Wisconsin football recruiting: DT Michael Balistreri accepts preferred walk-on offer

While the number of scholarships available for Wisconsin has put the Badgers in a position where they’re waiting on the status of former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire before they add what will likely be their final scholarship player for 2017, the Badgers are still adding intriguing pieces to the future as defensive tackle Michael Balistreri committed to Wisconsin on Saturday, per his Twitter.

BadgerBlitz.com’s Jon McNamara reported Balistreri, who played at University School in Milwaukee, is another preferred walk-on who verbally pledged to UW.

I know it might seem lazy to talk about a walk-on who has a real good motor, but the 6’4, 275-pound Balistreri goes from zero-to-sixty rather quickly when the ball is snapped (93 tackles, six sacks per WisSports.net). He also has the agility and mobility to tag defenders on the second level when he was on the offensive side of the ball. If the energy translates, Balistreri has a real chance to make plays along the defensive line.

Balistreri joins quarterback Danny Vanden Boom, running back Hunter Johnson, offensive lineman Matt Hennigsen, linebacker Jake Collinsworth, and kicker Collin Larsh as the sixth-known preferred walk-on for Wisconsin’s class of 2017.

He joins Vanden Boom as walk-on’s with offers from FBS Bowl teams, as Balistreri was offered from Air Force and New Mexico.

Read more on Balistreri’s decision to commit on BadgerBlitz.com.