Player development, academic programs lead Isaac Townsend to Wisconsin

After two seasons in the Pac-12, Isaac Townsend now sees his collegiate journey head east to a once-familiar - albeit brief - foe.

His decision to leave the Oregon Ducks football program and enter the transfer portal involved a couple of factors. Townsend was “looking for a better fit on the football field,” according to the former three-star recruit, but also stated he “just wasn't really studying what I've been interested in.”

Then contact came from Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard and defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej, whom Townsend referred to as “two honest guys” who look at the facts and do not sugarcoat anything.

“Two respected guys like that - and their playing careers and in their coaching careers - it’s very appealing,” Townsend told BadgerBlitz.com on Wednesday afternoon. “They're especially known for developing people, especially at my position, so that was really appealing, too.

“I’m interested in agriculture, and I know Wisconsin’s got a really good agriculture program, so that sealed the deal academically.”

Townsend, a former high three-star recruit from the class of 2019, announced his intention to transfer to UW on March 19 via social media. He redshirted his first season at Oregon, and the Pac-12 program’s statistics show he did not play a game last year.

After entering the transfer portal, Townsend stated that Penn State, Iowa State, UNLV, San Diego State, SMU all reached out to him. Wisconsin was one of the first schools to contact him, and the defensive lineman credited Warren McCarty in helping him connect with the UW staff upon entering the portal.

McCarty’s website, WarriorRecruiting.com, boasts credentials of professional football experience along with assisting recruits in finding spots at the various collegiate levels.

Townsend noted he currently sits at about 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds. He described himself as a “tweener” in playing both outside linebacker and defensive end at Oregon, but he referenced that he will play the latter position as a Badger. The Arvada, Colo. (Ralston Valley), native believes he can bring a few qualities to the program that will not just be seen on game days.

“I have good length, and I pride myself on not taking plays off and doing stuff right, on and off the field,” Townsend said. “In terms of bringing my skill-set, I think I can add to their culture, and learn from my teammates, and just add to their culture and not taking plays off. I think that's my best attribute.”

Townsend, who has family in the Midwest, also thinks Leonhard’s scheme will fit him.

“I have a lot of flexibility on their d-line,” Townsend said. “I'm moving down to more of a traditional d-end, so I'll probably play some edge and interior so I can stop the run and get after the passer as well.

“But with Coach Leonhard and Coach K, their resumes are incredible, and the way that program develops d-ends is crazy. Just knowing that and [they are] super easy guys to talk to, it made all the sense to go.”

Of course, there is a hint of familiarity with Wisconsin for Townsend. The Ducks and Badgers collided in Pasadena during the 2020 Rose Bowl -- one where his previous program came away victorious.

“It was my redshirt year so it was fun watching them, and I always knew that they had a really respected program full of hard working guys that are always developing,” Townsend said. “Their culture is awesome, so it was really cool to see that in person. And so in the [transfer] portal, talking to the coaches, like I've already seen it in person so that was definitely a factor. That definitely helped me.”

Wisconsin has done well recently in “The Centennial State” in signing cornerbacks Deron Harrell (class of 2016), Max Lofy (2020) and Al Ashford III (2021). When asked if he had any connections with any of those Badgers or current players from the program overall, Townsend mentioned he has spoken with Ashford “a couple times.”

“I think we played against each other in high school because he's a Cherry Creek guy,” Townsend said, alluding to Ashford’s high school. “And then I've talked to Trey Wedig a little bit, who’s an o-lineman, a Wisconsin native, I believe.”

Townsend, who wants to find a "business-agriculture type route" on the academic side of his college landscape, will stay in Colorado for the time being. However, he believes he can head out to Madison in May when summer school begins.

“I do need to just enroll for classes and kind of see how early we can get out there so we still got some stuff to work out, as well as living situations," he said. "But right now, it's looking like May, but nothing's set in stone yet.”