UW Football Welcomes Three Early Enrollees

MADISON, Wis. – Three 2012 Wisconsin football recruits, Hugs Etienne, Vonte Jackson and Dan Voltz have enrolled at UW for the spring semester, have started classes and will be eligible to participate in Spring Practice.

“We’re happy to have Hugs, Vonte and Dan on campus,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “This allows them to spend 5 ½ years on campus, go through spring practice with us and probably most importantly, get acclimated academically without having the pressure and rigors of the football season weighing on them. We’ve had a number of great examples of kids that have been able to take advantage of this, including guys like Travis Frederick, Andy Kemp, David Gilbert, Jordan Kohout and Jake Byrne. They have all been starters for us during their careers here and also very successful academically.”

Etienne is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback from Planation, Fla. He was ranked as a three-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals and the No. 31 cornerback in the nation by ESPN and No. 42 by Rivals. In his four-year high school career, he recorded 88 tackles, six interceptions and seven forced fumbles. Etienne’s senior season, when he was a team captain, featured 20 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles. As a junior, he made 38 tackles with three interceptions and three forced fumbles. In addition to football, Etienne also lettered in track and field and was a member of the school’s honor roll.

Jackson, an in-state product from Kenosha Bradford High School, missed most of his senior season due to a knee injury. The 6-0, 190-pound running back is a four-star recruit by Rivals and Scout. He is ranked as the No. 21 running back in the nation by Rivals, No. 22 by ESPN and No. 28 by Scout as well as the No. 2 player in the state by ESPN and Rivals. Jackson was injured with 16 seconds left in second quarter of his first game last season but still managed to rush for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and catch one pass for 38 yards before the injury. As a junior, he carried the ball 68 times for 956 yards (14.1 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 266 yards and four TDs. Jackson will be reunited with his former backfield mate, Melvin Gordon, who redshirted last season for the Badgers.

Voltz, a 6-5, 290-pound offensive lineman, played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7. He is a four-star recruit by Rivals, Scout and ESPN and the seventh-ranked guard in the nation by Scout and No. 8 by Rivals. An all-state selection as a senior by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association, The Champaign News-Gazette and The Chicago Tribune, Voltz is the third-ranked player in Illinois by ESPN and fourth-ranked in Illinois by Rivals. He was also named all-state as a junior by the IHSFCA and The Champaign News-Gazette. A team captain as a senior, Voltz was an IHSA All-State Academic Team member and also lettered in wrestling and track and field.