How Brentwood Academy DT Hank Weber's faith led him to Wisconsin football

Just before Hank Weber announced his decision to commit to Wisconsin, Badgers defensive line coach Greg Scruggs sat him and his family down at the tail end of the official visit and asked them one question.

What are the red flags?

Weber was stumped initially, but he quickly realized there were no glaring red flags. Wisconsin had what he was looking for. Encouraged by the energy of the program and the direction the coaches were taking it, Weber envisioned a football home he could settle in.

Weber, a three-star defensive lineman at Brentwood Academy, is No. 10 on The Tennessean's 2023 Dandy Dozen, a collection of the best Nashville area college football recruits who are seniors selected by the newspaper.

Weber is a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive lineman and No. 37 recruit in the state for the Class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite. He had 26 tackles, eight for a loss, a fumble recovery and four sacks as a junior for the Eagles.

Hank Weber's strong faith key to decision

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Weber's decision came after prayer. He is strong in his religious beliefs. He’s a founding member of a Bible study group at his school and has hopes of arranging a new Bible study group for football players before he graduates.

“When it was time to say something or it's time to pray. When it's time to lead in a spiritual capacity, Hank and some of the other guys have really stepped up to that,” Brentwood Academy coach Jacob Gill said.

Weber regularly prays with teammates in times of need. He also helped lead senior players in prayer to start spring practices and was instrumental in determining the team’s Bible verse for the upcoming season, a Brentwood Academy tradition for seniors.

When Weber narrowed his choices to three schools, he made sure each program had leaders he could connect with, both in faith and through their coaching styles. Scruggs was one who stood out at Wisconsin for Weber.

“When Hank was down to his top three, he had picked schools that aligned with who he is,” said April Weber, Hank’s mother. “All three of them were family men, men of integrity, he loved their coaching style … For him, Scruggs had specific faith in Jesus and the way he developed players and I think that appealed to Hank.”

Weber's relationship with Wisconsin assistant key part of commitment

Scruggs was hired by Wisconsin in January, and immediately struck a relationship with Weber. The school offered him a scholarship in February.

Before his current stop at Wisconsin, Scruggs served as the player development coach and later defensive line coach at Cincinnati for five years, under new Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell. Most recently, in the NFL, where Scruggs played for four years, he was assistant defensive line coach for the Jets and helped turn defensive tackle Quinnen Williams into an All-Pro talent in 2022. Scruggs also works as the International Spokesperson for Boys Hope Girls Hope, a nonprofit program that provides mentorship and education for underserved youth.

“He really does care for his kids,” Weber said. “Not a single defensive lineman I’ve talked to had a bad thing to say about him. He’s there to win, but he’s also there to make sure you’re cared for and looked out for.”

By the end of his Wisconsin visit, Weber was sure Madison would be his new home. And the Weber family agreed that Scruggs would be the perfect mentor for Hank — physically and spiritually.

COMMITTED: Wisconsin football gets commitment from Brentwood Academy defensive lineman Hank Weber

LAST YEAR'S DANDY DOZEN: Meet The Tennessean's 2022 Dandy Dozen, the top Nashville area college football prospects

In Scruggs, Weber saw someone who mirrored his values — a coach on a coaching staff that were also big on acts of service and encouraged playing with humility and a team-focused approach.

“That’s how Hank has always played,” April Weber said. “When we heard those things reiterated, that was a relief.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hank Weber: Faith led Brentwood Academy DT to Wisconsin football