Most of Wisconsin's 2021 class -- both for the football and men's basketball programs -- will be heading to Madison shortly, though Paul Chryst's team already welcomed seven players as mid-year enrollees in January.
BadgerBlitz.com has kicked off its annual "Better Know a Badger" series, where we check in with the incoming freshmen as they begin the transition from being prep standouts to college athletes. In 2021, we include some transfers as well.
Miss some? Check out the links below: Basketball: C Chris Vogt | Football: QB Deacon Hill | CB Ricardo Hallman | WR Skyler Bell | S Hunter Wohler |
Bryan Sanborn joined Wisconsin's 2021 class with his oral commitment to the program in December 2019. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native received over a dozen offers to play at the FBS level, including from Cincinnati, Duke, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Virginia. Check the last name, and yes, he is the younger brother of current UW inside linebacker, Jack Sanborn. He made his decision to join the Badgers official during the early signing period in December.
Sanborn spoke with BadgerBlitz.com on May 13 about a variety of topics as the days tick down before his arrival at Wisconsin. Questions and his answers have been edited for clarity.
I remember BadgerBlitz.com editor and recruiting analyst Jon McNamara heading down to cover one of your football games in the past month or so. How was playing your senior year in the spring, and how did it go?
BS: It was just good to be out there with the guys one last time, and it didn't really go as good as we wanted. We finished 3-3. This year, with not even knowing if we were going to play because of the canceled fall season, and just being able to play one last year with the seniors and the guys I grew up with my whole life, to play in the spring season was just like a blessing, and I was just enjoying every second I had of it.
Just with everything going on, in what areas do you feel you developed further, not just during your senior year, but just in the past year in general?
BS: I think I've gotten a lot faster with training more because we have extra time with training, so I feel like I've gotten a lot faster than I have from last year.
Before you head to Wisconsin, during your prep career, who is the best player you've gone against to this day?
BS: Ohhhhhh, that's a very good question. Wow. Probably [four-star quarterback and 2021 Michigan signee] J.J. McCarthy when he was at Nazareth Academy. That was probably a guy that was probably one of the best players I've played against.
Now, you signed in December during that early signing period, but which schools, if any, still tried to keep in contact with you or tried to recruit you still until you sign that letter of intent?
BS: At the beginning there were schools like Iowa still reaching out, even Oregon reached out a couple of times. But like a couple months passed, and I kept on telling schools 'Hey, I'm committed. I'm not going to change my mind.' It started dying now a lot more to a point where there are no other schools that were even calling or texting me, and it's just nice to know that I had my plan set for me early.
How often have you been in contact with Wisconsin with your arrival on campus coming soon, and who are you talking with the most?
BS: I've been talking with Coach [Bob] Bostad a lot, [Wisconsin's] inside linebackers coach, and we're just talking through the playbook and stuff like that and where I'm going to fit within the defense.
How has your relationship with Coach Bostad gone and how's it grown as you approach entering about a month out before you head to Madison?
BS: I think when it was all the recruiting stuff it was like, 'Hey, we really want you. We really see how you fit in our system.' But now that when I signed, it's totally different now. Now that I'm a part of the team, the chemistry's like totally changing. It's gotta be a point where he can trust me to be able to make plays and stuff, and it's been going really good so far.
Have they discussed further how they would like to use you within the defense and whatnot?
BS: They really haven't talked too much in it, but I'll be an inside linebacker, of course. It's similar to what my brother's been doing up there, playing like 'Mike' and 'Will' responsibilities, but we'll see once I get up there what they really want me to do.
For that matter, talking about your brother, just what advice or feedback has he given you not just maybe for your senior year, but just what you could expect once you get to Wisconsin?
BS: It's a lot faster of a game, he's told me in the the best thing you can do is understand the playbook as best as you can. Once you understand the playbook, it'll make it a lot slower just to be able to do your job right, and just most importantly, have fun as well. It's still a football game that you've been playing, which pretty much is the advice that he's given me so far.
Have you had a chance to chat with the other midyear enrollees like fellow inside linebacker Jake Chaney, and have you been able to talk to them about what their first semester has been like?
BS: I talked to Jake a couple of times, but it's not really about football at times. Like normally, it's just like catching up as like friends, because these are the people I'm going to be living around for the next four years now. It's more like on a personal level that we communicate, but I can see once we're up there we'll talk more and more about football.
Within that position and kind of going back to your brother, I know your brother's been one of the leaders of not just on the defense but of the team. What are you expecting as the younger brother from him in 2021?
BS: I'm expecting big things from him. He's going to get put in the position that he's gonna succeed, and he's gonna have a very good year, I believe. He has the mindset and the ability to do so, and I'm excited to see it.
Now on a personal note, what's the best or the worst prank you or Jack have played on each other to this day?
BS: That's another great question. There's so many that I don't even know if I could really pick some. There would be times where like, it's not even like a prank I would say. I feel like it would more be like us getting into fights because we're competitive people. Because we just go outside, play basketball or we play one-on-one football with each other, but we'll just get into a fight afterwards because of how competitive we are if one of us loses.
We don't really prank. It's more like competitive I'd say we have.
I know you've talked about graduation before we started recording, which is coming up soon this month. But when's the official move-in date for you to head to Madison, and who are you rooming with, with any of this class of 2021 players?
BS: So I'm officially moving up on June 12, that Saturday. For the summer. I'm rooming with Jake Ratzlaff.
What do you feel you can bring to Wisconsin's defense and that inside linebacker room?
BS: I'm gonna bring someone who's going to come in and compete. That's what I've been told ever since I was a little kid is just compete, compete, compete. I'm going to try to be a sponge. We got so many great players in that linebacker room right now, and I'm going to try to gain as much knowledge as I can from them to be the best player I can be. And bring size, I'm going to bring strength. I'm going to be aggressive with blockers, with tackling, and I'm just gonna try to, again, just have fun and be within the moment.
What are some of the areas that you see yourself improving in once you get up to Wisconsin?
BS: I see myself again, just getting stronger, getting faster, but most importantly, I feel like I'm going to understand the game a lot more. You feel like as a high schooler you're going up against all these high schoolers that like you're better than them and everything. But now you're going up against a bunch of kids who belong in college and a Division 1 program, and I'm going to go out there and just compete and stuff. And I'd say probably improve on my pass coverage and stuff mostly.
What are your goals for your freshman year then?
BS: Some of the goals I have is just again being a sponge. Try to get on the field at any way I can if that's in special teams, if that's playing linebacker this year, anything like that. I'll do whatever I can do to help the team win.
How do you feel it'll be suiting up with your brother, putting on the Wisconsin jerseys together and being in practice together on the college level or even potentially playing, being on the field the same time in a game?
BS: It's gonna be very exciting. It's a blessing for my family to see too, from my mom's point, to see two of her sons with their dreams of playing college football and to be at the same school that we feel most comfortable with. It's just going to be a blessing and I'm very excited for it, and so is he.
