LAS VEGAS — Bryce Boettcher remembers how meaningful it was to hear older teammate Jamal Hill hype him up when was an unproven commodity. Those shoutouts during fall camp in 2023 provided early indications of Boettcher’s rise from largely unknown walk-on to one of the country’s top linebackers.
“Whenever I had a good play, Jamal would always come up to me and say ‘Hey, nice play, man’ or whenever I messed up he’d say ‘You should’ve done this better’. So I just try to do that and let them know that I’m there for them,” Boettcher said earlier this week. “It meant a lot. Everyone has their own ego and their own idea about what they want to become, but at the end of the day, when you’re younger, sometimes you’re unsure.”
Down at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas, he decided to pay it forward. True freshman Gavin Nix has made a strong impression already. The former 4-star prospect is made of the right stuff, he says…