Tag: Class of 2025

Where Wisconsin’s class of 2025 ranks nationally after big-time flip of Jaylen Williams from Michigan

Where Wisconsin’s class of 2025 ranks nationally after big-time flip of Jaylen Williams from Michigan

Wisconsin made a significant move in the class of 2025 on Wednesday, flipping four-star defensive lineman Jaylen Williams from Big Ten rival Michigan.

Williams instantly becomes the second-highest-rated commit in the Badgers’ class of 2025. He trails only four-star linebacker Mason Posa, 247Sports’ No. 163 player in the class.

Related: Everything Luke Fickell said about the Phil Longo firing, Badgers’ offensive plan moving forward

The addition moves Luke Fickell’s 2025 group to 24 total commitments. His addition led to a sizable jump in the 247Sports national team rankings, rising from No. 29 up to No. 25.

That rise brought the class up to No. 9 in the new Big Ten, now trailing Ohio State (No. 2 overall), Oregon (No. 8), USC (No. 13), Michigan (No. 14), Penn State (No. 16), Washington (No. 18), Nebraska (No. 21) and Maryland (No. 24).

Importantly, Williams’ addition also brings Wisconsin’s Blue Chip Ratio (portion of four and five-star recruits in the overall class) to 29%.

Wisconsin’s class has been in flux with several recent additions (Williams, DL Drayden Pavey, TE Emmett Bork) and decommitments (DL Wilnerson Telemaque, LB Brenden Anes). Williams appears to be one of the program’s final moves in the class.

Attention will now turn to four-star QB Carter Smith, who was on campus for the Badgers’ game against Oregon and is now reportedly deciding between Wisconsin and Florida State.

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Badgers class of 2025 LB commit named Wisconsin’s top senior linebacker

Badgers class of 2025 LB commit named Wisconsin’s top senior linebacker

Wisconsin class of 2025 linebacker commit Cooper Catalano was named the 2024 recipient of the John Anderson Award on Wednesday.

The honor annually recognizes the most outstanding senior linebacker in Wisconsin. Catalano, who committed to UW’s program nearly one year ago, was the obvious choice for the honor.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound game-wrecker registered 178 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one fumble recovery, three forced fumbles and three interceptions for Germantown High School this season. On top of that, he became Wisconsin’s all-time career tackles leader in late September after he recorded tackle No. 463 with the program.

Since that point, he’s added over 100 more tackles to his total.

247Sports considers Catalano the No. 894 overall recruit, No. 92 linebacker and No. 7 recruit from the state of Wisconsin for the class of 2025. He earned offers from the likes of Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, and Michigan State before ultimately deciding to join the Badgers.

Outside Catalano, two other class of 2025 linebackers have committed to Wisconsin — four-star Mason Posa and three-star Samuel Lateju.

The award is named after John Anderson, a former Waukesha South star in the 1970s who became the Green Bay Packers’ all-time leader in tackles before his retirement in 1989.

Badgers class of 2025 commit earns Kevin Stemke Award for top Wisconsin specialist

Badgers class of 2025 commit earns Kevin Stemke Award for top Wisconsin specialist

Wisconsin class of 2025 commit Erik Schmidt was named the 2024 recipient of the Kevin Stemke Award on Wednesday.

The award is presented annually to the top Wisconsin high school senior specialist — kicker or punter. Schmidt joins fellow in-state 2025 recruit Cooper Catalano to receive an honor from the Wisconsin Sports Network Senior Football Awards — Catalano who notably set the state record for tackles at the high school level in September.

Schmidt is widely considered one of the nation’s best kickers in the class, and is ranked as a five-star by Kohl’s. The outlet has Schmidt as the No. 1 punter in the nation and No. 8 kicker, per the Wisconsin Sports Network.

This season, Schmidt has converted 9-of-12 field goals and all 57 extra-point attempts. He also averaged over 45 yards per punt. Most notably, the Marquette University High School attendee drilled a 55-yard field goal in the 2024 playoffs.

The 6-foot-1 prospect committed to Wisconsin in late June over walk-on opportunities at Notre Dame, Boston College and Michigan. He projects to join a specialist group currently headlined by kicker Nathanial Vakos and punter Atticus Bertrams.

Based off his recruiting profile, he won’t take long to contribute for Luke Fickell’s program.

Penn State flip target Brandon Finney focusing on his recruitment again

Penn State is hoping to make a final push to flip this recruiting target in their favor.

There are just two weeks until early signing day for class of 2025 prospects, and Penn State is pushing hard to get their current commits officially locked up while also focusing their attention on their top flip targets.

This has been a strange cycle for the Nittany Lions.

Not only have they struggled to land in-state prospects at a rate that hasn’t been seen under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], but multiple targets they expected to land have spurned them at the last minute for surprise programs across the country.

