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Wisconsin football adds 2023 in-state walk-on Zack Mlsna

The Wisconsin Badgers land a commitment from a 2023 offensive lineman out of Cashton, Wisconsin.

Matt Belz

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The Wisconsin Badgers have a long history of identifying and developing walk-ons from inside the state that eventually goes on to become key contributors at UW.

On Thursday, Jim Leonhard and the coaching staff added another preferred walk-on, landing a commitment from Cashton High School (Wis.) lineman Zack Mlsna.

A two-way player at the prep level, Mlsna earned a walk-on opportunity with the Badgers in June after a strong camp performance in Madison. At 6-foot-5 and pushing 300 pounds, he best projects to the offensive line, where he is one of the top linemen inside the state in the 2023 class. Given his size, guard or center would make the most sense for his future position. 

Mlsna's decision to commit to Wisconsin comes days after he visited for UW's 35-24 win over Purdue last weekend, and recently helped lead his team to a 9-0 regular season finish and conference title.

This year, Mlsna is up for the Joe Thomas Award, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the state. A two-time Scenic Bluffs Conference Lineman of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection, Mlsna earned Honorable Mention All-State honors in 2021, and he will likely be an All-State pick this season at the small-school level.

Mlsna had several DII scholarship offers from Augustana, Bemidji State, Minnesota State Mankato, Southwest Minnesota State, and Upper Iowa, as well as opportunities at the FCS level.

He is the third known walk-on commit for Wisconsin in the 2023 class, joining fellow in-state standout Will McDonald and long-snapper Keane Bessert. He is also the third offensive line prospect for the Badgers in the class, with both Christopher Terek and James Durand, also committed on scholarship.

You don't have to go back very far to see a walk-on offensive lineman become a starter at Wisconsin, with Josh Seltzner most recently doing it a season ago. We will see how Mlsna develops over the next few seasons in Madison.

You can watch some senior footage of Mlsna in action below.

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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.

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