Stylz Blackmon acknowledges that he didn’t have a burning desire to enter the transfer portal after his sophomore season ended at Division II Augustana University in South Dakota. He felt comfortable there. He liked his teammates and coaches. The program was stable and he saw no reason to leave.

But then he began to see other players from his conference — players he believed he performed well against — enter the transfer portal. He noticed that they were earning what he called a chance to change their family’s lives with great financial opportunities.

Blackmon didn’t want to make a decision based solely on money. As he put it, he “wanted to have some merit to it.” So, he opted for a three-day fast to help him decide what to do.

“It was just me and my Bible and just water,” Blackmon said. “I didn’t eat anything because there was a week where we had nothing to do over that January break. And I just committed myself to the Lord and the decision that needed to be made. Because I knew that it was eating at me, but I didn’t know if it was something that I needed to do or something I wanted to do. So, after I committed to those three days, I knew the decision that needed to be made.”

Players had from January 2-16 to put their names into the portal. It wasn’t until January 12 that Blackmon submitted his name. He soon received a call from new Badgers offensive line coach Eric Matoes, visited Wisconsin and committed to the Badgers that weekend.

The decision has proven to be a good one. Blackmon started Wisconsin’s first five games at right guard before taking over as the team’s starting center because of an injury to Austin Kawecki. In the latest Badger Connect Podcast, Blackmon discusses his rise from Division II to Wisconsin, adjusting to a different level of athleticism and intensity, his strengths as a player, the bond he shares with his siblings and grandparents and more. Check out the full episode here: