting trail through the first two weeks of June continued with a verbal commitment from Eugene Hilton Jr.
Hilton, a four-star wide receiver by Rivals and 247Sports composite rankings, announced his decision June 14. Rivals also evaluated him as the No. 55 wide receiver and No. 6 player in the state of Indiana as of the date of commitment.
Hilton caught 46 passes for 836 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns last season as a junior, according to Zionsville. He is the son of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.
The Badgers secured eight commitments for its 2025 class between June 1 and June 14. All had taken official visits during those first two weekends, and Hilton made the trek to Madison for the weekend of June 7-9.
Two commits have come from the state of Indiana, which the Wisconsin staff targeted in this cycle, during this span in Hilton and Indianapolis Lawrence Central tight end Nizyi Davis.
Nicolas Clayton — Gainesville Buchholz (Florida)
Wisconsin received its third commitment for Matt Mitchell's outside linebacker room with the addition of Nicolas Clayton.
Clayton, who plays for Gainesville Buccholz in Florida, tweeted his decision June 22. He took official visits to Nebraska, Central Florida, Wisconsin, Tulane and Florida State. He has also tweeted offers from Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue and Southern Cal, among others.
Clayton, listed at 6 foot 5 and 215 pounds on Hudl, was bumped to a four-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports composite rankings this fall. He was one of three Wisconsin 2025 commits from Florida at one point during this recruiting cycle, but now is the lone member from the Sunshine State.
Xavier Ukponu — Denton Guyer (Texas)
Xavier Ukponu, a consensus three-star recruit who plays for Denton (Texas) Guyer, announced Aug. 5 his commitment to Wisconsin.
Ukponu received significant interest during his recruiting journey. He tweeted a graphic in February that showed notable Power Four offers from Florida, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Southern Cal, Tennessee and Texas, among others. He took official visits to California, Arkansas and LSU, according to this Twitter account.
Ukponu traveled to Wisconsin for an unofficial visit on July 26 and later returned to Madison the weekend of Aug. 26 for the Penn State game.
He's listed at 6 foot 3 and 300 pounds on Hudl, and his size, frame and strength could help fortify Wisconsin's interior defensive line for defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and assistant E.J. Whitlow.
Emmett Bork — Oconomowoc
Bork was the third 2025 recruit that Wisconsin flipped from a Big Ten rival.
Bork is a consensus three-star recruit who plays for Oconomowoc, announced Oct. 28 his commitment to the Badgers. He initially made the decision to play for Michigan State in May, and he had also tweeted Big Ten offers from Illinois, Indiana and Rutgers.
Bork expects to enroll early at Wisconsin in January. He's listed at 6 foot 6 and 245 pounds on WisSports, and that could project to more of an in-line tight end role once in the Badgers' strength and conditioning program.
He has abilities to influence both the run and passing game. The site credits him with 17 receptions for 198 yards receiving and two touchdowns in eight regular season games as a senior.
Hardy Watts — Brookline Dexter (Massachusetts)
Wisconsin picked up one of its highest-rated players of the 2025 class when Hardy Watts announced July 1 his commitment to the Badgers. Clemson and Michigan were his two other top schools, and he also took official visits to all three programs this summer.
Watts is a four-star recruit and No. 139 player in the 2025 class, according to On3. He received plenty of interest, announcing notable Power Four offers from the following: Alabama, Boston College, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, among others.
Watts, who plays for Brookline Dexter in Massachusetts, is among five projected offensive lineman to be a part of Wisconsin's 2025 class. If those handful keep with their commitments, it would be the second consecutive recruiting cycle that the Badgers would have five players for that position group. Watts also planned to enroll early as of this summer.
Drayden Pavey — Cincinnati Taft
Wisconsin was able to flip multiple recruits from Big Ten rivals during this 2025 class, including this Ohio standout who should help the Badgers' defensive line.
Drayden Pavey backed off his verbal pledge from Purdue and eventually announced Oct. 22 his commitment to Wisconsin. He's a consensus three-star recruit from Cincinnati Taft who took an unofficial visit to Wisconsin on April 20.
He tweeted an offer from the Badgers a day later and returned to Madison for an official visit in mid-June. He initially annonced his commitment to the Boilermakers in July.
Big recruiting weekend expected with Wisconsin football hosting No. 1 Oregon