That’s the new reality of this NIL era, and will be something Penn State will have to adjust to going forward.

But, Franklin and his staff have done good job staying connecting with recruits who might have picked another schools early on in the process, allowing them to be considered as decision day looms.

Someone at the top of their target board is [autotag]Brandon Finney[/autotag].

The five-star cornerback, as ranked by 247Sports, was one of those prospects who surprisingly committed to another school when Penn State was thought to be the leader in his process. For Finney, that program was Oregon, an NIL-rich school who has become a monster on the recruiting trail.

However, the Nittany Lions have maintained close contact with him, relying on the pipeline that is McDonogh to try and convince him to flip.

Will that happen, though?

Momentum has started to build that suggests Finney could be thinking about changing his pledge, and even though he’s still committed to Oregon, there are starting to be some cracks in that foundation.

With McDonogh’s season now over, Brian Dohn of 247Sports is reporting that the talented cornerback is now focusing on his recruitment again with Oregon, Penn State and Michigan all pushing to add him to their class. What’s interesting is that he could even take his decision past the early signing date and wait until February 2025 to make things official (subscription required).

That could be an advantage for Penn State.

With their second road game in a row this weekend against Minnesota, their last chance to host recruits is the final home game of the season against Maryland that comes on a holiday weekend and is right before Early Signing Day.

If Finney wants to string out his recruitment now that his high school season is over, that could allow the Nittany Lions to make more of a pitch to ultimately land him.

Wisconsin class of 2025 cornerback commit upgraded to four-star recruit

Wisconsin class of 2025 cornerback commit upgraded to four-star recruit

Rivals elevated Wisconsin Badgers class of 2025 cornerback commit Jahmare Washington to a four-star recruit on Tuesday.

Washington, who committed to UW’s program on June 9, was considered a three-star recruit at the time of his announcement. Rivals, one of the big four recruiting outlets alongside ESPN, 247Sports and On3, boosted his recruiting profile on Tuesday.

The move makes sense. In seven games as a senior at Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Illinois, Washington has registered 33 total tackles and four interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. He has also snatched four passes for 58 receiving yards and two touchdowns at wide receiver.

Back when he was contemplating his collegiate decision, the cornerback chose UW over other top offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State and Michigan State.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 now includes eight four-star commits, per Rivals. Washington joins offensive lineman Hardy Watts, defensive end Nicolas Clayton, wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr., linebacker Mason Posa, offensive lineman Logan Powell, offensive lineman Cam Clark and defensive back Jaimier Scott as 2025 Badger commits to hold that honor.

Wisconsin class of 2025 OL commit named Central Region Offensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 OL commit named Central Region Offensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 offensive line commit Logan Powell was named AIA 6A Conference Central Region Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Powell, who committed to Wisconsin on June 1, pocketed the honor following his final season at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. Given his position and inability to record traditional offensive statistics such as passing, receiving, or rushing yardage, the distinction is all the more impressive.

Brophy went 9-2 during the 2023-24 season and is considered the fifth-best high school team in Arizona, per MaxPreps.

Powell committed to Wisconsin over notable programs such as Alabama, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Tennessee this summer. In total, he received nearly 30 offers, and other suitors outside of his top batch included Michigan, Kansas State, Oregon, Texas A&M, USC and Washington State.

Powell is currently 247Sports’ No. 373 player in the class of 2025, No. 24 offensive tackle and No. 4 recruit from his home state of Arizona. He was Wisconsin’s third blue-chip commit in of the 2025 cohort and twelfth overall player to offer his commitment. That class is now up to 23 total commits and six blue-chip players.

Powell also possesses a background as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins believes Powell a high-major Power 4 recruit with potential to land in the NFL.

Pennsylvania’s top ’25 edge rusher backs off commitment to Ohio State, can Penn State swoop in?

One of the top players in Pennsylvania has backed off his commitment to Ohio State.

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] likes to keep some of the top recruits in Pennsylvania in the commonwealth, and he may have a second chance to keep one of the top players in the Class of 2025 from leaving the state. [autotag]Zahir Mathis[/autotag], a four-star edge rusher from Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia announced he is backing off his commitment to Ohio State just weeks before the start of the early signing period for college football.

“After much consideration, I’ve decided to reopen my recruitment and decommit from Ohio State,” Mathis said in a message posted on his social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I appreciate Coach Day, Coach Johnson and all the coaches at Ohio State. They are still a top school for me. This is a life decision. Please respect my decision!”

As indicated by Mathis in his message, Ohio State is still a top contender to secure his commitment whenever the time comes for him to lock in his commitment. According to the updated On3 recruiting prediction machine, the Buckeyes are still the overwhelming favorite with a 97.7% chance of receiving his commitment. We will see if that changes at all in light of recent events, but the door is now officially open for Penn State to try keeping one of the state’s top recruits closer to home.

