Wisconsin adds in-state senior Owen Arnett to 2021 preferred walk-on class

Owen Arnett was ready to begin his college career at Virginia this upcoming summer.

But when an opportunity to stay home and play for Wisconsin opened up, the 6-foot, 220-pound senior from Arrowhead High School had a change of heart. And on Tuesday, Arnett announced his decision to join the Badgers' 2021 recruiting class as a preferred walk-on.

"I talked to my coaches and my family, along with some people who have been through the Wisconsin program," Arnett told BadgerBlitz.com. "I don't want to say it was an easy decision, but it was the right decision.

"It was difficult to have that conversation with Virginia because they were the first school to give me the opportunity to chase my dreams. They were very good to me and very supportive, but it was always a childhood dream to wear that W on my chest and play for the Badgers."

Wisconsin did not announce any preferred walk-ons during the early signing period in December. But as the future roster become more clear this winter, spots opened up, including one for Arnett.

"It was situation where my head coach brought up Wisconsin recently, and they were already in touch during my senior season," Arnett said. "Their biggest thing was that they didn't know if they were going to be able to offer because of COVID and everyone having that free year of eligibility. So when they looked at their team and future roster, they got back in contact with me and my coach and said they had a spot available and that they were able to offer me a walk-on spot.

"It's definitely a dream come true. Having the whole process done and set in stone kind of takes a load of stress off my back. I can focus on getting to know the players on the team and finishing high school. I know Braelon (Allen) and Hunter (Wohler) and some other guys who are already up there. It's going to make that transition that much more comfortable and I'm really excited about it."

A four-year varsity starter for the Warhawks, Arnett was a second-team Associated Press all-state pick at linebacker in 2020 after he racked up 67 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions as a senior. He will likely start at safety but could grow into a linebacker at UW.

"I talked to Coach (Chris) Haering and asked him about where they see me," Arnett said. "Right now it's safety, but Coach Haering kind of put air quotes around that. He gave examples of players who come in as a quarterback or receiver, but that can change once you get in the weight room and your body changes.

"I've played some safety in high school and they see me coming in and playing that. But I can also come into the box and stuff like that, so maybe I grow into a linebacker."

Arnett's father, Brad, is the Director of Sports Performance at NX Level. That job has allowed him to work with a number of former and current Badgers.

"His message throughout the whole process was that he would be extremely supportive of wherever I wanted to go," Owen Arnett said. "But when I told him that I wanted to commit to Wisconsin, he was smiling from ear to ear. Him and my mom will be able to come see me play more often and they like that they can check in on me. It was definitely a happy moment in the Arnett household."

Arnett joins Grover Bortolotti, Garrison Solliday and Nate Van Zelst as preferred walk-ons in UW's 2021 class.