With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on December 18, Badgers Insider takes a closer look at the recruits that signed with the Wisconsin football program.
In this edition, we examine Winona (MN) High School linebacker, Aaron Witt.
Note: All notes and stats provided by uwbadgers.com
Witt chose Wisconsin over other offers from: Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Oregon State, Toledo, and Wyoming
Witt’s High School Accolades: Three–star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals…Finalist for Minnesota Mr. Football as a senior in 2019…Earned invitation to Minnesota Football Showcase all–star game
Witt’s Impact as a Badger: Before committing to Wisconsin this past September Witt gave both Minnesota and Iowa verbal pledges. Witt initially committed to Minnesota in November of 2018 before flipping his pledge to Iowa in June of 2019.
However, Witt’s commitment to Iowa lasted only two months as during his commitment to the Hawkeyes he earned his offer from the Badgers this past July.
Ultimately the offer Witt was looking for was from the Badgers as the Badgers were evaluating him on whether they thought he could make a successful transition from his high school position at defensive end to outside linebacker in Wisconsin’s defense.
Wisconsin’s outside linebackers coach Bobby April got a first hand look to see how Witt fared at outside linebacker as Witt attended one of Wisconsin’s summer football camps this past June. Getting that first hand account of how he practiced, his footwork, and his ability to take coaching were strong components to his evaluation for Wisconsin.
Witt did line up at the outside linebacker position at times for his high school so it won’t completely be a new experience for him. But there will still be a transition period for him from having his hand primarily in the ground to standing up and creating pressure from the outside linebacker position.
But due to his size he moves well, which must have given Wisconsin’s coaching staff the confidence that he could make a successful transition to his new position.
One area where Witt will need to be able to adjust is being able to drop back in coverage on passing plays. Utilizing his strong footwork and being able to keep up with tight ends to make sure they can’t get open easily.
Witt is listed at 6’5″ but he’ll need to continue to gain weight as he’s listed at 220 pounds. Once he gains the weight he needs, in addition, to gaining strength he’ll have a chance of holding up during Big Ten play and allow him to play physical at the line of scrimmage.
Wisconsin fans may not hear a lot from Witt over the next two seasons for the Badgers but if Wisconsin’s coaching staff is right with their projection on Witt and his ability to make the transition to linebacker they’ll look awfully good.