MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — During the decision-making process — on whether to return for another year of college eligibility or declare for the NFL draft — Wisconsin's junior inside linebacker Jack Sanborn solicited the opinion of others who had been in a comparable position and understood his deliberation.

"I talked to as many people as I really could that had a lot of knowledge," he said.

Part of the process was consulting with some of his former Badgers teammates like first-team All-America center Tyler Biadasz, who skipped his final year and entered the 2020 draft. The Dallas Cowboys selected Biadasz in the fourth round and the Amherst, Wisconsin, native wound up starting four games.

"Talking with him really benefited me — it's all about what is best for you no matter what the position (you play) — we were both in kind of similar situations," said Sanborn, who admitted to struggling with the decision; something that was relatable to Biadasz and other sounding boards.

"I was kind of weighing the options and the second that I said, 'I feel my heart still belongs in Madison' a few of them told me, 'That's your answer right there. You've got to follow your heart. If you have that sense about coming out, then go back to school. That's the right decision.'"

Malinda Sanborn made sure that her son knew she was in his corner regardless of the choice.

"My mom would want me to do what I wanted to do," he said. "I know it means a lot to her to have me and Bryan (a recent UW signee) playing together on the same team. But, at the same time, she wanted me to do what was best for me, whatever that might me. She wasn't pushing me either way.

"It was something we've talked about for a while now — the last two weeks more and more — and I simply called her and said, 'Mom, this is the decision that I'm making' and she was all on board with it. She thought it was a great decision and she's supporting me."

After telling his younger brother "Hey, Bryan, we're going to be teammates," he got the same positive feedback from the three-star linebacker out of Lake Zurich (Illinois) High School, a member of the UW's 2021 recruiting class. "I was a little more chill with him, I hope he's excited," Jack said.

On Dec. 16, the national letter of intent signing day, he hadn't made up his mind and admitted, "I wasn't really sure it was going to happen at that time." A few weeks later, he said, "I'm definitely excited. Not many get to say they played with their brother at a university like Wisconsin."

Sanborn made up his mind to return a few days before the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.

"That was just my timetable, I wanted to make my decision before the game," said Sanborn, who was the Most Valuable Player in Wisconsin's 42-28 win over Wake Forest. "No matter what (choice he made), I would have been able to focus on the game. It was the most important thing that week."

Sanborn recalled a conversation with tight end Jake Ferguson leading up to the bowl.

"A week before, I asked Jake, 'Where are you learning?' — small talk — I didn't want to be super big into asking a bunch of questions," he recounted. "I pretty much told him, 'I think I'm staying and I'm actually telling Coach (Paul) Chryst today,' and he was like, 'I'm leaning that way, too.'"

On Saturday, Sanborn, Ferguson, and cornerback Faion Hicks, all juniors weighing a jump to the NFL, revealed on Twitter that they were all returning for another season at Wisconsin. On Sunday, senior wide receiver Kendric Pryor followed suit. Sanborn was obviously delighted and said, "It only improves our team heading into next year."

Only a few people knew of Sanborn's decision before the bowl. One was Chryst. Sanborn has a dry sense of humor — not unlike Chryst. So, when asked about Chryst's reaction to his choice to come back for the 2021 season, Sanborn cracked, "He was devastated. I think he wanted me gone."

Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth.

As far as Bob Bostad, his no-nonsense position coach, Sanborn said, "I think he expected me to come back. And I'm excited to get back to work with Coach Bostad. I love him as a coach. I can't wait to see the improvements that we can make going into next year."

Few programs can boast a more productive tandem at inside linebacker than Sanborn and Leo Chenal. Both had huge impacts on outcomes. Chenal had 13 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and pass breakup against Minnesota. Sanborn had 11 tackles, two TFLs and an interception against Wake Forest.

For the second consecutive season, Sanborn, who has started the last 20 games, finished as the UW's leading tackler with 52, while Chenal, a hard-hitting sophomore from Grantsburg, Wis., had 46 in his first year as a starter. Nobody else on the defense had more than 30 tackles.

"The opportunities we have are endless and it should be a fun year," Sanborn said of teaming up again with Chenal. "We have a lot of young guys (linebackers) with a lot of potential. You can see them making plays in practice. It's just about getting them more and more comfortable with everything.

"Should be an interesting year in the inside linebacker room."
 

Last weekend, Sanborn got a "return to school" recommendation from the College Advisory Committee that is comprised of NFL personnel evaluators who rate players, no more than five from any school, on their potential for the first round or second round. Or neither.

"I tried to get as much advice as I could, and a lot of it was helpful," said Sanborn, who conceded that some have questioned his overall speed and pass coverage. "I think a lot of people aren't sure what I'm capable of in terms of coverage and how it translates to the NFL.

"I think they worry about my speed; I don't know. But I think I run well enough. I feel very confident in both those areas. But those are two things I can work on."

In the 2020 Rose Bowl, Sanborn intercepted Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, one of three picks that he had that season. In the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Sanborn picked off Wake Forest's Sam Hartman with 13:43 left in the game. It was the second of four Wisconsin interceptions on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter.

"On the sidelines, we were saying, 'Who's going to be next?'" Sanborn said of the snowballing momentum that was generated. "I'd say my Rose Bowl interception was a little bit more based on instincts, whereas the Wake Forest one, I knew was coming. They ran the same play three plays prior."

So, when Donovan Greene lined up in the slot, Sanborn recognized that "they were running a lot of the same concepts over and over again in the passing game and we knew where he (Hartman) wanted to throw the ball, especially in that low, hook zone." He used that "tell" for the pick.

"That really speaks to Coach Leonhard and the defensive staff's game plan," Sanborn said of defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jim Leonhard. "We really focused on those exact areas and told ourselves, 'He (Hartman) is going to give us some opportunities and it's up to us … '"

While claiming the MVP award, the first defensive player to be so honored in this bowl in 14 years, Sanborn chose to share the credit noting, "This season, we've been hit with the injury bug a little bit that has forced guys to step into bigger roles than what they originally thought they might be.

"I'm proud of everyone on this team and how they came out and competed their (bleeps) off. We wanted to get better and wanted to improve as a team and it showed with guys making plays — offense, defense, special teams — and every play was needed, every play was crucial."

Despite falling behind 14-0, there was no flinching, no panic.

"Everyone was calm," said Sanborn, who suggested the players were hardened by a far greater adversity, the one brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We've been handling adversity since before the season actually even started. Then it got canceled. Then it came back.

"It's something that throughout the year we've all had to learn (from) …."

The Badgers had three games canceled. The lesson?

"Just bounce back. Just keep on pushing."

And when push came to shove, Sanborn opted in.

"I'm really happy with the decision that I made, and I feel comfortable with it, I think it's the best decision for me," he reiterated. "Ultimately, I ended up making the decision based on what I felt in my heart. And my heart belonged in Madison and I belonged here for another year."