With a multitude of options available for their sons, parents of four Badger recruits detail why the University of Wisconsin was the best choice for them. | From Varsity Magazine
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- College football recruiters were so interested in Cole Van Lanen that there were days when the family mailbox literally overflowed with envelopes, letters and brochures from various schools.
The volume was such that Van Lanen's mother, Angie, answered the door to their Green Bay home one day and came face-to-face with the mailman. He wasn't there to complain. He was just curious.
"I've got to know who this kid is," he said.
Van Lanen played at Bay Port High School and is regarded one of the top offensive line prospects in the country. He had a wide range of college options, but ultimately decided to stay in-state, signing with Wisconsin over Iowa and Michigan.
At first blush, it's not a surprise that Van Lanen became one of the pillars of the latest recruiting class headed to Madison, a group of 25 that signed national letters of intent on Wednesday.
"Growing up, we've been huge Badgers fans our entire lives," Angie said. "Cole's always watched the games with stars in his eyes.
"When he was in eighth grade and we were watching one of the games on TV, I said to Cole, 'If you work hard and you put your mind to it (you) could be a Wisconsin Badger.' He looked at me and said, 'Not a chance, mom.' He's like, 'Do you realize how big and how athletic those guys have to be?'"
Van Lanen, now 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, has a better sense of things.
"It's just such an amazing dream come true," his mother said.
It's reasonable to say that Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and his assistant coaches had greater recruiting challenges leading up to signing day than the Van Lanens, but the process was comprehensive and revealing.
In short, it was the same thoughtful, earnest impression Chryst and his entire staff made to prospects and parents across the nation.
"You can't fake real genuineness," Angie Van Lanen said. "You could really sense that they actually cared about Cole and cared about his future and his academics. I think that's what stood out."
Tony Lotti's son, Anthony, is a punter from Flowery Branch, Georgia, who picked the Badgers over Boston College.
"Everyone was real and it felt the same from everybody," Tony said, mentioning recruiting director Andrew Marlatt and assistant Brittany Ewing by name. "You can tell the difference between - I hate to say it - a horse and pony show and the real thing. We just felt like from day one they've kind of been like family."
Scott Benzschawel played for Wisconsin in the 1980s and just sent Luke, a tightend prospect from Grafton, to join his older brother Beau, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman for the Badgers.
"Nothing but honesty,'' Scott said of his dealings with Chryst and Chris Haering, the assistant coach responsible for recruiting the state.
Tomaara Rand's son, Garrett, is a defensive line prospect from Chandler, Arizona, who ultimately tabbed Wisconsin over UCLA. She said Joe Rudolph, the associate head coach and offensive coordinator, and Inoke Breckterfield, the defensive line coach, "really got to know Garrett on a personal level."
"He got to build a relationship with them," Tomaara said. "He feels comfortable and he trusts them. Trust is a very important thing when you're 18 and you're making one of the biggest decisions you have up to that point."
Kelven Preston's son, Keldric, is a defensive end prospect from Tampa, Florida, whose choice of schools came down to the Badgers and Penn State.
"Whenever we sat down with them I felt truth," Kelven said of Wisconsin coaches. "You know how sometimes you can sit down with people and when they tell you a lie you can feel the lie? With Wisconsin coaches, every time I sat down with them it was eye-to-eye, man-to-man, and I felt truth."
Genuine. Honesty. Trust.
The Van Lanens were initially concerned about their son finding his way in a big city and a large, sprawling campus.
"We were scared," Angie Van Lanen said. "Once Cole got his offer, you know, Madison's huge and you hear about how many students they have. We thought Cole would be intimidated with how big the campus is.
"When we went down there, that was wiped off the table pretty much immediately. It might be big, but it doesn't feel that big. That staff - Coach Chryst, Coach Haering, Coach Rudolph - they gave it that small-town feel that I think Cole was looking for.
"That's what made the difference for all of us. It feels like everybody's close and the coaches treat the kids more like people than just an athlete. It's about their education."
