BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Standing just outside of the goal post in the north end zone, Josh Seltzner motioned to the east stands in Camp Randall Stadium. Not long ago, he recalled filling one of those seats as an eager, wide-eyed prospect from Columbus High School, a 40-minute drive from the University of Wisconsin campus.
"It's crazy how different it feels," he said Wednesday. "Three short years ago I was coming here on recruiting visits — I came to every single home game because this is the place where I wanted to be — and now I'm getting a chance to play and I'm excited for the opportunity."
After the first week of training camp, Seltzner has made a positive impression on the coaching staff with his work at right guard, where the redshirt sophomore has taken a majority of the first-team reps alongside of right tackle Logan Bruss, an Appleton native. Both arrived in the same recruiting class.
"He's one of my best friends," Seltzner said. "It's amazing to get a chance to play next to him."
Bruss was a scholarship recruit, Seltzner was a walk-on. Bruss, a product of the Kimberly High School program that had its streak of 70 straight wins and five consecutive state championships finally snapped last season, had other Big Ten offers. Seltzner drew interest from North Dakota and Indiana State.
"I've loved the Badgers ever since I was born," claimed the 20-year-old Seltzner, who was awarded a scholarship last September. "Coach (Joe) Rudolph was amazing in the recruitment and he just made me feel like this was home. Ultimately, I didn't want to go anywhere else."
Seltzner pointed out that his cousin, Ty DeForest, was also a walk-on at Wisconsin. He transferred after his freshman season to Illinois State. A three-year letterwinner for the Redbirds, he started 11 games at middle linebacker in 2018.
DeForest's experience didn't dissuade Seltzner from taking a similar path to the UW.
Conceding his redshirt year as a true freshman was challenging, Seltzner said nonetheless, "I knew if I worked hard, I could find success. Coming in with a group of five other guys it was really nice because we were able to help each other out understanding things."
The Badgers went heavy on O-linemen in the 2017 class. Joining Bruss and Seltzner were Kayden Lyles, Tyler Beach, Alex Fenton and Blake Smithback. Last season, Lyles transitioned from offense to defense out of necessity and started seven games. But he has since moved back to offense.
Seltzner and Lyles are now battling for guard reps along with Jason Erdmann, a fifth-year senior. Mindful the competition is making everyone better, Seltzner revealed his training camp goal: "I'm just trying to show the coaches I can play in any situation and they can count on me as a starter."
"Rudy (Rudolph) and others," UW head coach Paul Chryst said, "are excited about what Seltz is doing."
Noting how Seltzner has gone through a learning phase in his development and is now deriving confidence in what he's doing, especially because of his physicality, Chryst added, "I don't know that he's doing anything out of the ordinary. But he certainly has size and strength and good quickness."
Chryst was first alerted to his "movement skills" while Seltzner toiled on the scout team.
"He kind of made a mark," he said. "Whether you're a walk-on or not, the first thing with young kids is, 'Do I belong? Can I play?' And, then, it's, 'Yeah, I can do this.' Now it starts snowballing."
The next step? "Can you do it consistently?" Chryst posed.
That will be answered between now and game week.
"It's kind of fun to see as a coach," Chryst said. "There will be opportunities with the exodus of a number of people. The work he has been doing is now giving him a chance to make the most of this."
Ah, yes, the exodus; mass exodus, if you will.
Preseason forecasts and media talking points have frequently revolved around who's not back rather than who's back on Wisconsin's offensive line.
Four starters are not back: Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel, David Edwards, Jon Dietzen.
One is back: center Tyler Biadasz, a 27-game starter and All-America candidate.
Left tackle Cole Van Lanen is also back. He has one start in 27 career games.
Despite a lack of starting experience, he has scored high marks for his level of play. The principle scorekeeper? Pro Football Focus, a website devoted to player evaluation.
Van Lanen, who rotated with Dietzen, finished the 2018 season as PFF's highest-graded tackle in college football ahead of Kansas State's Dalton Risner, a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos; and Alabama's Jonah Williams, a first-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Of PFF's Top 50 players at any position coming into the 2019 season, Van Lanen was ranked No. 28, with a run-blocking grade of 90.0 which was nine points higher than the next offensive tackle. That's pretty heady stuff for Van Lanen, a 21-year-old redshirt junior from Green Bay.
(Biadasz, PFF's highest-rated center last year, is No. 11 on that list. He has allowed 17 career pressures in 692 pass pro reps.)
"He played a lot of football last year — he did a good job and we've got to build on that," Rudolph said of Van Lanen, who gave up six pressures in 223 pass protection snaps while rotating with Dietzen. "It's a different feel when you have to take all the reps. But I don't think the way he approaches it will change."
"We're trying to be just as good as the O-line last year," said Seltzner, who weighed 345 pounds when the Badgers played in the Pinstripe Bowl but opened camp at 326.
"I probably put 15 pounds on my bench, 50 pounds on my squat, 30 pounds on my power clean," said Seltzner, who was a shot put state champion, of his gains in the weight room. "I feel stronger. But I can move as well."
And he's proving it by moving up the depth chart.
"They're willing to give everyone a shot," Seltzner said. "Whoever seizes the moment …"
