Camp showing at Wisconsin leads to PWO for in-state DB Nolan Anderson
Nolan Anderson showed up to Wisconsin's camp on Wednesday with six scholarships in hand.
When the dust settled inside the McClain Center, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound in-state athlete added a preferred walk-on offer from the Badgers to his list.
"It felt great to get that opportunity," Anderson told BadgerBlitz.com. "I feel Wisconsin’s high school football is extremely slept on, so I’m glad I was able to go ball out and make a name for myself this afternoon."
"Yeah, potentially," Anderson added when asked if he would turn down scholarship money in order to stay inside the state. "I need to make it through the rest of my camp season because I feel I could play scholarship Big Ten football. It just needs to be the right opportunity."
The Badgers are well set at safety in the 2025 class with commitments from Jaimier Scott and Grant Dean, as well as Luke Emmerich, a projected dollar option. Anderson's showing, however, gave position coach Alex Grinch plenty to think about.
"They said they were extremely impressed with how I moved as a defensive back, my overall speed and how I could make plays on the ball," Anderson said. "Overall I felt extremely good about the day, and if the Badgers didn’t have so many defensive backs committed the offer could have potentially been a scholarship.
"I started off testing really well. One coach clocked me in at a 4.48 seconds (40-yard dash) but the other had 4.53, so they rounded to a 4.50. Then we went to individual work where I was able to get a great feel for Coach Grinch’s and Coach (Jack) Cooper’s coaching style. Individual work went really smooth and I felt I was moving great. We eventually moved to one-on-ones where I had three pass breakups and two interceptions while allowing only one caught ball."
At this point in his recruitment, Anderson, from Menomonee Falls High School, has offers from Army, Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Ohio, St. Thomas and Air Force. He has yet to take an official visits.
"Northern Iowa has always shown consistent love and they’ll always have a special place in my heart as they were my first offer," Anderson said. "Central Michigan, Air Force, Army and St. Thomas also stay in touch very frequently.
"I’m heading to the Minnesota camp in late July. I’m planning on making a decision before the season starts in early to mid-August."
As a junior, Anderson had 70 tackles, nine pass breakups and six tackles for loss.
"This last season was my first year ever playing defensive back, so I've been more focused on my craft and getting better at the position," Anderson said. "I'm extremely comfortable there, but as I’m so new to the position I’m still able to learn and get better every day. I’ve also been talked to about playing a nickel/slot corner, so I believe I have a high ceiling at either of those positions."
The Badgers currently have 20 commitments in the 2025 class.
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