Mathis is the no. 4 overall player in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports and the state’s top-ranked player according to Rivals and ESPN. Naturally, he would be a dream pickup for Penn State if they were able to receive a commitment from Mathis. But Mathis will have plenty of suitors ready to jump in line with his announcement of a de-commitment.

Penn State was the first offer to Mathis back in May 2021.

The early signing period for the Class of 2025 will run from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6.

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Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit named Ohio D-4 Defensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit named Defensive Player of the Year

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive tackle commit Drayden Pavey was named Ohio D4 Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.

Pavey, who pledged his commitment to UW on Oct. 22, earned the nod after a dominant senior season with Taft High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The class of 2025 prospect registered 87 total tackles, 52 solo tackles 11.5 sacks, 24 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery in 11 games during his final high school season.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound recruit flipped to the Badgers roughly three months after initially committing to Purdue. He became Wisconsin’s 24th commitment of its 2025 cohort, a bunch that On3 currently considers the eighth-best in the Big Ten.

247Sports currently ranks the three-star defensive tackle as the No. 737 overall player in the class of 2024, the No. 85 player at his position and the No. 29 recruit from his home state of Ohio. Pavey is the fourth defensive linemen in Wisconsin’s class of 2025 alongside three-stars Torin Pettaway, Wilnerson Telemaque and Xavier Ukponu.

Pavey’s spectacular output at Taft should certainly encourage Badger fans. Given the program’s struggle to secure defensive line commitments early in the 2025 recruiting window, Pavey looks like he’s the real deal.

UNC has chance to steal in-state 2025 wide receiver recruit with Saturday visit

Can UNC land a needed commitment from in-state wide receiver Jamien Little on Saturday?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are in great shape with their 2025 football recruiting class, already securing 12 commitments.

That UNC class is headlined by 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker, another in-state standout who plays at East Forsyth in Kernersville. North Carolina has another pair of 4-star commits in that same 2025 class: offensive tackle Alex Payne and defensive end Austin Alexander.

There’s one position the Tar Heels lack in their next recruiting class: wide receiver, with 3-star Evan Haynes the only one locked down.

UNC has a golden chance to add another wide receiver this coming weekend – a potential 13th commitment – as 3-star in-state wideout Jamien Little announced he’ll be attending the UNC-Wake Forest football game.

If you look at Little’s X and Instagram accounts, each listed below, he recently de-committed from Wake Forest. How sweet would it be if the Tar Heels stole Little from an in-state rival?

Little, arguably the focal point of Hickory High School’s offense, helped lead Hickory to its second State Championship in 2023. Little caught 70 passes for a whopping 1,372 yards and 20 touchdown, averaging 19.6 yards per catch and 85.8 yards per game.

Through 10 games in 2024, as the Tornadoes prepare for another 3A State Championship, Little already has 808 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Those churn out to 20.7 yards per catch and 80.8 yards per game.

 

North Carolina will be Little’s first scheduled visit since breaking away from the Demon Deacons, a good sign that Chapel Hill is high on Little’s list. Duke is also in strong consideration for Little, though according to his 247Sports recruiting profile, 12 other schools – including NC State – are in the mix.

With J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum currently in their final seasons as Tar Heels, a commitment from Little would go a long way to rounding out a young receiving corps.

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Wisconsin predicted to lose top 2025 quarterback target to Florida State

Wisconsin predicted to lose top 2025 quarterback target to Florida State

On Thursday, four-star class of 2025 quarterback Carter Smith received an On3 expert prediction that he will choose Florida State.

The prediction came from On3 Vice President Steve Wiltfong, one of the top insiders in the recruiting industry.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s matchup against No. 1 Oregon

The prediction arrives days before Smith will visit Wisconsin during its prime-time game against No. 1 Oregon. The Badgers have been in hot pursuit of Smith since he decommitted from Michigan at the end of October.

This update also comes immediately after class of 2025 QB Tramell Jones decommitted from Florida State, creating an opening for a quarterback in the Seminoles’ class. On3 reports Smith will likely visit Florida State for its game against Florida on Nov. 30.

The musical chairs at quarterback have Jones trending toward Florida, Michigan in pursuit of top 2025 QB Bryce Underwood, and both Florida State and Wisconsin battling to land Smith.

The highly touted quarterback is No. 158 overall, No. 14 among quarterbacks and No. 26 in his home state of Florida, according to 247Sports. His addition would be a substantial boost for Wisconsin’s class of 2025. He would be the program’s highest-rated high school quarterback commit since Graham Mertz (class of 2019).

Wisconsin still has a chance to make its case to Smith during his visit to the program this weekend. A win over No. 1 Oregon would do a lot for that case.

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