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Wisconsin OL Dan Voltz, a 3-year starter, retires
Wisconsin took a big hit to its offensive line on Tuesday.
Badgers coach Paul Chryst told reporters after practice that fifth-year senior offensive lineman Dan Voltz has decided to retire from football. Voltz was working his way back from a torn ACL. He injured the knee in a win over Illinois and missed the final five games of the 2015 season.
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“It’s been a hard decision to make,” Voltz said following Tuesday’s practice at Camp Randall Stadium. “Something I’ve dealt with pretty much my whole career is injuries. For physical reasons, (that’s) the main reason that it kind of forced me to start thinking about this.”
Voltz started 27 games during his Wisconsin career, all at center. Overall, he played in 32 games for the Badgers, and was slated to slide over to guard upon his return to the field. He missed spring practice while rehabilitating the knee, but had been working with the first-team offense for much of preseason camp.
Voltz was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014, when he started all 14 games.
With Voltz opting to call it a career, the Badgers still return three starters, including Michael Deiter, who stepped in at center when Voltz was injured. Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Voltz volunteered to move to guard this season because of Deiter’s solid play down the stretch in 2015. Redshirt sophomores Beau Benzschawel and Jacob Maxwell return on the right side at guard and tackle.
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Micah Kapoi, another redshirt sophomore, started 10 games (six at LG, four at RG) in 2015 and is a likely replacement for Voltz at left guard.
Wisconsin, coming off a 10-3 record in 2015, opens its season against LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sept. 3.
For more Wisconsin news, visit BadgerBlitz.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
