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Wisconsin LB Chris Borland: 'I always wanted to come here'
Deemed too small for much of his career, Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland stands to become one of the Big Ten's biggest future stars. The reigning conference freshman of the year, Borland will help lead the 2010 Badgers, who sit among Sporting News' preseason top 10. Borland recently spoke with SN's Dave Curtis and discussed his rise from under-touted high school junior to college football standout.
Dave Curtis: What's your version of the story of how you ended up here?
Chris Borland: I kind of initiated the contact. I'm not sure what they knew about me. So I came up to camp, I think it was two-and-a-half or three days, and I performed very well. I did a number of things, and I guess they thought they had seen enough to offer me a scholarship.
DC: You didn't just play defense at that camp, right?
CB: I kicked and punted, too. It was the first night. I was a little sore from a full day of practice, and they asked anybody who wanted to kick or punt to stay after. I had punted in high school, and then I kicked some with (Wisconsin assistant) Coach (Charlie) Partridge. That's when Coach (Bret Bielema) came up to me and introduced himself. He knew I played linebacker, and I think that's what caught their eye in the first place.
DC: How is it that a guy who's had your success had so few scholarship offers?
CB: I think it was a perfect storm. I didn't have great stats or measurables. I was 5-11, 205 in high school. Plus, I didn't have great production my junior year. That, and being small, made it easy for schools to overlook me. The other thing was, I was being recruited as a linebacker mostly everywhere, and I didn't play that in high school. I was mostly on offense. Those three factors were kind of the perfect storm of circumstances for me to be under-recruited.
DC: Did anybody else get involved?
CB: I always wanted to come here. That's why I initiated the contact with them. When they offered, I accepted about an hour later.
DC: Why the connection to Wisconsin? You're an Ohio guy.
CB: Yeah, but my dad grew up in Madison. We grew up Wisconsin fans. When I got into high school and looked at which schools I could play sports at, I kept coming back to Wisconsin. Growing up, I remember the Rose Bowls, even though I was young. I remember Ron Dayne. My dad always talked fondly of Barry Alvarez.
DC: Has Alvarez lived up to the hype?
CB: I've only had a chance to talk to him a couple of times. But he definitely has a presence around him.
DC: How's it been for you all of a sudden getting all sorts of recognition?
CB: I tried to minimize it. It's been hard because you do interviews, and people sometimes know about you when you have success or do things better. You just can't let it get your head.
DC: Do you get recognized?
CB: Not very often. I'm pretty … you know, I'm a little guy. It doesn't look like I play football outside of the pads.
DC: What do you make of your defense for 2010?
CB: We're going to have a different makeup. We don't have (O'Brien) Schofield or (Chris) Maragos or Jaevery (McFadden). That's three pretty great players we're trying to replace. But we have a lot of younger guys stepping up. If that keeps up, we'll be fine.
DC: Do you feel the Badgers have earned a spot in the preseason polls and the talk about winning the Big Ten?
CB: Not yet. You can't get caught up with the high praise, and I think this team understands that. I mean, we had one good year. And we were just a few points away from it being similar to two years ago (UW went 7-6 in 2008). We're not necessarily where we need to be.
DC: This is the second year that Ben Herbert has run your weight room and conditioning stuff. What's it like working with him?
CB: He's amazing. The great thing for me is that all you have to do is work hard. I showed up at 205 pounds, and I started listening to him, and within three months, I'm up to 230. You see other guys making those improvements, and it's a big motivator for the whole team.
DC: If a genie came and said, "I'll make you whatever height and weight you want," would you want to be bigger?
CB: I've thought about that before. I think I'd kind of lose my edge. There are a lot of prototypical guys, a lot of guys 6-2 and 250. That would make me not what I'm supposed to be. It's not my style. Sometimes being short hinders my game. But more so, it gives me an advantage.
DC: Give me an advantage and a disadvantage?
CB: Advantages, I'm quicker than a lot of guys, and sometimes I can hide behind other guys a little bit. Disadvantage, sometimes I get caught looking over blocks. That takes away my leverage and balance. I'll get driven back if I do that.
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