2026 safety Dominick Walters, who hails from Franklin, Wis., had been on a recruiting visit to Madison previously. He came down for a game-day visit this past fall.

"I didn’t know what exactly to think of the program. It wasn’t super interactive I guess, because it was just a game-day," he told BadgerBlitz.com.

His return visit for spring practice changed his perception completely.

“After yesterday, I kinda fell in love with it," he said. "After seeing the energy guys had at practice, the energy Coach (Jack) Cooper had and how excited he was to see me up there, after the facility and campus tours, meeting the strength coach, meeting the academic advisors…Wisconsin sits at the top of my list, being a kid from Wisconsin, it would be a dream come true.”