Two from central Wisconsin headed to NFL

WOOD COUNTY – Two standout football players from central Wisconsin are getting their shot at the NFL.

Spencer’s Logan Zschernitz  and Stratford’s Easton Kilty have both signed on as free agents, Zschernitz with the New York Giants and Kilty with the New Orleans Saints.

Kilty graduated from Stratford High School in 2020, earning a scholarship to the University of North Dakota. There, he started 35 straight games as a redshirt freshman, sophomore and junior between 2021 and 2023, and was all-conference Honorable Mention in the Missouri Valley Conference as a junior.

“Going into senior year at UND, I felt the NFL was a possibility,” Kilty said.

He said his offensive line coach had left UND, and he decided he would transfer to Kansas State.

“I knew Kansas State would give me the best opportunity to show (the NFL) what I’m about,” he said.

The move paid off for the 6-foot-6 inch, 315 pound offensive lineman, who said he can move between five offensive line positions.

“I’ll play in the position wherever I’m needed on the whole line,” he said. “The only position I haven’t played in a game is at center, but I’m able to learn that position. It's just having that skill set to be able to move inside or kick outside -- it makes you valuable to a team.”

While Kilty is versatile now, he said it didn’t come naturally to him.

“I knew I wasn’t the most athletically gifted kid, and that’s where the hard work came in,” Kilty said. “Just keeping your head down, not worrying about others, just worrying about yourself, pushing yourself and ignoring the outside noise.”

He also gives a lot of credit to his parents and his high school coach, Jason Tubbs, saying they kept pushing him. Tubbs, who is stepping down with an impressive 119-25 coaching record, took the team to the championship game in Kilty’s junior and senior years.

At the college level, Kilty and his team made it to the Rate Bowl, which increased his stock with the NFL. Kilty said he was getting calls from teams before the draft, with his offensive line coaches telling him to be ready, in case he got drafted. He said he knew he’d be a late pick, but he got offers from three different teams – the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.

Ultimately, he said the Saints felt like the best fit.

“I’m excited this process is over, so I can focus on one team,” he said.

Kilty isn’t the first central Wisconsinite to play for the Saints. Stevens Point native Ryan Ramczyk just announced his retirement from the franchise after being picked in the first round of the 2017 draft.

“That’s weird how it all works out,” Kilty said.

He and the other rookies will report to the Saints rookie minicamp, followed by another minicamp with all the veterans before training camp begins in July.

Kilty is the son of Pat and Keresa Kilty.

Spencer, NIU standout

Former Spencer High School sports standout Logan Zschernitz is signing as a free agent with the NFL New York Giants, and will report to the Giants' rookie minicamp this spring.

Zschernitz just finished his college football career at Northern Illinois, where he was a four-year starter at guard and center, earning all-conference honors in the Mid-American Conference three times. At NIU, he played in 52 games and started 46 between 2019-24, seeing his most action at right guard from 2019-23 before moving to center as a senior.

Zschernitz was a standout with the Spencer/Columbus football and wrestling teams between 2017 and 2019. He won WIAA Division II state wrestling championships for the Rockets at 285 in 2018 and 2019, after taking third place at the state tournament as a sophomore in 2017.

The Giants will conduct their rookie mini-camp May 9-11.

Zschernitz is the son of Luke and Shannon Zschernitz.