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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Because of his family ties to Wisconsin, it was reasonable to assume that Kayden Lyles was always going to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Kevin — a quarterback/tight end here in the mid-'90s — and his older brother, Karé, a freshman QB on the current roster.
A done deal, right?
"Not at first," said Kayden Lyles, tapping the brakes on that assumption. "At the beginning of my sophomore year in high school, I took an unofficial visit to Ohio State. At first that was my dream school with all the flashy stuff that I saw on TV.
"But after going there, it really wasn't what I expected or hoped it would be."
Meanwhile, Arizona and Arizona State had contacted him early in the recruiting process.
"But those campuses didn't feel like college," he said.
Lyles hit reset again.
"I always wanted to keep my options open," he said
And they stayed that way until his brother committed and he met the UW coaches.
Done deal.
"The coaches here are cool," he said. "They told me everything straight up. They didn't lie to me. They told me that I had to earn everything I get. And that was a challenge that I wanted to face. I decided to come here because they were the most truthful to me. I just wanted to come back home."
Kayden Lyles had just completed the seventh grade when the family moved to Arizona, forcing him to say goodbye to his friends. These were his childhood friends in Wisconsin from Fitchburg/Madison/Middleton along with the friends that he made during middle school in Verona. There were more than 20 in all.
"At the time," he said, "I really didn't know if I was going to be coming back."
That made the parting much tougher on Lyles. But it didn't take him long to make new friends after the family put down roots in the Ahwatukee neighborhood of Phoenix. Lyles went to Scottsdale Saguaro, where he started as a freshman and played on three straight state championship teams.
After his junior season, he was forced to say goodbye to his Arizona-bred friends because the family was relocating to the Madison area. It was hard on him. But there was a silver lining. "It was good because I got to come back and experience the high school I really wanted to go to," he said.
That was Middleton High School.
"I loved it there," he said.
Lyles wasn't there very long, just long enough to be named a first-team all-state offensive lineman and winner of the Joe Thomas Award. Picking up his degree at mid-term, he has since moved on to the University of Wisconsin, where he's one of seven early enrollees, the route that his brother took last spring.
Karé Lyles offered some sage advice to his "little" brother. "He told me, 'Work hard and do the best you can, but always stay on top of things and never get behind,'" said Kayden Lyles, who also has learned "to be on time and get a good seat in the front" of the lecture hall.
Kayden Lyles is only 17. He won't turn 18 until April. He will have to grow up in a hurry.
"Based on a couple of guys being out for the spring," Wisconsin offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said of tackle Jacob Maxwell and guard Jon Dietzen, "he's going to get a lot of reps. He'll be getting reps right off the bat, so it will be good for him. He'll get some real reps."
Lyles has the utmost confidence in Rudolph, who doubles as the offensive line coach. Versatility has always been a trademark of the Wisconsin O-line, the most recent example being Michael Deiter who was able to make a smooth transition from guard to center and back to guard in the same game.
"I put all my trust in Coach Rudolph," Lyles said. "In talking with him, I need to learn right guard, center, and left guard. I need to know everything going on in the middle. I recently started looking at film of Dietzen, Deiter, Micah (Kapoi) and Beau (Benzschawel) to see how they play."
Lyles is listed at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, a good weight, according to Rudolph. "I do think he has the potential to get bigger, he has a frame that can carry a pretty good amount, up to 340," Rudolph said. "But you don't want to be worried about his wind. I want him to play fast and hard."
Because he's so young, and inexperienced, Rudolph will monitor him closely.
"Going against our defense is a challenge, it's not a simple defense, and there are a lot of things you have to learn," Rudolph said. "Can you recognize things in the heat of the moment? Can he deal with the movement and some of the complexities our defense offers? That will be key for him.
"What you really want to see is how physical can he be, how strong and powerful, how well he moves and his ability to pass protect. Can he put on film what we really love about him? That's his physical nature, his size and power and ability to move around."
When another early enrollee, quarterback Jack Coan, was asked about Lyles he got a big grin on his face and said, "Kayden is a beast. I'm happy that he's going to be protecting me."
