Four months ago, Travis Wiltjer had closed the book on football.
The inside linebacker graduated in three years from Division-II Northwood University, where he amassed 152 career tackles. With one year of eligibility remaining, he briefly considered entering the NCAA transfer portal to see where it could take him, but he felt more ready than ever to start a career.
After working at Northern Reflections Construction in Traverse City, Mich., he planned to join his boss, Ted Moore, in starting a contracting company in Florida. The two even flew south in March to market the new business and get a feel for the area.
On the way home, however, waiting out a long layover at a Chili’s inside O’Hare Airport, University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez took a seat at the bar next to the pair, ready to take in some NCAA Tournament action while waiting on his own flight.
“Just by chance, Coach Alvarez sat down next to me and we started talking,” Wiltjer said. “Coach was wearing one of his bowl rings and my boss pointed it out. He was talking about Bo Schembechler and all the cool stories.”
Alvarez encouraged Wiltjer to send some of his film. The Badgers’ coaching staff liked what they saw, and Wiltjer showed up in Madison three months later, ready for summer conditioning as UW’s latest graduate transfer.
He joined as a preferred walk-on and will be eligible to play immediately.
“Crazy story,” Wiltjer said Wednesday on the Camp Randall Stadium turf during UW’s local media day. “I’ve just got to take it all in. It’s an honor to be here.”
Wiltjer, who also recorded 16.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles during his three years at Northwood, said the biggest difference for him when jumping up to the FBS level will come from playing in front of much larger crowds and dealing with offensive linemen who are quicker and more athletic.
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