Welcome to the newest feature here at MadTown Badgers: Recruiting 101. In this feature we’ll be giving you a crash course into those recruits that hold offers from the Badgers. Our first get to know session was with 2013 OL target Colin McGovern.
The Badgers have really hit the ground running with the offers and it’s clear that the offensive line is a very important part of the upcoming recruiting class. One of those offers belongs to Colin McGovern out of Lincoln – Way West High School in New Lenox, IL.
Wisconsin has a reputation for producing offensive linemen that go to the NFL and that’s not lost on McGovern. “Their an o-line machine, they get the biggest guys around and turn them in to the best around.” he said. “Also, academically there up there too, it’s two birds with one stone…. going to Wisconsin wouldn’t be a bad deal at all.”
Coach Ash is doing the recruiting in that area and Head Coach Bret Bielema was on the phone to make the offer to him. He has briefly met with new offensive line coach Mike Markuson since his hire, but it’s been hard to sit down for a bigger visit because of the rules and regulations that are in place at this point.
According to McGovern the new hire isn’t going to have much of an affect on him. “Just being that it’s Wisconsin, I’m sure they’ll carry out that same o-line tradition,” he said. “There’s not much more interest you could have in Wisconsin, I mean as an o-lineman that is ‘the school’.”
At the college level he sees himself being able to play anywhere on the offensive line, “If it’s going to get me on the field then I’ll definitely work my hardest to be able to play that position,” said McGovern.
Being able to stay low and use his quickness and athleticsm at 6’7″ and 280lbs are things that he sees as his strengths in his game so far. He admits that there is room for improvement in technique but that stuff comes with time and coaching.
He has visited West Virginia, Northwestern, and Illinois so far in this process and holds offers from seven schools including Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, and a few other Big Ten schools. Additionally McGovern does plan on visiting as many schools as he can over the spring and summer to help narrow down his choice.
According to McGovern he plans on taking his time and making the best decision without rushing it but would ultimately like to make a decision before the start of next season. He’s leaning towards staying in the Midwest area but admits an offer from Tennessee that came just a few weeks ago is intriguing, saying, “I’ve only heard great things about Tennessee and before I was restricted to just the Big Ten or Notre Dame and that offer has sort of changed my mind on that.”
One thing that he made abundately clear is that academics are going to play a key role in his decision on which school to go to. He is leaning towards studying either business or engineering in college at this point and that will factor into his choice. “Well to me academics come first,” said McGovern. “My dream is to play in the NFL but if that doesn’t work out I need to have a degree that I can make a living out of.”
It is very easy to understand why Wisconsin has an interest in this offensive lineman who is as focused on the off the field offerings of a university as what the on the field product has to offer him. According to Colin “I’m looking for academics in a school first, but if I’m going to be playing football there that’s goig to be a pretty big factor too.”
While it’s early in the 2013 ranking season McGovern already is a 4 star prospect according to 247sports and is clearly picking up steam as the number of offers should be increasing soon. Right now Michigan, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Tennessee and West Virginia have officially made offers, but look for Notre Dame, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue to enter the Frey depending on their situations such as getting transcripts and visits to their schools. He’s definitely one to watch and a very humble and engaging person and it’s easy to say that Colin is someone that fits with the way things are done at Wisconsin.
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