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Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell spoke to reporters Tuesday about the transfer portal, which is now open for student-athletes to enter through April 30.
A familiar face to a new University of Wisconsin football assistant announced his plans to head to Madison.
Leyton Nelson, who played at Vanderbilt the past two seasons, announced Monday his commitment to Wisconsin. Wisconsin offensive line coach A.J. Blazek held the same position for the SEC program between 2021 to 2023.
"Coming to a program thatthe expectation of more than just winning, getting to a bowl game and just getting to those championship games is huge for me," Nelson said about his reason for transferring to Wisconsin. "Also, where O-line is a priority for the whole program, not just the offense itself. Like that's known there, it's not just talked about. That's two big things ... and then also just knowing coach Blaz as a prior relationship."
Nelson participated in 12 career games for the Commodores, including 11 in 2023. He was listed at 6 foot 6 and 308 pounds on his Vanderbilt profile, and he played 60 snaps last season.
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There’s also familiarity with Fickell and his staff at Cincinnati. Nelson was a high three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, with 247Sports composite rankings listing him as the No. 45 offensive tackle in the 2022 class. He announced as a high school recruit an offer from Cincinnati. He also tweeted scholarship opportunities from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Southern Cal and Tennessee, among others before signing with Vanderbilt.
Nelson took an official visit to Wisconsin last week and stayed for the Badgers' April 18 spring practice. The Orlando native played tackle at Vanderbilt and should provide depth for an offensive line that has been lacking this spring due to offseason departures via the transfer portal (Trey Wedig, Dylan Barrett and Nolan Rucci) and Tanor Bortolini moving on to chase NFL aspirations.
The Badgers have given second-team reps to two true freshmen early enrollees— Kevin Heywood and Colin Cubberly— through 10 spring practices. Redshirt sophom*ore Barrett Nelson has dressed but hasn’t participated in practices outside of some work with training staff on the side of the field.
"And then over at Wisconsin, coach Blaz said, 'You just got to come in and basically fight for any spot, whatever we're going through, and I'm not gonna guarantee you anything,'" Leyton Nelson said. "And I said, 'Just be upfront with me. I'm going to come in ready to work swinging basically,' because I don't want to settle for second string at all. That's not me.
"It could be anywhere. I can play interior, exterior (offensive line). Doesn't matter to me."
Photos: Wisconsin football heads outdoors for 10th spring practice
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Jake Kocorowski | Wisconsin State Journal
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