Benzschawel tradition will continue at UW
Luke Benzschawel's father, Scott Benzschawel, played football at Wisconsin from 1983-87. His older brother, Beau Benzschawel, is a freshman offensive lineman for the Badgers from the 2014 recruiting class.
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Friday, Luke, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound lineman from Grafton, Wis., received an offer and committed to the Badgers and new head coach Paul Chryst during a spring practice.
I've just given my verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin #OnWisconsin #DreamComeTrue- Panther (@LukeBenzschawel) April 11, 2015
"I was just going to check out practice and after practice, I was just kind of hanging out waiting to talk to my brother," Luke Benzschawel told BadgerBlitz.com. "Then coach Chryst came up to me and he was just like, 'Luke an offer is on the table, just make sure you focus on school still.'
"Then he (Chryst) was talking about how I could commit any time I wanted to and how it was my decision. Then I said, 'could I commit right now?' And he said of course, and then we shook hands and I went to talk to coach Nokes (Inoke Breckterfield), the defensive line coach, and told him about it."
Benzschawel, a projected defensive end, is the third known commitment in UW's 2016 class joining quarterback Kare' Lyles and running back Antonio Williams.
"No, it was like the farthest thing from my mind," Benzschawel said of the offer. "I was just thinking about spending some time with the coaches and develop a better relationship with them. When this happened I was completely shocked.
"I got to see a little more of the weight room and the nutrition center. And then had a talk with the strength coach and the nutrition coach."
Beau Benzschawel played tight end in high school but is now a 291-pound offensive tackle. Luke, who plays both tackle and defensive end, could follow the same path.
"It's going to be amazing to play with Beau," Benzschawel said. "Just thinking about when we were younger, how we would play football in the yard with my dad being the all-time quarterback. Now I'm playing defensive line and my brother playing offensive line, it's just a dream come true."