Inked for the Wisconsin Badgers: Three-star ATH Preston Zachman

With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on Dec. 18, BadgerBlitz.com dives into a closer look at the commits who have signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's take a look at athlete Preston Zachman, who officially signed with Wisconsin on Wednesday.

The 17th commitment in Wisconsin’s 2020 class, Zachman is a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.

Zachman committed to the Badgers over 15 other scholarship offers, mostly from FCS and Ivy League schools.

Zachman came to the University of Wisconsin’s June high school camp with full knowledge that the Badgers coaching staff probably had no idea who he was. He changed that in a hurry. Coming to the camp only because he and his family were visiting Ohio State and Northwestern (“we just kept going to make it almost like a vacation,” he told BadgerBlitz.com), Zachman’s performance earned him an invitation to return on an official visit in late June.

“The visit was awesome,” Zachman told BadgerBlitz.com after his official. “I absolutely love everything about the school. We got to see everything from the athletic facilities to the dorms that we would be staying in. We got to hang out with the current players as well.

“It is probably the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. It’s very clean. Also the relationship the coaches have with each other and the players is unreal. They are very close to each other, which makes it a special place.”

The only thing that was missing for Zachman was a scholarship offer, something no other Power 5 school had extended him to that point. He had to wait awhile (almost three months, to be exact) before his senior-season performance convinced Wisconsin they had to offer him a scholarship. When that moment happened, Zachman jumped at the opportunity in less than a day.

“The official visit in the summer was eye-opening. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the whole campus is super nice. In my opinion, the city is the nicest I've ever seen. The atmosphere is great, and I loved every one of the coaches. They all tried to communicate with me and build a relationship with me while I was up there. I just felt like it was the right choice for me.”

-Zachman to BadgerBlitz.com

“What he's capable of doing athletically is really impressive. He runs in the 4.5s (second 40-yard dash) consistently and he benches 225 (pounds) over 20 times. The coach that contacted me after he visited Wisconsin commented on his testing and he said Preston is just as fast and as strong as most of the linebackers they have right now.

“He's a good baseball player and he's a good wrestler. He didn't wrestle as a sophomore but then did as a junior and finished third in the state at 220 pounds in a pretty good wrestling state. And he never weighed close to 220 pounds, which made it more impressive.”

- Southern Columbia head coach Jim Roth to BadgerBlitz.com

Wisconsin loves recruiting players who aren’t pigeonholed into one spot, creating a high level of flexibility that the staff maximizes. That’s part of the reason the staff became convinced that Zachman’s skill level would benefit the program.

The swiss army knife of this recruiting class, Zachman could fit in at multiple positions when he arrives on campus. While other schools apparently had a hard time pegging him at a position, Wisconsin saw a player who played quarterback, tight end, wide receiver and outside linebacker for his school. Roth told BadgerBlitz.com that he could also play hybrid safety, although linebacker will likely be the spot to start at for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect.

A solid student athlete, Zachman has the makings of a solid contributor for Wisconsin’s program.