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Wisconsin DL Garrett Rand announces decision to retire from football
Published:
After four years of playing college football at Wisconsin, Badger defensive lineman Garrett Rand has elected to call it a career.
Rand’s career has been successful but also riddled with injuries. With that in mind, Rand announced via Twitter press release that he is stepping away from the sport.
— Garrett Rand (@rand3218) January 9, 2021
Rand, a Chandler, Arizona native, arrived in Madison in 2016. As a freshman, he appeared in just four games and accumulated five tackles.
In 2017, Rand became a more prominent part of the Wisconsin defense as he suited up for all 14 games at nose tackle. He accounted for 13 tackles in his sophomore season. He was part of a Badger defense that was second in the nation in total defense (262.1 yards per game).
After a successful sophomore campaign, Rand sat out the 2018 season due to injuries. Rand was back on the field in 2019, moving to defensive end. He played in 10 games, making 27 tackles, getting his first career sack, and forcing a fumble as the Badgers won the Big Ten West and played in the Rose Bowl.
This past season, Rand played in just five games, racking up 12 tackles, including one for loss.
Rand’s announcement ends a solid football career that included a wealth of success in high school. Coming out of Arizona, Rand was a four-star recruit and one of the top 200 prospects in the country, according to 247Sports.