According to his mother, Cole Van Lanen developed a fondness for the coaches at Iowa and Michigan, but he really hit it off with Rudolph.
"Ultimately, his relationship with Coach Rudolph was comfortable," Angie said. "They talked regularly."
It was important for Van Lanen to stay close to home and family, but he also needed to feel the right vibe.
"Cole's not a flashy guy," Angie said. "He (couldn't) really care less about the glitz and the flash. It boils down to who do I feel the most comfortable with, where do I see myself in five years, who do I have the closest and best relationships with, who can push me the hardest and who can maybe get me to the next level? All of those answers were Wisconsin in the end."
Tony Lotti has a unique vantage point for the recruiting process.In addition to being Anthony's father, he'sthe football coach at Anthony's high school, West Hall, as well as a published author.
What distinguished the Wisconsin coaches from their peers?
"They dealt straight up from for the very beginning," Tony said, mentioning Chryst, Haering, Rudolph and running backs coach John Settle by name. "Once Anthony committed, the commitment went both ways. Every chance they were allowed to see him they came and saw him. Likewise with Anthony, working the last six months on building those relationships."
Anthony pledged to Wisconsin on July 1 and, according to his father stayed true despite late interest from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.
"In this process, there's a lot of stuff on the high school end that you have to wade through," Tony said. "I have a lot of good friends who are college coaches and that's the thing we always talk about.
"It's almost like a professional poker game and on my end we're not very good at it. The coaches at Wisconsin - Coach Haering, Coach Chryst and Coach Rudolph and Coach Settle - it was about how real and genuine they were.
"From a father's standpoint, your son's going away and you want them to be around men that will teach him and continue to help him grow. That's the thing for me on the personal side."
Scot was asked what advice he'd give to other parents about the recruiting process after living it twice - with two different coaching staffs - with his alma mater.
Beau was recruited by former Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, who left after two seasons to take over at Oregon State. Enter Chryst, who made landing Luke a priority.
The father said he'd emphasize how academics take priority over athletics and how coaches pay strict attention to classes, grades and progress.
"Your kid is going to be taken care of academically," Scott said. "Sure, he's going to have to work really hard and do everything that's required - it's not going to be handed to him - but they're there and they're getting it done."
According to his mother, Rand had a specific ideal in mind when he began hearing from college recruiters.
"Garrett really wanted to make sure that whichever college that he chose, he felt like he had a connection," she said. "If he never played another down of football, would he be happy going to that college."
Tomaara, whose family is from the Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point areas, said the message from Chryst and Rudolph resonated with her son.
"It wasn't just, 'Our program needs you,'" she said. "It was, 'You're a Wisconsin guy. You have character. You have all the traits that fit our program.'"
Rand stayed committed to Wisconsin after taking a visit last month to UCLA. His mother said he came back with great things to say about the Bruins players and coaches, but his mind wasn't changed.
"It was basically he felt more at home at Wisconsin," she said.
The Rands learned something during the latter stages of the recruiting process.
"Even if you're 100 percent sure that you want to go to a particular college, take all your official visits," Tomaara said. "That way there's not a kernel of doubt in your mind that you've chosen the right place."
The overriding personality in the Wisconsin recruiting process belongs to Chryst. Everything rolls downhill from there.
"Just saying his name makes me smile," Tomaara Rand said. "He just makes you feel comfortable. You can tell he's a player's coach, but not afraid to make them work hard. That whole group really seems to work really well together."
Kelven Preston said his son visited a host of Power Five conference schools last summer - including Indiana, Pittsburgh and Boston College - and the family developed a matrix to compare them. Among the categories were the school itself, location, coaches and educational course list.
"When you put it on paper, Wisconsin had the edge," the elder Preston said.
In the process of visiting Madison twice, the Prestons reached out to Badgers coaches to get insights, answers and advice over the phone.
"They gave me the truth about the program, about themselves, about Madison," Kelven said. "I ran across some coaches in this process that I didn't get that eye-to-eye, truth feeling that I had with Wisconsin.
"Everything I talked to them on the phone about was actually the truth when I got there. That was great."
