MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's 2021 regular season ended on the last Saturday in November with a loss to Minnesota that denied the Badgers a chance at a Big Ten title game. It was a disappointing moment for the program, but one that coaches had little time to reflect on as the in-person period for high school recruiting began the next day. And for outside linebackers coach Bobby April, that meant one thing: doing everything he could to sign Tackett Curtis.
Curtis, a four-star prospect from Many, La., who was considered the No. 9 linebacker in the country, had been at the top of April's recruiting board for some time. The problem, if there was one, was that Wisconsin simply couldn't get players from Louisiana and barely recruited there. In fact, the Badgers had never signed a high school prospect from Louisiana during the era of Internet recruiting rankings. But April, a Louisiana native, was willing to put as much effort into recruiting Curtis as any Badgers coach had put into a single player because of the game-changing skills Curtis could offer.
Over the next six months, April visited Louisiana six times to recruit Curtis: the first Friday in December to watch his state semifinal game, the following Friday to watch his state championship game, and twice in January during the contact period (as April went on the defensive). coordinator Jim Leonhard once and head coach Paul Chryst once) and two additional times during a later evaluation period. When Curtis released a top three in July 2022 that included Wisconsin, Ohio State and USC, the Badgers fan base held out hope that April could be a real stunner. In the end, however, Curtis chose USC, leaving Wisconsin with one of the greatest what-if recruiting stories in recent program history.
But all the work wasn't in vain. During these trips, as well as three campus visits to Madison made by Curtis and his family, he learned everything he needed to know about Wisconsin. When Curtis entered the transfer portal in December after his first season at USC, the Badgers were a realistic option, even though April had been hired as Stanford's defensive coordinator a year earlier.
Casey Rabach, Wisconsin's scouting director and the only holdover from the previous staff, immediately reached out to Curtis. The same was true for Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, who stayed in constant contact with him as Curtis went through his options. The message was simple: Wisconsin needed help at inside linebacker, and Curtis could provide it, for a program whose culture hadn't changed despite coaching changes.
Tackett Curtis (25) had 40 tackles, four tackles for a loss and two sacks in his only season at USC. (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
Curtis' uncle, Jess Curtis, was his high school coach and was instrumental in the recruiting process. Jess said Tackett didn't visit any schools this time, instead choosing to participate in various 90-minute Zoom calls with LSU, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Florida State, Kansas State, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nebraska, among others. When it was over, Curtis decided to join the Badgers, and Nebraska finished second in what Jess described as the two schools that “went to war for him.” Curtis publicly announced his commitment on Tuesday, giving Wisconsin one of the biggest shocks in the offseason transfer portal.
“He’s like Rambo, that’s what I told Fickell,” Jess said. “He just likes to kick ass. He is calm. He had come to Wisconsin a million times. He knew what was out there. I don't think the other schools would get past Wisconsin in his mind. They've done a great job of laying the foundation for what they've seen for him and where they think he can step in and make an immediate impact to make their plan happen.
“He just believes he can get there and develop into the player he knows he can be. And that’s what he always liked about Wisconsin. Even though it's a different staff, it's still a working environment, from the fans to the players who come there. That kind of appealed to him at the beginning.”
Curtis, listed at 6-foot-3 and weighing 220 pounds, gives Wisconsin the perfect combination of physical hitter and athlete who can play in space that defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Mike Tressel has been looking for , as he added figures to the unit. During Curtis' senior season at Many High, he recorded 112 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and three interceptions, ran for 1,115 yards with 11 touchdowns while playing quarterback, and was named Louisiana Player of the Year.
Curtis played 12 games at USC with eight starts and finished with 40 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after recording seven tackles and two sacks in a win against Arizona State. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 356 defensive snaps and 145 snaps on special teams. Curtis entered the portal after USC coach Lincoln Riley began overhauling the defensive staff, which included firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
Wisconsin revamped its linebacker corps via the portal, adding edge rushers John Pius (William & Mary) and Leon Lowery (Syracuse) and inside linebackers Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas), Jahsiah Galvan (Northern Iowa) and Sebastian Cheeks (North Carolina). added ) and Curtis.
Thomas led Arkansas with 90 tackles last season and the team believes he has the potential to play pass rush. Wisconsin also returns Jake Chaney, who finished second for the Badgers with 80 tackles last season. But both players only have one more year of eligibility left. Curtis likely represents both the present and the future for Wisconsin in this position. Jess said the expectation is that Tackett, who has three years of eligibility remaining, will start at Mike linebacker.
“He started at USC as a freshman,” Jess said. “He doesn’t come to jump around. He comes to blow people away. That's his deal. He's a freak. For him it's all about football. For him it's all about training. At USC, they had training equipment to measure how fast they ran in practice. He regularly ran 21 miles per hour, and that's pretty impressive for a big linebacker. He can absolutely fly. That’s one thing you’ll see.”
Jess said Curtis did talk to April after entering the portal, but wanted to get away from the West Coast and liked the idea of playing in the Big Ten. He said the Curtis family had been so impressed with Wisconsin on previous recruiting visits and described Madison as “a hidden gem” that people in Louisiana knew little about. Tackett spoke with former Badgers outside linebacker Nick Herbig and former Badgers defensive lineman Keeanu Benton about their views on the program. Both players, who Tackett met during his recruitment out of high school, are now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and have given rave reviews.
“Herbig loved his experience at Wisconsin,” Jess said. “And you have to respect what Coach Fickell is and the potential he has there. We are now big Jim Leonhard fans too. And Bobby April fans. But this place is special. That's basically what they told Tackett. “Hey, you have a good defensive coach and you know how special this place is and what it can be and how the fan base can support you.” Tackett is happy about that too.”
One downside to Curtis' initial recruitment to Wisconsin was that the Badgers wanted him as an outside linebacker, while USC and Ohio State recruited him as an inside linebacker. Curtis preferred to play inside, but had the opportunity to run from one sideline to the next. This time he will have that chance for Wisconsin. And while the new coaching staff deserves credit for helping Curtis understand how much the team valued him even though they didn't have a relationship before, Jess said April's efforts shouldn't be forgotten.
“It’s part of his loot,” Jess said. “The fan base needs to send him a thank you letter because this guy, him and Jim Leonhard, just the energy and effort they put into it made it so hard for Tackett to tell them he wasn't going to get there. That's the kind of relationship he had built with them. But he showed Tackett the culture. He showed him what it was about. As a family, we have always loved the Big Ten style of football. It’s time to get physical, roll up your sleeves and get going.”
(Top photo: Jordon Kelly / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)