10/6/2020 football Edit

In-state TE Andrew Keller hearing from a handful of Midwest schools

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.

Not only has Waunakee been one of the top football programs in the state of Wisconsin over the last 20 years, the high school has produced a handful of Badgers during that time period.

Next in line for the Warriors on the recruiting front is Andrew Keller, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound tight end in the 2022 class.

Junior tight end Andrew Keller has been in touch with Wisconsin, among many other schools.

"I've been hearing from Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Northwestern, North Dakota State and Northern Illinois - those are the main ones. North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa State and Eastern Michigan are also in touch," Keller told BadgerBlitz.com. "They all seem really interested, so we’ll see what happens in the near future."

Keller, an honorable mention all-conference selection as a sophomore, has been in more contact with Wisconsin since Sept. 1.

"The feedback is really good," Keller said. "Lots of small talk and them sending me stuff in the mail. Being 20 minutes down the road, of course I went to Badger games and cheered them on. I loved going to Camp Randall

"They said I’m on their radar as a top prospect in Wisconsin for the class of 2022. They mainly just said that they like the stuff I’m doing."

The Hawkeyes, led by assistant coach Tim Polasek, are also involved early on.

"I'm in contact with Iowa a lot," Keller said. "They send me a lot of mail and notes and we talk regularly."

Keller, also a standout basketball player at Waunakee, had 35 receptions for 506 yards and nine touchdowns last fall. He'll have to wait until the spring to get back on the field with his teammates.

"It’s a big pill to swallow, for sure, but I look at the bigger picture," Keller said. "My family is safe and my friends and community are doing well. That outweighs football to me.

"My teammates, we got a few guys who can go just as far as I can. I’d love to see all of us succeed. Going to college and playing football with a lifelong friend is a dream of mine."

So far in the 2022 class, the Badgers have offered in-state prospects Billy Schrauth, Jerry Cross, Carson Hinzman, Isaac Hamm and Joe Brunner.