Tag: Commitments

Where Wisconsin football’s 2025 transfer class ranks nationally after flurry of commitments

Where Wisconsin’s transfer class rankgs

Wisconsin is off to a red-hot start to the 2025 transfer cycle. The program has nine players committed, highlighted by Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol and Tulane defensive lineman Parker Petersen.

That strong start has the program’s class at No. 9 in 247Sports’ team transfer portal class rankings.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal offers, interests and commitments

Wisconsin slots behind No. 1 Ole Miss (nine commits, five four-stars), No. 2 LSU (nine commits, five four-stars), No. 3 Texas Tech (11 commits, four four-stars), No. 4 Auburn (eight commits, four four-stars), No. 5 Texas A&M (five commits, three four-stars), No. 6 Mississippi State (eight commits, one four-star), No. 7 Houston (11 commits, one four-star) and No. 8 Minnesota (10 commits, zero four-stars) at this early stage of the cycle.

The Badgers entered the offseason with significant roster needs, some which were heightened due to departing transfers. The biggest needs were quarterback, defensive line, edge rusher, tight end, linebacker and safety.

Wisconsin has done extremely well in addressing those positions. It’s landed a starting quarterback (Edwards Jr.), a backup quarterback (Danny O’Neil), a star tight end (Koziol), several defensive linemen (Petersen, Corey Walker, Charles Perkins), an edge rusher (Mason Reiger) and a starting safety (Matthew Traynor). Several of those players were among the best available, highlighted by Edwards Jr. and Koziol.

The Badgers still have work to do, most notably at wide receiver and linebacker. But taking a snapshot on Dec. 18, the program appears to be taking strong steps forward entering a pivotal 2025 season. Any finish within the top 10 of the national transfer class rankings could be a strong indicator of success to come.

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WATCH: High school highlights from newest Wisconsin football commit 2025 LB Mason Posa

WATCH: Highlights from newest Wisconsin football commit Mason Posa

Wisconsin football received commitment No. 18 in the class of 2025 with linebacker Mason Posa’s announcement on Thursday.

Posa chose the Badgers over other finalists Oregon and Texas A&M. He joins three other linebackers who have pledged to Luke Fickell’s class of 2025 thus far: three-star Cooper Catalano, three-star Brenden Anes and three-star Samuel Lateju.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Posa is a credentialed wrestler and captured two New Mexico 5A state titles as a freshman and sophomore at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The ferociousness displayed on the mat certainly bleeds onto the gridiron.

In 10 contests, Posa finished his junior campaign with 99 tackles, 14 TFLs, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Posa captured a 6A State Championship in 2023 as one of the key cogs in his team’s defense.

Here are some of the highlights from his junior campaign:

The rising senior typically roams around the line of scrimmage, but he has also taken reps in the defensive backfield. Regardless of his position between the tick marks, Posa’s explosiveness and versatility make him a unique prospect ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Posa is immediately the top-ranked player in Wisconsin’s class of 2025. He is 247Sports’ No. 154 player in the class of 2025, No. 18 linebacker and No. 1 recruit from his home state of New Mexico.

Notre Dame lands another speedy receiver in 2023 recruiting class

Notre Dame continues to do work recruiting in Texas! Welcome Kaleb Smith!

Notre Dame has landed another commitment, their 26th overall, in the 2023 recruiting class.  Kaleb Smith, a 6-0, 175-pound wide receiver from Reedy High School in Texas.  Smith joins defensive back Peyton Bowen and receivers Jaden Greathouse and Braylon James as Texas high school football stars in Notre Dame’s class.

Smith is coming off a senior season where he caught 53 passes for 786 yards and six touchdowns.  His junior year saw him catch 35 passes for 475 yards and six more touchdowns.

Smith was on campus for Notre Dame’s blowout victory over Clemson this year which came a short time after he de-committed from Texas Tech.  He chose the Irish over Texas Tech who he had as his only other finalist on Thursday evening.

This only adds more depth to a position that needs it at Notre Dame, and adds to a class that is seen currently as one of the nation’s top two or three according to nearly every major outlet.

