Wisconsin offensive lineman Dan Voltz has retired from football after he experienced struggles in his attempts to return from major knee surgery.
Voltz, a fifth-year senior, tore the ACL and also suffered meniscus damage when he injured his right knee against Illinois last season. He was listed as the No. 1-ranked center and 52nd-best overall prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Voltz said he was quitting football due to “physical reasons.”
“It’s a hard decision to make,” Voltz told reporters. “It’s been three or four days of a lot of thinking, a lot of talking to people within the program and family members about it.”
Voltz was making the move to left guard this season after starting 27 college games as a center. But he wasn’t having an easy fall camp and had to miss several practices due to knee soreness and other injuries.
Badgers coach Geep Chryst understood the reasoning for Voltz’s decision and said it is possible the lineman could still play a role in the program as a strength coach.
“What’s exciting for us is what Dan wants to do with his future plans have to do with athletics,” Chryst told reporters. “He can turn the page and go forward. We had a good discussion about that. Didn’t want him hanging on to something, and yet he’s interested in a strength training component and also the coaching component maybe. I feel like it’s a way that he can transition.”
Voltz said it was difficult to break the news to his teammates.
“It’s hard. This program has really been a big part of my life for five years now,” Voltz said. “It’s something I deeply care about. You earn the respect of your teammates by how hard you work and the time you put in here. So telling them you won’t be part of this anymore wasn’t easy for me.”
The loss of Voltz also hurts the Badgers in another area – experience.
The new projected starting offensive line has combined for just 34 college starts. Sophomore center Michael Deiter (13) has the most experience.
Sophomore Micah Kapoi will likely replace Voltz as the starting left guard.