Blake Wilcox picked up football last year, can connect from 60 yards and has an offer from Wisconsin

Curt Hogg | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Blake Wilcox always hoped that he would go on to play collegiate athletics on the power of his right leg.

He just didn't always expect it to be on the gridiron.

Wilcox, a rising senior on both the Kettle Moraine football and soccer teams, announced Tuesday via Twitter he had received a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Wisconsin.

Wilcox didn't even step on the football field until his junior year.

Incredibly excited and beyond blessed to receive my first offer as a Preferred Walk On from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/bdzMchlElB — Blake Wilcox (@Blakewilcox28) June 26, 2018

"I've been a soccer player all my life love the sport of soccer," Wilcox said. "If you had asked me just over a year ago, I'd tell you I was a soccer player. Five years ago, I'd tell you I was a soccer player. Ten years ago, same thing."

A 'dream school'

Wilcox was an all-state center back on the Lasers soccer team that went 12-4-3 last year.

On the football field he connected multiple times from over 40 yards and burst onto the national scene by splitting the uprights from 59 yards out during a rainy October game against Waukesha South.

RELATED: Kettle Moraine's Blake Wilcox a rare talent as offensive-minded soccer defender and powerful football kicker

Wilcox, whose longest field goal in practice has been from 67 yards, said he hopes to have a decision on his commitment within the next month. While UW was his first offer, plenty of schools have seen him kick and expressed interest.

"Nothing is set in stone right now, which is a good thing," Wilcox said. "Hopefully what happened with Wisconsin today invokes more interest."

Still, getting an offer to play for the Badgers had Wilcox grinning ear-to-ear Tuesday.

"Growing up in Wisconsin, it's been sort of my dream school," he said. "It's a great school for both football, winning the Orange Bowl last year, and for academics. There's a lot that goes into going from kicking in high school games to kicking at Camp Randall in front of 80,000 people. It’s something that I’m definitely thinking about and definitely considering."

Walk on this way

There is no shortage of former walk-ons to receive scholarships and become prominent players for UW. Recently, that list includes Joe Schobert, Dare Ogunbowale and Marcus Trotter from the Milwaukee area, as well as JJ Watt, Alex Erickson, Jared Abbrederis, Troy Fumagalli, Jack Cichy and Ryan Connelly.

Specialists Andrew Endicott and P.J. Rosowski were also awarded scholarships after beginning as walk-ons.

"What I've gathered is that a lot of kickers start at preferred walk-ons until the really talented guys graduate," Wilcox said. "'Then, scholarships fall down to some underclassmen. Wisconsin has one of the best kick-off guys in the country and best field goals guys in (redshirt senior Rafael) Gaglianone.

"I'm under the impression I'll be starting behind them and then could hopefully play my sophomore season."

Kicking the process into high gear

As a kicker, Wilcox's recruiting experience differed a bit from that of other Division I football players.

Teams could watch footage of his 59-yarder or one of his other eight makes on the year for the 7-4 Lasers, but the nature of the position means less game film for college coaches to see than with another position.

"There’s a lot of uncertainly you’re traveling around," Wilcox said. "You don't know how things are developing. It's a big chess game."

Kickers such as Wilcox are able to distinguish themselves from the pack at camps held by colleges in the off-season.

"If you don't perform well at the camp, it doesn't matter," Wilcox said. "If you're the top-ranked kid in country, but go to specialist came and do poorly, they won't be interested in you."

In addition to UW, Wilcox camped with fellow Big Ten schools Iowa and Northwestern, but the experience with the Badgers stood out.

"I talked to a few schools this spring, gone to a few camps around the Midwest, but through all of it, Wisconsin seemed interested in me," Wilcox said. "It's a big, huge program and so you think they’re in in for the money, but you get to know the coaches and they seemed interested in me as a person. That goes a long way."