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Notre Dame misses on another 2023 quarterback

Not the best news but it does serve as a valuable reminder to Notre Dame fans about now…

Seemingly anytime you reload your newsfeed geared toward Notre Dame football over the last week, there has been a story about a committed player possibly flipping his commitment. In some cases, it involves the Fighting Irish potentially losing a prospect. In others, [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and company are changing someone’s mind to instead come to South Bend.

Well, there is news on one of those recent Notre Dame targets that was committed elsewhere. For the Irish, it isn’t good. Or it’s real good, depending on how you look at things.

Quarterback [autotag]Austin Novosad[/autotag], who has been committed to Baylor’s 2023 class since December, became a recent target of Notre Dame’s and even made a trip to South Bend. Novosad seemed impressed by what he saw, but he has doubled down on attending Baylor.

Ohio State, Stanford and Texas A&M were among the stops for Novosad this summer, but he plans to remain true to his original commitment.

Although this isn’t the news Notre Dame was hoping for, it serves as a reminder. Just because a committed player takes a trip or two to a program that has accomplished more in recent years, it doesn’t mean he is automatically flipping.

Keep that in mind the next time you start to think [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag] or [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] are on the fast train out of Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class.

In all honesty, it seemed Novosad’s chances of ending up at Notre Dame were done when Tommy Rees and the Irish offered Pittsburgh commit Kenny Minchey. Minchey remains committed to the Panthers and is the ninth quarterback Notre Dame has offered in this cycle.

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LSU basketball picks up another blue-chip commitment for 2022

McMahon has now added the fourth high school recruit to the 2022 class as part of his quick turnaround.

Much has been said about the pace at which Tigers coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has rebuilt the roster in Baton Rouge.

He salvaged what appeared to be one of the worst situations in the Power Five in just a matter of weeks, and the future looks fairly bright all of the sudden. Things look even brighter now, as McMahon has picked up his fourth commit in the 2022 cycle in [autotag]Shawn Phillips Jr.[/autotag]

The 6-foot-10 center from Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona, was previously committed to North Carolina State, signing back in November. But he was released from his letter of intent after the departure of assistant Mike Summey, and he reopened his recruitment.

He took an official visit to Baton Rouge on May 7 after listing LSU among a top five which also included Georgetown, Kansas State, Miami and Overtime Elite.

He’s a four-star recruit and the No. 111 player (and No. 20 center) in the 2022 recruiting class. After the Tigers saw each of their commits in the class depart following the firing of Will Wade, McMahon has put together a class that ranked No. 17 before Phillips’ addition and is sure to jump even more now.

Phillips is the third blue-chip addition to that group, joining top-100 prospects in [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

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LSU lands a top 150 defensive back commit for 2023

Daylen Austin became the sixth commit in LSU’s class, moving it up to No. 11 in the national rankings.

LSU picked up its second commitment in two days on Monday as four-star Long Beach, California, cornerback [autotag]Daylen Austin[/autotag] pledged to coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the Tigers. That came one day after four-star Louisiana running back [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag] committed on Sunday.

Austin is currently rated as the No. 143 overall player and No. 16 cornerback in the 2023 class. He received an offer on Feb. 15, and he now becomes the sixth member of LSU’s 2023 class.

He had previously scheduled official visits to Michigan State and Penn State for this summer and fall, respectively, and it’s not clear at this time whether he still intends to take those visits.

Austin trimmed his list of potential schools down to eight on April 21, and it seems he’s seen enough to make a decision despite not taking a visit to Baton Rouge.

Any time you can get a recruit to leave California and head east of the Mississippi (albeit barely), it’s a big win. With Austin’s addition to the class, LSU moves up one spot in the 247Sports Composite rankings to No. 11.

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BREAKING: Four-star running back commits to LSU

The Tigers added a Louisiana prospect in Trey Holly to put their 2023 recruiting class at five total commits.

Four-star running back [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag] from Farmerville, Louisiana, and Union Parish High School became the fifth commitment in LSU’s 2023 recruiting class on Friday. He announced his pledge to the Tigers via his Twitter account.

Holly made a visit to LSU during the spring game and reportedly fell in love with Baton Rouge. He was named the Louisiana Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year in both 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he tallied 2,815 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns on 320 carries.

