AHEAD OF THE CURVE
GETTING TO KNOW HUGS ETIENNE
Etienne was born in Haiti but comes to UW from Plantation, Fla., where Creole is still the primary language for his family members — who are sure to check in on the phone every day.
The Crimson Tide just won the national cham- pionship. Had Voltz been more impulsive about his de- cision — basing it more on emotion — it might have been more challenging for the Badgers to hold on to his commitment. "But,'' he reiterated, "I committed because this was the place that was best for me.'' There may not be a better place in the country for his position group, he also suggested. Voltz is an offensive lineman, and the UW has a tradition of developing great ones. Some of the upperclassmen — Travis Frederick and Ricky Wagner — have already taken him under their wing.
"They take pride in the way they work,'' Voltz observed. "They hang out together outside of football, too. It's like a little fraternity or broth- erhood. I think I fit in already at this point. "It's going to be a great four or five years.''
Voltz, who carried a 4.0 grade-point average
in high school, has understandably gravitated to Frederick, one of the strongest and smartest players not only in the Big Ten but college foot- ball.
Frederick, a computer engineering and com-
puter science major, was also a mid-term high school graduate and wound up starting at center as a true freshman in the 2009 season opener. "I've noticed that he's the leader of the O-line
this year and he's helped me out a lot,'' Voltz said. "He's a great resource that I plan on using. Obviously, he's had success here academically.'' Bielema expected that Frederick and Voltz would have much in common. "They're very similar — extremely intelligent — very good students and football players,'' Bielema said, adding that Voltz had a plan and stuck to it. "He has the ability to think that far ahead.''
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