MADISON – Cale Britt’s list of scholarship offers was long, but what sealed the three-star linebacker’s commitment to Wisconsin on July 15 had nothing to do with playing ball.
“It was a place I could see myself going to if football was ever taken away,” he wrote.
That answer is one of a handful that Britt wrote in response to a series of questions from the Journal Sentinel about his commitment to the Badgers.
He is Wisconsin’s first commitment for 2028. It came after he received 36 Division I offers that included 29 from the Power Four programs.
With Britt getting offers from Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan among others during the month before his announcement, his early commitment is another positive sign of the impact of the athletic department’s added investment in football.
That said, the commitment of the standout from Bishop Moore Catholic in Orlando was based in UW’s ability to hit a basic tenet of recruiting.
“By making me feel at home,” he wrote. “It wasn’t about my number, it was more about how they were going to develop me on and off the field.”
Here is what else we learned about the three-star prospect.
Cal Britt learned a lot during April visit
Britt visited Wisconsin’s spring practice April 18, a day when a handful of players who already announced commitments to the Badgers were on hand as well as 2027 quarterback Jack Sorgi, who announced his commitment a few days later.
Seeing the Badgers linebacker tandem of sophomores Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano and redshirt sophomore Jon Jon Kamara at work also had an impact. He likes how they’re used.
“It’s physical, it’s downhill, it’s see ball, get ball,” he wrote.
Britt is considered the No. 37 prospect in Florida by 247sports and Rivals. He made 118 tackles last season during a 12-2 season.
“My strengths are knowing the game,” he wrote. “I’m a student of the game. I will run you down.”
What Cal Britt thinks of Tuf Borland, Mike Tressel
Britt will spend most of his time at UW with linebackers coach Tuf Borland and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who also works heavily with the linebackers.
Here is what Britt wrote about each coach.
Borland: “Coach Borland is a gentleman and a great coach. He’s someone who went through this process when he was my age. He gets it.”
Tressel: “I spent a afternoon with Coach Tressel on the practice field and when we were done, I knew he was the guy I wanted to play for. Just a overall good guy and better coach.”
Playoff game brought out Britt’s best
Britt averaged 8.4 tackles per game and made at least 10 stops in five contests. Ask him to pick his best game from last season and he points to the Nov. 28 matchup with Eau Gallie.
Bishop Moore avenged a 2024 playoff loss with a 31-28 win in a regional championship game.
Britt posted a season-high 15 tackles.
“They were supposed to have all these ranked players,” Britt wrote. “We kicked their [butt] and I had 15 tackles.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why Wisconsin? Commit Cale Britt likes the linebackers’ aggressive play
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
