Wisconsin

Meet Leyton Nelson, the Badgers’ first spring transfer commit

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3 weeks ago

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Leyton Nelson experienced the wide-ranging emotions of entering the transfer portal this month, but he quickly found relief in Madison.

Nelson, who played at Vanderbilt the past two seasons, made the decision to move on from the SEC program and look for a new collegiate home.

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“Definitely stressful prior to entering the portal, because a big thing is you don’t want to be the one to almost be like, I guess, selfish in that moment,” Nelson said. “But once you enter that portal and you get a lot of followers, you hear from directors of player personnel, all the scouting and coaches, it’s a little bit of a sigh of relief, I guess.

“But also at the same time in the moments, there’s a lot going on. Like who do I focus on? How would I be able to shorten this list down to be the most beneficial to myself?”

His stay in the transfer portal was relatively brief. Nelson announced his commitment to Wisconsin on Monday.

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Here are five things to know about him upon his impending arrival to Madison.

4 observations from Wisconsin football’s 11th spring practice

Nelson’s initial recruiting process took him to the SEC

Nelson was a high three-star recruit in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports composite rankings, whose algorithm computes ratings from the four major recruitng outlets, lists him as the No. 45 offensive tackle during that cycle.

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As a high school recruit, Nelson announced notable offers from Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Southern Cal and Tennessee, among others, before signing with Vanderbilt.

What led Nelson to move on from Vanderbilt

Nelson participated in 12 games for the Commodores with the Badgers’ new offensive line coach, A.J. Blazek, as his position coach. The vast majority of that playing time came last season (11), and Vanderbilt’s profile of the Orlando native states he played 60 snaps in 2023. 

Nelson said he told the Vanderbilt staff about his intentions the Friday before the opening of the spring transfer portal window, which runs from April 16 through April 30.

 

“The big thing was just a level of trust between coaching,” Nelson said. “It’s a whole new offensive staff, and I didn’t really get that relationship piece from all of them. And the OC, I didn’t really have that many words with. I think that’s a huge thing for me, is the idea of relationships.”

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Why he committed to Wisconsin

Wisconsin director of recruiting Pat Lambert reached out, according to Nelson. The two had a prior connection when Lambert was part of Cincinnati’s staff that offered Nelson under Fickell. Contact from Blazek, his former position coach, soon followed.

Nelson and his mother were quickly in Madison for an official visit that started last Wednesday. He watched the April 18 spring practice and left that evening. 

The offensive line room, unsurprisingly, stood out the most during his visit.

“They know that they need help in the O-line room, and I think that’s a big one for me,” Nelson said. “And just getting to hang out with all the guys, young and old, I think was a good part to it, to see there’s some gaps to be filled with age also in the O-line room.”

It took less than a week for Nelson to announce his intentions to transfer to Wisconsin.

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“Coming to a program that the expectation of more than just winning, getting to a bowl game and just getting to those championship games is huge for me,” Nelson said. “Also, where O-line is a priority for the whole program, not just the offense itself. Like that’s known there, it’s not just talked about. That’s two big things … and then also just knowing coach Blaz as a prior relationship.”

How he was used at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt listed Nelson at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds on last season’s roster. He played a unique role within the’ offense where PFF gave him a 71.9 grade in run blocking.

“I played strong tackle at Vandy,” Nelson said. “That’s where we go to the strength of the formation, so I played left and right basically. It’s like an average of 50% both ways.”

Where could Nelson fit within Wisconsin’s offensive line?

The Badgers’ offensive line received some hits in its depth during the offsesaon. Tanor Bortolini, who versatility shined at Wisconsin, moved on to professional aspirations and now awaits where he could land in the 2024 NFL Draft later this week. 

Three players — Trey Wedig (Indiana), Dylan Barrett (Iowa State) and Nolan Rucci (Penn State) — entered the transfer portal and found new homes at Power Four schools. Barrett Nelson has suited up but not participated in any of the 11 spring practices through Tuesday.

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The lack of depth in this position group has affected Wisconsin during the spring. Blazek has given second-team reps to true freshmen early enrollees Kevin Heywood and Colin Cubberly. Cubberly has needed to play both within the interior and out at right tackle.

Leyton Nelson, along with 2024 signees Ryan Cory, Derek Jensen and Emerson Mandell, should provide more scholarship bodies to the position group overall once they arrive later this year.

“And then over at Wisconsin, coach Blaz said, ‘You just got to come in and basically fight for any spot, whatever we’re going through, and I’m not gonna guarantee you anything,’” Nelson said. “And I said, ‘Just be upfront with me. I’m going to come in ready to work swinging basically,’ because I don’t want to settle for second string at all. That’s not me.

“It could be anywhere. I can play interior, exterior (offensive line). Doesn’t matter to me.” 



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