10/7/2021 football Edit

Badgers host 2023 in-state OL Griffin Empey

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

Jon McNamara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has covered UW athletics since 2002 and has worked at Rivals.com since 2006.

Joe Rudolph is familiar with nearby Stoughton High School, the football program that produced second-year lineman Jack Nelson, as well as his younger brother, Barrett Nelson, who is committed to Wisconsin in the 2022 recruiting class.

In the junior cycle, the Badgers' offensive line coach is evaluating Vikings' junior Griffin Empey, who was on campus last weekend for UW's game against Michigan.

2023 offensive lineman Griffin Empey visited Wisconsin last Saturday.

"The visit was great," Empey told BadgerBlitz.com. "We got to go onto the field and watch all the players warm up. They showed us their weight room as well. Overall it was a really cool experience and there was a lot to like about it.

"I have been talking to Wisconsin a good amount. I’ve been mainly in contact with Eric Johnson and Steven Schrum. I’ve also been in good contact with Coach Rudolph. During their bye week he came and watched me practice, and he messages me on Twitter telling me good luck."

Empey, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound interior offensive lineman, was impressed with the energy inside the stadium on Saturday.

"I was surprised about how crazy the atmosphere was at Camp Randall," Empey said. I expected it to be loud, but it blew away my expectations. I am hopeful to attend more games at Wisconsin.

"I spoke to Coach Rudolph before the game. We talked about my game on Friday and their game on Saturday. I introduced him to my mom and he said hello to my dad again. I spoke to Coach Schrum for a good while about recruiting and about me, my film and my game the night before. I spoke to some other coaches but it was really just a 'hi, hello' type of deal."

Empey, who is also an accomplished wrestler at Stoughton, is hoping to take a few more visits this fall. His older brother, Brooks Empey, is a freshman on the Badgers' wrestling team.

"I’ve also heard from Purdue, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State - they have all talked to me," Empey said. "I’m planning on visiting a North Dakota State game, and I’m hopeful to visit South Dakota and North Dakota for games."