This past Saturday, former UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Blanchard continued his NFL preparation campaign by playing in the Player’s All-Star Classic. This game is held annually in Little Rock, Ark., for potential NFL prospects to showcase their abilities.

The Player’s All-Star Classic capped off a “pretty crazy” couple of months for Blanchard, who just graduated from UW-Whitewater in December.

Blanchard was mulling over his future in December and decided to graduate at the last minute. He got his paperwork in on time and made the decision to move on, because he saw a potential future in professional football.

“NFL teams, scouts and agents were interested, so when I realized that I decided to take this opportunity,” Blanchard said. “I wanted to do this the right way, and I knew that meant graduating early so I could train.” Blanchard signed an agent and began looking for a place to train, eventually landing in Tampa Bay, Fla. Blanchard had the chance to practice with other NFL prospects, and he relished the opportunity.

“There are some great athletes, great players at UW-Whitewater, but to have the chance to throw the ball to legitimate NFL receivers and practice with them was great,” Blanchard said.

NFL scouts were watching every practice and scrimmage in Tampa Bay, and Blanchard said that provided extra motivation to perform at a high level.

“Coming from a Division-III school, you really do have a bit of a chip on your shoulder, so practicing in front of 110 scouts every day added even more motivation and made me really want to put my best foot forward,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard said he played well in the Player’s All-Star Classic. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter and his team won 24-19. Each quarterback got to play 4 series, and with a touchdown and no turnovers, Blanchard showed the scouts a glimpse of the consistency he showed in his two years as a Warhawk.

Blanchard’s career at UW-Whitewater was literally perfect. He finished 25-0 as the Warhawks’ starting quarterback and led the ’Hawks to two consecutive national championships. This past season, Blanchard threw 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions to go along with a 67 percent completion rate.

“Matt’s impact in terms of statistics will speak for itself, but six interceptions in two years obviously shows that he has great decision-making ability,” Warhawk head coach Lance Leipold said.

The noticeable success Blanchard had playing for the ’Hawks under the tutelage of Leipold is what caught the eye of NFL scouts. Also, at 6’ 3” and 225 pounds, Blanchard has the height and size to play quarterback in any league.

“I think the biggest thing Matt has going for him in terms of playing at the next level other than the intangibles is his size and athleticism,” Leipold said. “Those types of measurables that they look for are things he certainly has going for him.”

Blanchard’s plans for the remaining time leading up to the NFL Draft, which begins April 26, are uncertain. He is currently in the process of trying to set a date for his pro-day, a private workout where NFL scouts can get an up-close look at potential picks.

“It’s really hard to say what my draft stock is right now,” Blanchard said. “A team might tell you they like you, but then come draft day they go with someone else. I’m really just focused on training right now and we’ll see what happens.”

The NFL is not foreign territory for UW-Whitewater. Most notably, punter Matt Turk is in his 15th NFL season.

Leipold said he believes that if Blanchard were to make an NFL team, the whole Warhawk program would benefit.

“To have a chance to have a quarterback represent our program at the highest level of football would be very exciting,” Leipold said.

Blanchard said making the NFL would mean even more to him because of his roots within the Division-III Warhawks.

“It’s a dream of mine to represent Whitewater in the NFL,” Blanchard said. “I mean, the program’s done so much for me over the last couple of years that it’s one of the things that’s motivating me to get to that ultimate goal of making an NFL roster.” “Hopefully I can achieve that goal and give back to Whitewater the way they’ve given to me these last couple of years.”