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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — On a personal front, Andrew Van Ginkel hasn't had a haircut in a few years and there are no immediate plans to trim his long, blond mane. He didn't grow it out for any other reason than he could.
"Someday I'll cut it," promised Van Ginkel, whose calling card has been his flowing locks and hellbent play in a No. 17 Wisconsin jersey.
On another front, Van Ginkel will be 23 this summer ("Has to be somebody older, right?" he pondered of his teammates) while his dog, Piper, will soon celebrate its first birthday.
"Friendly, hyper, a lot of fun to be around" is how he described his Husky puppy.
You might get away with saying the same about Van Ginkel, a rare junior college transfer, at least for this program, that surpassed expectations last year with 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two timely interceptions.
Not bad for someone who had stopovers, at South Dakota and Iowa Western Community College, before finding his way to the Big Ten. Not bad at all for someone who has yet to start his first game for the Badgers.
"I gained my confidence after a few games and I really figured out that I belonged with these guys," Van Ginkel said of his orientation to the league. "The Big Ten is just a different beast.
"Everybody is big, fast and strong. They're freak athletes. There were some at South Dakota and some at junior college. But here everybody is, and it's completely different."
One of the first things assistant Bobby April III did after replacing Tim Tibesar on the staff in early February was study tape of the returning players at outside linebacker.
April watched Van Ginkel's pick-six against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. And he watched Van Ginkel's momentum-changing interception against Miami in the Orange Bowl.
And he couldn't help but think, "We've got something on our hands."
After seeing Van Ginkel in the flesh through spring practice, April was quizzed on whether he has learned anything about his senior 'backer that he hadn't previously uncovered in the film room.
"Football intelligence is hard to tell on tape," acknowledged April, putting a check in that box next to Van Ginkel. "His quiet leadership is another thing you can't see on tape."
Check that box as well. "Some guys will shut it down and not accept it," April said of the leadership mantle. "Other guys will step up to it. He's a guy who's going to step up."
With the graduation losses of Garret Dooley and Leon Jacobs, the Badgers are counting on Van Ginkel to bring the same juice and playmaking to the defense that he did during the 2017 postseason.
After Ohio State took a 7-0 lead in the Big Ten title game, Van Ginkel baited quarterback J.T. Barrett into an ill-advised throw that he picked off and returned nine yards for a score.
In the Orange Bowl, Miami jumped out to a 14-3 lead before Van Ginkel reversed the flow of the game on the first play of the second quarter with his interception of quarterback Malik Rosier.
The Badgers took over on the Hurricanes' 25-yard line and scored three plays later. And they kept scoring in the quarter (21-0) — Van Ginkel also had a sack during the rally — to forge into a 24-14 halftime lead.
"I feel like I've got to step up now with Garret and Leon gone," said Van Ginkel, sizing up his spring thus far. "I'm the senior now and people are going to be looking up to me.
"I have to know my stuff and continue to relay the message to others and help them out in any way that I can. If I do something — leading by example — you're going to see others do that as well."
Zack Baun, who missed last season with a broken foot, has been dealing with injury again. But April says the unit overall has "drastically" gotten better since the start of the spring.
Tyler Johnson, who went on scholarship this semester, has the most experience (21 games) and the former Menasha High School quarterback has impressed April with his progress.
"He's exactly where we want him," April said. "He's a really good football player who understands our defense very well and knows that we're counting on him."
Christian Bell, the Alabama transfer, has also gotten the attention of April, who pointed out, "He has probably taken the biggest steps this offseason in developing."
Arrington Farrar, a converted safety/inside linebacker, is still adjusting to taking on blockers closer to the line of scrimmage. "He's starting to figure that out," April said.
What about Van Ginkel? What does he have to do to be a consistent difference-maker?
"He just needs to be himself and not put pressure on himself," April said. "He needs to go out and be a ballplayer and not press. Just be him. That will be plenty."
April has implemented some different techniques, while stressing aggressiveness.
"If you're going to make a mistake, do it at 100 miles an hour, don't be afraid to fail," said Van Ginkel, relaying the message. "I love it. Get after the quarterback and do what you have to do to win."
The Badgers have had a string of 3-4 outside linebackers who have been bellcows. Joe Schobert, Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt are all in the NFL. Dooley and Jacobs are hoping to get to that level.
"We liked to pride ourselves on being the playmakers of the defense," said the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Van Ginkel, who's from Rock Valley, Iowa. "There's a lot of responsibility with that.
"We feel like we need to boost up the defense. If it's third-and-10, that's on us to get the sack. We take a lot of ownership of that and we just want to cause havoc back there."
Van Ginkel has no problem playing like his hair is on fire. Especially with so much kindling.
