Dan Voltz came in to Wisconsin as one of the most highly touted recruits of the 2012 recruiting class. He was the No. 100 ranked player in the country and the No. 8 guard in the nation as well.
But, since arriving in Madison Voltz’s home has been at center and been an award-winning center at that.
He’s also been on the injured list, and that streak of lost games continued in 2014 as Voltz suffered a torn ACL in the Illinois game. That’s when versatile freshman Michael Dieter took up the position and has flourished at ever since.
Voltz, an experienced leader with 27 starts to his name, has recognized Dieter’s talents from the sideline as he continues to recover from that ACL injury this spring. That talent has led the experienced senior to suggest Dieter stick there upon his return according to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“He has been at center all spring ball and he is really starting to shine at that position,” Voltz, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Oct. 24 at Illinois, said after watching Deiter lead the No. 1 line Tuesday. “He is a natural and he is young. He’s got three more seasons. So if coach wants to plug me in at guard to keep Michael at center I am all for it.
“Whatever makes the most sense for the offensive line.”
Voltz took that selfless stance up with position coach and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, and it is a clear look at leadership personified for his coach.
“Dan came to me with great reasons why he thought he could do really good at guard,” said Rudolph. “Talk about an unselfish guy. He said: ‘Hey, Michael is going to be practicing center all this time. I’d hate to have to move him and I could play guard.’
“You’ve got a great mindset. That is what the mindset of a leader is and a true team person. Those are good issues to have.”
This is an offensive line group that also enters 2016 with far fewer questions than it had at this time last season. It also has gone from thin on the depth chart to completely stacked, with the likes of Jon Dietzen and other youngsters stepping up in a major way this spring.
Wisconsin’s offensive line is certainly better with Voltz in the mix when healthy, but even with him not on the field he is showing the way for a young group slowly gaining experience on the field. This type of selfless move could really bond this group as they stare one of the most daunting schedules in school history right in the face.
Does Voltz actually make the move? That may well depend on his health more than anything else, but Wisconsin certainly has gone from having real problems to having first-world offensive line problems in one offseason.
It’s certainly nice to be talking about “good” problems to have for a change.
[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
