5/7/2020 football Edit

In-state check-in: 2021 defensive back CJ Boyd

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.

University School of Milwaukee is regarded as one of the elite academic options in the state of Wisconsin.

With that, the Wildcats' top football prospect, junior defensive back CJ Boyd, is hearing from programs with strong reputations in the classroom.

"Since I go to University School, I get attention from a lot of schools that have pretty rigorous academic programs," Boyd told BadgerBlitz.com. "And those type of schools like the fact that I can handle an environment with high academic standards and still play football at high level.

"So I wouldn’t say academics plays a big role, but I would like to go somewhere and get a meaningful degree that will actually be worth something after my time as a football player runs out."

Junior safety CJ Boyd has offers from Air Force and Northern Iowa.

Premium Access free trial until 09/04/2020!

A 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back, Boyd has early offers from Air Fore and Northern Iowa with strong interest coming from a handful of other schools.

"Currently I’m hearing a lot from Air Force, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa," Boyd said. "Air Force and UNI have offered and I’m hoping NDSU can give me that call, too, soon. During the season I had a chance to go on an unofficial visit to NIU for one their games and I got to see their facilities. And then later on in the season I got a chance to go to NDSU for an unofficial visit, which was a great experience. The atmosphere was unlike any other football atmosphere I’ve been a part of.

"I think NDSU is pretty close to offering. I have been having talks with their coaches weekly to form relationships with them. And Yale - I’ve also been getting a lot mail from them and have been chatting a couple times here and there with the coaches."

Boyd was limited to just four games last fall due to injury but still rushed for 450 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 26 tackles and one interception on defense.

"UNI was the first school to offer me and that was a blessing," Boyd said. "It was kind of like a burden being released from my shoulders because I only got to play half my season due to injury, and I wasn’t sure how that was going to affect the recruiting process for me.

"I’m 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, so a lot of the schools love my size and physicality. With that, they are able to either put me at safety or cornerback. Also they love that I have a knack for finding the ball."

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down on-campus visits this spring, but Boyd has taken a more optimistic look at the situation.

"It actually hasn’t been that difficult at all because I know that eventually I’ll get to take those visits," Boyd said. "It’s not like those schools aren’t interested in me, it’s just that they can’t have people on campus because of the pandemic. If anything I’ve had more time to work out and do more football-related drills, so there's a little bit of an upside to it.

"When things open back up I would like to go see the Air Force Academy. I’ve heard it’s a really nice campus and has a lot to offer. Also, I would like to go see Yale, Northern Iowa and Northwestern."

Trading snow for sunshine may also play into Boyd's final decision.

"Probably the size of the school and the location will be important for me," he said. "I love Wisconsin but I’m pretty tired of snow at this point. Also how well I’ll be able to form relationships with my teachers and coaches. I think those two things will be very important when it comes to choosing the perfect school for me academically and athletically."