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Wisconsin Football: Badgers add two new pieces on National Signing Day

By Sam Land

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 03: Paul Chryst, head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, watches from the sidelines during the first half of the Big Ten Championship game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 03: Paul Chryst, head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, watches from the sidelines during the first half of the Big Ten Championship game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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While it was a relatively quiet day for Wisconsin Football on National Signing Day, the Badgers did add two intriguing walk-ons to their 2019 class.

As expected, there was not much left for Wisconsin to accomplish on National Signing Day after locking up the vast majority of its 2019 class back in December, a deep and talented group that is poised to finish in the top 30 nationally this cycle, according to 247Sports. 

However, it wouldn’t be a Wisconsin Signing Day if a walk-on or two didn’t put pen to paper and officially becoming Badgers, and that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday with the additions of Sun Prairie (WI) wide receiver Cooper Nelson and Wexford (PA) North Alleghany safety Dante Caputo.

Nelson committed to Wisconsin back on the first of the month over a scholarship offer from Western Illinois and additional walk-on offers from Iowa and Iowa State.  He is coming off a huge senior season for Sun Prairie in which he recorded 60 catches for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns on his way to earning All-State honors by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

Nelson possesses an exciting size/speed combination at 6’4 and a reported 4.58 40-yard dash time that leads me to feel confident in his ability to develop into an impact player at receiver down the line for the Badgers. It also doesn’t hurt that he has Wisconsin Football in his blood, as his dad, Scott, was a four-year starter at safety for Wisconsin in the late ‘ ’80s/early ’90s.

Caputo committed to Wisconsin and subsequently sent in his signature on Wednesday, choosing the Badgers over other walk-on opportunities from Pittsburgh and Utah State. His cousin, former Wisconsin safety Michael Caputo, is currently on Gary Andersen’s staff with the Aggies and played a key role in Dante’s decision to continue his football career in Madison. He had this to say to BadgerBlitz.com about Michael’s impact on the move:

"Mike isn’t the most talkative guy and was gone off recruiting and coaching a lot of the time. However, when we did get a chance to talk he had nothing but positive things to say about the Wisconsin program, coaches, and Madison.In our last conversation he said that I would do well and love it there. I always had positive thoughts about the program and school while growing up and he did nothing but fortify those thoughts."

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Nelson and Caputo join a 2019 walk-on class that also includes linebacker Jackson Kollath (Sussex, WI), wide receiver Cam Phillips (San Francisco, CA), linebacker Tatum Grass (Holmen, WI), offensive lineman Logan O’Brien (Fennimore, WI) , and kicker/punter Blake Wilcox (Wales, WI).