5/3/2020 football Edit

In-state check-in: 2021 linebacker Logan Ertl

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.

As Austin Ertl sifted through his scholarship options a few years back, his younger brother, Logan Ertl, was there to get an early look at the recruiting process.

With Austin now preparing for his second season at Miami (OH), Logan is working towards his first offer. And despite being close in age, the two have had very different timelines in terms of their development.

"We're different because Austin was 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds his freshman year and I was 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds my sophomore year." Logan Ertl told BadgerBlitz.com. "I grew my junior year and he did in eighth grade, so he just tells me to be patient, keep working hard and that my time will come."

Junior linebacker Logan Ertl is in touch with a number of schools.

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While Ertl, who now stands 6-foot-2 and weight 215 pounds, waits on collegiate opportunities, a number of schools are showing interest in the junior from Wauwatosa (WI) West.

"Illinois State has been talking to me a lot, along with Sioux Falls, Minnesota State-Mankato, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Harvard, Western Illinois, Western Colorado, St. Thomas, Northern Iowa and Winona State. The recruiting coach from the Badgers has been talking to me as well.

"I think Illinois State, Sioux Falls and St. Thomas are close to offering. They all have been talking to me a lot."

With his connection to the program, Ertl has seen plenty of RedHawks. His only other visit was to a Big Ten program last fall.

"I went to Michigan State once and I went to a lot of Miami (OH) games because Austin plays there and the linebacker coach (Spence Nowinsky) said he likes the way I play," Ertl said. "When things open back up I definitely would like to get to St. Thomas, Illinois State, Wisconsin and Harvard. I would also love to check out Sioux Falls. If I had the opportunity to go to a high-academic school I would love to because I want to major in Pre-Med.

"With Wisconsin, they said they liked my film and they love my grades, so we'll see what happens. They said they want to see me at a camp up there and see how I play my senior year."

A three-sport athlete at West, Ertl played multiple positions on both sides of the ball as a junior but likely projects best to linebacker in college. He's trying to navigate the process without being able to take on-campus visits this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Northern Iowa wants me to play the star position, kind of like Tyrann Mathieu," Ertl said. "A couple others want me to play there, too. Most of the schools want me to play linebacker, but they said wherever I fit in, they would put me. This year in high school I'm moving inside because I've gained like 25 pounds of weight, so I'll be able to learn inside backer this year.

"It's been hard because I didn’t get many looks last year because I was so small when I played my sophomore year. So this year would have been my time to check out the schools that I was interested in. I wanted to meet the coaches in person and see where I would fit in, but this is hard for everyone. I know once this is all over with I’ll be able to check out all the schools that I’m interested in."