Holly also claimed Most Outstanding Player honors in the Class 3A State Championship Game after totaling 265 yards and two scores. Coach Brian Kelly’s plan to “Recruit the Boot” is going very well so far, and he is just getting started.

Holly is five-foot-seven, 177-pounds, and is ranked as a top ten running back for the class of 2023 by multiple recruiting sites. Hopefully, he can be the next great running back to stay in the bayou and be successful.

With his commitment, LSU’s recruiting class currently ranks 14th nationally, per the 247Sports Composite.

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BREAKING: Four-star safety commits to LSU

LSU picked up its fourth commitment in the 2023 cycle on Friday morning.

The Tigers have added another piece to their currently small 2023 class.

[autotag]Ryan Yaites[/autotag], a six-foot-one, 175-pound four-star safety from Denton, Texas, announced his commitment to play for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and LSU via his Twitter account on Friday morning.

Yaites becomes the fourth commit from the class of 2023 and the second safety to commit. The other one is Michael Daugherty, a safety from Loganville, Georgia, who committed earlier this week. According to Rivals.com, Yaites was ranked as the No. 73 player in the country, the No. 11 safety, and the No. 8 player in the State of Texas.

Yaites was a Texas District 5-6A first-team selection at cornerback as a junior; as he helped Guyer reach the Class 6A-Division II state title game.

For the 2022 recruiting class, Kelly looked to the transfer portal and plucked away some of the best defensive backs available in [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag].

For the class of 2023, so far he has put more of an emphasis on prep talent to add to a secondary that is full of elite players. LSU’s class currently ranks No. 24 in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.

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Four-star tight end commits to LSU

The Tigers landed a pledge from Saint Louis, Missouri, tight end Mac Markway on Thursday.

Mac Markway, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound four-star tight end from Saint Louis, Missouri, announced his commitment to play for the LSU Tigers on Thursday. Markway is the first commitment of the Brian Kelly era at LSU and just the second player to join the Tigers’ 2023 class.

There are a lot of ties on this staff that connects LSU to Markway. Cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples actually coached Markway at De Smet Jesuit High School before he joined the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff.  Special Teams/Recruiting Coordinator Brian Polian recruited Markway while he was working at Notre Dame, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock had recruited Markway in the past as well.

Markway and his family were in Baton Rouge for an unofficial visit earlier this month. Denbrock and Kelly both impressed his family on the visit with their plan for him and the program.

“He (Denbrock) is a great guy! We talked about what their goal is and how they are going to achieve it. I’m really excited to see,” Markway told On3. “He (Kelly) was also first class. We talked about everything that he wants to do with the program and how they will use me. The tight end will definitely be the heart and soul of that team.”

Markway was a former commit to play for the Florida Gators before they made their coaching change to Billy Napier. According to On3, Markway is the No. 9 tight end in the country, the No. 4 tight end in Missouri and the No. 117 player overall for the class of 2023.

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Florida lands commitment from 3-star Texas tight end after official visit

Hayden Hansen, a former Louisiana commit, repledged to Billy Napier and the Gators.

The Gators’ 2022 recruiting class grew by one on Sunday when coach Billy Napier landed the commitment of three-star Weatherford, Texas, tight end prospect Hayden Hansen. The former Louisiana commit backed off his pledge to the Ragin’ Cajuns shortly before Napier’s departure to Florida became public, but the two will end up together after all.

The No. 1729 player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite, Hansen was one of the prospects on campus this weekend for an official visit. He also received an in-home visit with Napier, tight ends coach William Peagler and offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara on Monday. He announced his commitment on Twitter.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound prospect took an official visit to UTSA in December and he told GatorCountry’s Andrew Spivey that he planned to visit either UL or Washington State, who offered him on Tuesday, next weekend if he didn’t pick up an offer from the Gators.

He obviously picked up that offer during his official visit, and it was enough for him to shut down his recruitment and pledge to Florida. He joins an inexperienced position group that lost starter Kemore Gamble, who transferred to UCF. Keon Zipperer is the only returning player at the position with significant playing time under his belt.

Hansen’s commitment didn’t do much to change the Gators’ standing in the recruiting rankings. UF’s class still ranks just 36th in the country and remains the SEC’s worst class. But Napier is trying to close out strong, and Hansen is a player Florida seems to like a lot.