Wisconsin Badgers Commitment 101: Two-star OL Barrett Nelson

The Wisconsin Badgers added two-star offensive lineman Barrett Nelson to their 2022 recruiting class Saturday. Here's what Nelson's commitment means for head coach Paul Chryst moving forward.

At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, Barrett Nelson, who also plays basketball at the prep level, has a nice combination of size and athletic ability. The two-way lineman from Fall Creek High School is expected to begin his career at Wisconsin as an offensive tackle, but there was a point in his recruitment where defensive end was also on the table.

"I'm hearing mainly defensive end from coaches right now, but they also like that I'm playing both ways in high school," Nelson told BadgerBlitz.com in October.

"He's one of those athletes where you put Bear, he's going to be successful," Cody Schultz, the athletic director and head football coach at Fall River High School, told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's going to give his best effort to learn whatever it is you want him to do. This year he played offensive tackle for us, but he also played zero-technique, three-technique and defensive end. And if I told him we needed him to run the ball, he'd be willing and able to do that, too. He's a gifted athlete but he'll put in the work that's necessary."

A Wisconsin legacy, Nelson's connection to the program are well documented. His father, Todd Nelson, was an offensive lineman at Wisconsin in the late 1980s. And his older brother, Jack Nelson, signed with the Badgers in the 2020 recruiting class and is currently preparing for his first collegiate season. And though there are certainly similarities between the two brothers, Barrett is looking to pave his own path at UW, according to Schultz.

"Wisconsin just made sense with his dad having played there and his brother already on the team," Schultz said. "That said, he's going to Wisconsin with his own agenda and to make his own path there. He wants to be his own man and I think he'll be Barrett Nelson, not Jack Nelson's brother."

Nelson, commit No. 2 for the Badgers in the 2022 class, along with fellow in-state standout Myles Burkett, chose Wisconsin over offers from Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, Kent State, Nebraska and Purdue. On film, Nelson is explosive at the snap of the ball and displays good flexibility on the edge. For someone who played his first two years at Stoughton High School in the 220-pound range, Nelson is still learning to move with the added weight. As a senior this fall, Nelson is expected to take another big step in his development.

"Next year we're looking for a big year for him and the team," Schultz said, "and Bear is going to be a big part of that."