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During the summer doldrums of sports news, many college football fans are starved for news and information regarding their favorite teams.
With that in mind, we at B5Q have decided to take a more detailed look at each walk-on contributor and scholarship player on the Wisconsin Badgers football roster for 2020 in a running feature, our 2020 returnee profiles.
Each weekday we will breakdown one player on the football roster to look back at their recruiting process, their career as a Badger to this juncture and lastly preview their potential contribution to the team in 2020 and beyond.
Next up, Michael Furtney.
Name: Michael Furtney
Position: offensive guard
2020 eligibility: redshirt sophomore
Recruiting info out of HS: 247 Composite 3-star, No. 61 defensive tackle, Milan, Mich.
2018 Recruitment: After a strong junior season at Milan High School, Michael Furtney began seeing an uptick in offers. Furtney was very diligent in his process, taking unofficial visits to many schools in the fall, winter, and spring of his junior year. One of his earliest Power-5 offers, though, came from Wisconsin in January, a school he visited multiple times in the fall and winter months. A slew of new offers came in after the Badgers, but a pair of unofficial visits in February and March to Wisconsin ultimately sealed the deal. He committed to Paul Chryst on March 14 over other offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
Career statistics: 13 games played
2019 statistics: 13 games played
Player overview: The lone offensive lineman taken in the 2018 class, Michael Furtney was a key get for the Badgers. After a redshirt season to work on his body, the young offensive guard was able to see playing time in 2019 even though he battled a hand injury in fall camp. Furtney was not specifically in the primary offensive line rotation, but saw time on special teams and during late game situations.
As of the spring roster that was released a few months ago Furtney was listed at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, highlighting the gains he had made since enrolling at closer to 280 pounds. Now entering his redshirt sophomore season, he is ready to help the team out in any capacity needed.
Best case scenario for 2020: The Badgers graduate three interior offensive lineman, meaning that there could be a greater chance for him to crack the rotation in 2020. At this juncture Logan Bruss, Kayden Lyles, and Josh Seltzner appear to be the most likely candidates to earn a starting spot on the interior of the offensive line. Furtney has the talent though to put up a fight for a starting spot. The best case scenario for him is that he is able to make a huge leap and snag one of two guard positions.
Likely role on team in 2020: Regardless of whether Furtney wins one of the starting spots, he should be a key member of the group in the two-deep. With so few guards returning from a year ago, Furtney now has multiple seasons in the program and he has seen game action early in his career, making him a prime candidate to see time in some fashion.