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FOOTBALL RECRUITING Insider Notes: Coll returns to campus; defensive ends shine Friday

Jon McNamara

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Nov 14, 2006
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With Wisconsin’s final summer camp in the books, BadgerBlitz.com provides some insider notes and analysis from Friday’s action at Camp Randall Stadium.

Clayton Call makes return trip to Madison

After he participated in Wisconsin’s first camp at the start of the month, 2019 linebacker Colin Coll returned to campus for the Badgers final camp session Friday. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound prospect from Franklin High School in Indiana worked all day on the defensive side of the ball before the coaching staff asked him to stay after for additional instruction. It was then that tight ends coach Mickey Turner, along with Chris Haering and Joe Rudolph, began running Coll through receiver drills. Turner worked on his mechanics while Rudolph threw him a variety of tight end routes.

It will be interesting to see how Wisconsin moves forward with Coll. The staff clearly likes the unranked senior-to-be and may be working to find him a spot in this class. At linebacker, UW will likely wait on decisions from Lance Dixon, Spencer Lytle and Nick Henrich before extending more offers. But at tight end, the path to an offer could be quicker with Hudson Henry and
Erick All atop the Badgers’ recruiting board.

Talented group of defensive ends on campus

Defensive end was certainly a strong position group Friday, with a trio of in-state sophomores headlining the unit: Ben Barten (Stratford), Logan Wilson (Kimberly) and Michael Lois (Elkhorn). All three currently have offers from Iowa, with Lois and Barten also boasting a scholarship from South Dakota State. Haering, Wisconsin's in-state recruiter, watched this group for much of the day.

Barten is a listed an offensive tackle, but the Badgers worked him at end for the entirety of camp. Considering the top tackles the staff is after - and sitting well with - in the 2020 class, end is probably Barten’s best path towards an offer. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Barten, who is also a standout basketball player, moved well for his size. He needs to work on his strength but there’s a lot to like early in the process. Barten and his parents spent a lot of time talking with Haering after the camp; their next stop is Iowa before AAU basketball starts back up.

Lois, 6-foot-4 and 258 pounds, was the most physically dominant of the three. In most the drills, Lois had no problem plowing right through opposing offensive linemen. It’s easy to see why the Hawkeyes offered early, with Wisconsin and Notre Dame, among others, showing strong interest.

Finally, Wilson may have had the most productive camp. Listed at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, he may be an inch shorter and a few pounds shy of that measure; regardless, Wilson displayed a great motor and mechanics. He won the majority of his reps Friday and certainly jumped out as one of the top performers.

Moving forward, it would appear the staff could fill their defensive end allotment from inside the state in the 2020 cycle. Offers could come when the staff has their final camp meetings later this month.

Seven linebackers worked at the end of camp

Seven linebackers were asked to stay after the normal camp session in order to take part in drills against an opposing offensive lineman and tailback. That group included Coll, Drew Fowler from Washington, 2020 prospect Logan Burks, the younger brother of UW back Noah Burks, and Catholic Memorial’s Ben Kreul. Linebackers from Marquette and Holmen High School were also in the group, but I couldn’t identify who they were.

The player to watch here in Kruel, who already has offers from Iowa State and Nebraska. From the same high school 2018 signee CJ Goetz, Kruel is a player the staff likely won’t let leave the state.

Davis brothers have a busy day

It was a busy day in Madison for the Davis twins, Jonathan Davis and Jordan Davis. Both took part in Wisconsin’s football camp during the day, where Jonathan worked at quarterback and Jordan at receiver. The duo from La Crosse Central then moved over the Kohl Center for the Badgers’ team camp in the evening.

While at Camp Randall, head coach Greg Gard and assistant Joe Krabbenhoft both spent time talking with their father, Mark. Jonathan Davis, who passed for over 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns as a sophomore, currently holds a scholarship offer from Gard in the 2020 class.

Badgers get an early start on Riley Mahlman

Riley Mahlman didn’t take part in camp Friday, but the 6-foot-9, 235-pound projected offensive tackle did take part in a visit. The freshman spent some time with Andrew Marlatt, UW’s Senior Director of Operations and Recruiting. Minnesota is also showing strong interest at this point.



Two others to watch

Wisconsin also got a look at 2020 tight end Seth Figgins and 2021 quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Figgins, from Westlake High School in California, currently has offers from Nebraska, Arizona State, Oregon, Texas and Utah. McCarthy, from La Grange Park, Ill., has early offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State and Indiana.



 
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