Tag: interior offensive linemen

Wisconsin receives crystal ball to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman

Wisconsin receives crystal ball to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman

Wisconsin football received two crystal ball predictions to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman Benjamin Novak on Friday.

The predictions come from 247Sports Wisconsin insiders Evan Flood and Nick Osen. For context, Osen boasts a 98.63% accuracy rate for 2025 predictions while Flood holds a 71.44% clip for this calendar year’s cohort.

At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, Novak represents Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana. 247Sports ranks the junior as the nation’s No. 48 iOL and No. 11 recruit from Indiana for 2026.

Novak currently holds 10 offers at this stage in the process, Outside of UW, the list includes Bowling Green, Ball State, Toledo, Louisville, Indiana, Akron, Marshall, Kentucky and Western Michigan.

While 247Sports’ forecasts project Novak to land in Madison, On3’s recruiting prediction machine says otherwise. The outlet predicts Novak will commit to Ball State with over a 30.8% likelihood.

Wisconsin has offered nine other interior offensive linemen for its class of 2026, including top 100 recruit Leo Delaney. Its class of 2025 is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation with 22 overall commitments, per Rivals.

Wisconsin football becomes first school to offer talented class of 2027 lineman

Wisconsin football becomes first school to offer talented class of 2027 iOL

Wisconsin football became the first Division I program to extend an offer to talented class of 2027 iOL Tristan Dare on Wednesday.

At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Dare has attended several camps this spring and summer. Texas A&M, SMU, Maryland, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Houston are among the programs to invite Dare to camps this year.

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo seems to have made initial contact with Dare during his recruiting campaign, per the Texas native’s post on X.

Representing Southlake Carroll in Grapevine, Texas, Dare was featured at defensive end, tight end and right tackle. The rising sophomore logged 36 tackles, 21 solo tackles, four TFLs, three sacks and two forced fumbles during his freshman campaign.

Even with his primary responsibilities on the offensive line, the defensive output indicates a fair amount of athleticism. He was also named to the All-District Team for his contributions as a freshman.

Even though the 2027 recruiting cycle is still a ways away, Luke Fickell and his staff are getting ahead of what will likely be a competitive recruiting process.

The Badgers also extended an offer to class of 2027 linebacker Braylon Williams on June 2, another Texas product.

Luke Fickell’s class of 2025 on the other hand, currently ranks No. 13 in the nation with 17 players committed. Several linebackers, including three-star Cooper Catalano, three-star Brenden Anes and three-star Samuel Lateju, are set to represent UW beginning in 2025.

Jags center Brandon Linder receives votes for top interior OL

Linder didn’t crack the top 10 from ESPN, but one AFC scout discussed why he’s still among the league’s best interior linemen.

Given Jacksonville’s recent struggles, it doesn’t have many top-tier starters on its roster. However, one of the few the team can boast is center Brandon Linder. He’s been one of the NFL’s highest-graded interior linemen since he signed a five-year, $51.7 million extension back in 2017.

That deal made him the richest center in NFL history at the time, and though it has since been surpassed by others, he continues to produce at a high level.

In the rankings of the top-10 interior player in the league from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which were based on the opinions of anonymous players, coaches and executives, Linder doesn’t appear. But he did receive several top 10 votes, and one AFC scout discussed what they liked about Linder.

Very underrated player,” the scout said. “He has length and good athleticism, savvy. He just plays in Jacksonville, so he doesn’t get much credit.”

The “he just plays in Jacksonville” excuse may not be valid much longer, though. The team drafted a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and hopes to have a solid run game between James Robinson and Travis Etienne, as well. If the team finds offensive success in 2021 and beyond, Linder will be a major reason why.

The eighth-year player certainly doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but that could change if he’s the face of an offensive line that allows Lawrence to have a big-time rookie season.