Badger Observer's Wisconsin football summer camp standouts
A look at which recruits impressed inside Camp Randall Stadium during the last month.
Deangelo Clay’s heart dropped when he opened his bag inside Camp Randall Stadium last week.
But never fear, Mom came to the rescue.
Clay, a 2027 in-state recruit who plays for nearby Monona Grove, participated in the University of Wisconsin football program’s second camp dedicated to linemen and edge rushers on June 10. He already previously attended one camp in Eau Claire, and at some point between the two, he misplaced one of his cleats.
Imagine being a teenager and trying to impress college coaches, only to realize you’re missing a key piece of your equipment. Clay tried to play it cool and keep his emotions under control, and he notified his mother about the situation. He warmed up and performed the 10-yard dash in his tennis shoes, but as his group was getting ready for the 5-10-5 drill, she arrived with brand new cleats from a store about 15 minutes away.
That flipped a switch of sorts once he put them on.
“Definitely felt some type of energy,” Clay said.
Clay said he measured in at 5-foot-11 and 244 pounds at Wisconsin’s camp, but as seen in a social media video from Monona Grove defensive coordinator Ryan Kleppe, he unleashed his power against bigger competition during a 1-on-1 rep.
“I feel like I played definitely good,” Clay said. “I think there’s a lot of things I could have done better, for sure, but I feel like that’s everything you do. Nothing’s 100% perfect.
“But I feel I play with aggression. I came in with a chip on my shoulder. I kind of feel like I want to show out for these coaches.”
Wisconsin defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow reached out the following day.
“And then we just kept texting and texting,” Clay said. “Then he finally called me, congratulating me for the camp and domination.
“And then that’s what he offered me as a walk-on. That was definitely great.”
Clay dominated the trenches during his junior season at Monona Grove, as according to Bound Wisconsin, he racked up 80 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He also reportedly scored two touchdowns running the ball in 2025.
Clay announced that preferred walk-on offer from Wisconsin on June 11, but he has also declared other offers from Division II Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Upper Iowa. He was anticipating heading to a South Dakota State camp Thursday as of earlier this week.
Badger Observer wasn’t at that June 10 camp but attended the other three sessions earlier this month, which we discussed on ESPN Madison’s “Jump Around” podcast Thursday. Here are some of the standouts from each of those events.
