Every highly-ranked college football recruiting class needs a headliner. At the least, the class needs one signature name that leads any discussion about its caliber.
Recruiting class rankings are based on volume and depth. But as college football fans know, championships are often won by the top-ranked, marquee players.
Related: Updated college football recruiting class of 2025 national rankings by blue-chip ratio
Using that lens to look at Wisconsin’s class of 2025, the headliner names are four-star linebacker Mason Posa and interior offensive lineman Hardy Watts. The Badgers beat out top programs including Oregon and Texas A&M to land Posa, plus Michigan and Clemson for Watts. The two commitments are, without hyperbole, two of the signature recruiting wins of the Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin.
That ‘era’ only includes two full recruiting cycles. But as mentioned, every top class needs a few signature commitments.
The Badgers class as a whole currently has 22 players committed. 247Sports ranks the group ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 5 in the new Big Ten. Fickell’s output in the class is a fantastic follow-up to a program-best class of 2024 cycle.
Related: Ranking the highest rated recruits in the history of Wisconsin football
Back to those signature commitments, Watts and Posa are not only the highest-rated members of Wisconsin’s class of 2025. They are among the highest-ranked recruits in program history.
Here is their 247Sports ratings, plus where they land on Wisconsin’s all-time leaderboard:
Mason Posa: Four-star, No. 212 in class of 2025, No. 27 linebacker, No. 1 recruit from New Mexico, 0.9232 overall rating.
- Wisconsin all-time rank: No. 36
Hardy Watts: Four-star, No. 222 in class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman, No. 1 recruit from Massachusetts, 0.9206 overall rating.
- Wisconsin all-time rank: No. 38
Fickell’s highest-rated recruits also includes 2024 iOL Emerson Mandell (No. 35 all-time), DL Ernest Willor Jr. (No. 32), RB Dilin Jones (No. 26) and OT Kevin Heywood (No. 14).
The young head coach has shown an impressive recruiting prowess in only a short time with the Badgers. He has tangibly increased the program’s recruiting floor, and shown potential for an even higher ceiling.
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