Wisconsin Badgers spring football: Meet the early enrollees

An introduction to the six true freshmen who enrolled early for spring practice with the Badgers, including their measurements and backgrounds.
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With spring practice kicking off this week, the Wisconsin Badgers football team welcomed several new members to the squad.

While media members have yet to attend a practice, some updated roster details and spring updates were shared recently by head coach Paul Chryst on Monday, and according to the roster, there are 12 newcomers.

Today, we take a look at the six early enrollees added this off-season from the 2022 recruiting class. 

Myles Burkett

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Quarterback

No. 16

6-foot

198 lbs.

Franklin, Wis. 

Myles Burkett joins the Badgers after a decorated high school career at Franklin High School (Wis.), including a state championship in 2021. He is one of four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster and will look to compete with Chase Wolf and Deacon Hill for the No. 2 job behind Graham Mertz. Burkett was rated as a three-star prospect by both 247 Sports and Rivals with offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Miami (OH) in addition to the Badgers. 

Aveyonne Jones

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Cornerback

No. 8

5-foot-11

180 lbs.

Southlake, Texas

Aveyonne Jones comes to Madison as a former three-star prospect from powerhouse Southlake Carroll High School in Texas. A versatile athlete that could play either cornerback or safety this spring, Jones is a defensive back that could blossom into a difference-maker down the line. Jone was committed to Oklahoma State before flipping to the Badgers during the recruiting process. 

A'Khoury Lyde

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Cornerback

No. 4 

5-foot-9

184 lbs.

Paterson, N.J. 

Another cornerback addition, A'Khoury Lyde, is expected to be limited this spring as he recovers from a knee injury that ruined his senior season. A shorter defensive back, Lyde has tremendous ball skills and is also great in press coverage. Lyde held 20 D1 offers out of high school, and it will be interesting to see if the former three-star athlete will be ready for the fall.

Curt Neal

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Nose tackle

No. 92

6-foot

288 lbs.

Cornelius, N.C.

Curt Neal was one of the top recruits brought in by the Badgers as part of the 2022 recruiting class despite missing his senior year with a knee injury. A highly-recruited three-star defensive lineman, Neal picked Wisconsin over other offers from Ohio State and others. Neal is still recovering from injury and is a longshot to participate much this spring. However, he is a talented player and is possibly the future at nose tackle after Keeanu Benton. 

Barrett Nelson

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Offensive line

No. 70

6-foot-6

277 lbs

Stoughton, Wis. 

The Badgers added another Nelson along their offensive line this off-season in the form of Barrett Nelson. A three-star lineman out of Stoughton, Nelson hopes to follow a similar trajectory as his brother Jack and grab early playing time. He could project to play anywhere along the offensive line with the Badgers, so it will be fascinating to see where he earns reps this spring

Aidan Vaughan

Position

Jersey Number

Height

Weight

Hometown

Inside linebacker

No. 50

6-foot-2

207 lbs.

Wixom, Mich. 

The last early enrollee is inside linebacker Aidan Vaughan. A late bloomer, Vaughan put together a huge senior year and picked up several Big Ten offers as a result. Vaughan is extremely fast for his position and is an intriguing player with potentially the most upside of the group. It will be hard for him to crack the two-deep this year, but Vaughan is a name to remember going forward.

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.