As he went through the early stages of the recruiting process, defensive lineman
Patrick Muldoon used a number of unofficial visits (he estimates he took 15 to 20 of them) as barometers of which school might best fit him. And the winner turned out to be Wisconsin.
"Just the whole package kind of sealed the deal for me," said the 6-4, 240-pound Muldoon, who played at St. Xavier High in Cincinnati. "It's a really fun town. There's always something going on there."
Muldoon, who might bulk up from defensive end to defensive tackle, picked the Badgers over
Virginia, Cincinnati,
Duke and
Boston College. He?s is a firm believer in young Badgers coach
Brett Bielema.
"I feel like he really knows what he's doing and has the program going in the right direction," said the Scout.com three-star defensive end.
Ohio State offered Muldoon in late spring, but it wasn't until Dec. 20 that Muldoon picked
Wisconsin.
As a prep, Muldoon played against some big-time competition. "I think that will definitely prepare me," he said. As a sophomore, he lined up against the
Pouncey twins --
Mike and
Maurkice -- who currently anchor the interior of the offensive line at national champ Florida. "It was an experience," said Muldoon, who believes he had 1 1/2 sacks in the game. "It was crazy going against those two play after play. They were just pounding on me."
While the unofficial visits were beneficial, it was Muldoon's official to Wisconsin that helped seal the deal. "The atmosphere was insane," he said. "I wouldn't say it was a determining factor at all, but kind of like icing on the cake."
