FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY
GETTING TO KNOW DAN VOLTZ
One of the nation's top offensive line recruits and a talented student, Voltz never wavered in his decision to attend Wisconsin, despite later offers from a number of other programs.
That was the case with his decision to enroll this semester.
"I really didn't take any open hours in high school so I had enough credits,'' he said. His rich academic background has also made a difference in making the jump to college. "From the time I started playing sports,'' Voltz said, "my parents have always had me focus on school work before athletics. I know how to manage my time. They instilled that in me at an early age.'' Still, there are some things that you can't pre- pare for. "It was definitely hard at first trying to find my way around campus and getting used to the type of classes that I'm taking,'' said Voltz, who has 14 credits, including history and zoology courses. "Getting used to the academic aspect is defi-
nitely hard, as I found out this past week. But I think being here early is going to help me in the
32 ยป VARSITY JANUARY 19, 2012 fall.
"When the season starts, I'm going to be used to handling the academic side to the point that I'm not going to be stressing out about my grades and stuff like that.'' Outside of the classroom, he's adjusting to be- ing around older, more physically mature ath- letes. "It's definitely different coming from your se-
nior year of high school,'' said Voltz, who's listed at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, "where you're the old- est and you're used to playing with younger kids. "It's kind of an eye-opening experience to step in here and be the youngest.'' To their credit, the veterans have been bracing the newcomers for the changes they can expect. "It hasn't been hard in that respect at all,'' Voltz said. "They've been very good.'' Etienne has received a similar reception in the locker room and weight room.
