Tag: Mike Tressel

Badgers offer 6-foot-5 class of 2025 edge rusher

Wisconsin offered CJ Nickson, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound class of 2025 edge rusher from Weatherford, Oklahoma on Tuesday.

Wisconsin offered CJ Nickson, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound class of 2025 edge rusher from Weatherford, Oklahoma on Tuesday. Nickson still has two more seasons of football and basketball as multi-sport athlete at Weatherford High School before he’d potentially make the leap to a collegiate program in 2025.

Nickson has now received six Division 1 football offers, with Wisconsin becoming the first school from the Big Ten to offer him. Based on the fact that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have offered him already, they should likely be considered the favorites to land him, but Wisconsin definitely has a shot.

With Luke Fickell at head coach and Mike Tressel at defensive coordinator, the Badgers feel more likely than ever to reel in defensive recruits moving forward.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin offers four-star defensive lineman from Texas

The Badgers offered Lance Jackson, a four-star class of 2025 defensive lineman from Texarkana, Texas on Wednesday.

The Badgers offered Lance Jackson, a four-star class of 2025 defensive lineman from Texarkana, Texas on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound athlete still has two more seasons of football at Pleasant Grove High School before he’d make the jump to a college program.

Jackson has now received 16 Division 1 offers, with Wisconsin joining the Notre Dame as the second program to offer him from within the Midwest. Home state schools like Texas Tech, SMU, North Texas and UTSA have already offered him, with Texas likely soon to follow.

With Luke Fickell now at the helm as head coach and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel joining him from Cincinnati, the Badgers may be as strong of a recruit destination as ever moving forward and could have a legitimate shot at Jackson in 2025.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Badgers offer class of 2024 safety from Florida

Wisconsin offered Isaiah Thomas, a 6-foot-2 class of 2024 safety from Clearwater, Florida on Monday. 

Wisconsin offered Isaiah Thomas, a 6-foot-2 class of 2024 safety from Clearwater, Florida on Monday. The junior still has one more season of football at Clearwater Academy International before he’d potentially make the leap to a collegiate program.

Thomas has now received 27 Division 1 offers, including home state options Florida State and Florida, where he would typically favor. That being said, with the addition of Luke Fickell at head coach and Mike Tressel at defensive coordinator, Wisconsin has become a more attractive location for defensive recruits.

As of right now, the Badgers have only secured three class of 2024 commitments, all of which are on the offensive side. Four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Badgers offer four-star defensive lineman from California

Wisconsin offered Jericho Johnson, a four-star class of 2024 defensive lineman from Fairchild, California on Monday.

Wisconsin offered Jericho Johnson, a four-star class of 2024 defensive lineman from Fairchild, California on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound athlete still has one more season of football at Armijo High School before he’d make the jump to the collegiate level.

Johnson has experience playing on both sides of the ball, also taking snaps as an offensive tackle in high school. That being said, he is being recruited for his defensive talents and has now received 18 Division 1 offers, including top programs like Alabama, Georgia and future Big Ten program and home state option USC.

Considering the prestige of some of the other teams that have offered, Wisconsin would appear as an unlikely destination for Johnson, but with Luke Fickell at head coach and Mike Tressel at defensive coordinator, the Badgers certainly have a shot.

To this point, Wisconsin has yet to reel in a defensive player for the class of 2024, but that will likely change in the coming months.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Find your new Badger coaches on Twitter

With all of the turnover on the Badger Football coaching staff this offseason, it’s been hard to keep track of who’s who.

With all of the turnover on the Badger Football coaching staff this offseason, it’s been hard to keep track of who’s who. The official football Twitter has compiled a full list of their accounts on Twitter.

Most notable of course is new head coach Luke Fickell, formerly of Cincinnati. He joined the Badgers in December and was part of the coaching staff for Wisconsin’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.

Also listed at the top are new offensive coordinator Phil Longo (North Carolina) and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel (Cincinnati). Longo has brought the “Air Raid” offense to Madison with him and as a result, Badger fans are very excited for the passing game in 2023. On the other side of the ball, Mike Tressel is expected to maintain the defensive prowess set by Jim Leonhard in recent years.

The rest of the new coaches all carry different levels of experience and are certainly worth a follow.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin in top 10 of three-star athlete from Chicago

Tysean Griffin, a three-star athlete from Chicago announced his top 10 teams Wednesday, which the Badgers were a part of.

Tysean Griffin, a three-star athlete from Chicago announced his top 10 teams Wednesday, which the Badgers were a part of. The 5-foot-11 class of 2024 player has played both offense and defense in high school, logging snaps at wide receiver, running back and cornerback.

Considering the duel-threat abilities of Griffin, it’s hard to project where he’d contribute in college, whether offense, defense or both, but he’ll find a spot if he chooses Madison. The additions of Luke Fickell at head coach, Phil Longo at offensive coordinator and Mike Tressel at defensive coordinator this offseason have fortified the Badgers as a recruit destination.

So far, Wisconsin has brought in three recruits for the class of 2024, four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Badgers listed as one of the big winners this offseason by 247Sports

Wisconsin were listed as a winner on 247Sports’ big winners and losers of the offseason coaching carousel in college football on Monday.

The Badgers were listed as a winner when 247Sports released their big winners and losers of the offseason coaching carousel in college football on Monday.

This doesn’t come as a huge surprise considering the massive influx of talent and interested recruits following the addition of Luke Fickell at head coach and the subsequent hirings of Phil Longo at offensive coordinator and Mike Tressel at defensive coordinator.

As a result of those men, Wisconsin has brought in over 15 talented athletes from the transfer portal in addition to securing the commitments of four-star athletes like quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas) and tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) in the past few months.

The Badgers will look to turn their offseason success into an impressive season in 2023, which his soon to be underway after the team released their spring schedule earlier this month.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin offers son of NFL Hall of Famer

Wisconsin offered Bryce Young, a four-star class of 2024 edge rusher and son of Hall of Famer Bryant Young on Monday.

Wisconsin offered Bryce Young, a four-star edge rusher from Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday. The 6-foot-5, 240 pound junior still has one more year of high school football before he could potentially make the leap to join a college program in 2024.

Young is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young (class of 2022), who registered 618 career tackles, including 89.5 sacks over 208 games with the San Francisco 49ers.

Considering his father went to Notre Dame and Bryce has received an offer from the school, they currently appear to be the favorites to land him in 2024, but the Badgers are certainly not out of it yet.

With new head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, Wisconsin could attract the talented athlete to play in Camp Randall.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Badgers in Top 11 of four-star defensive lineman

Brandon Davis-Swain a class of 2024 four-star defensive lineman from Michigan named the Badgers as one of his top 11 destinations on Monday.

Brandon Davis-Swain a four-star defensive lineman from West Bloomfield, Michigan named the Badgers as one of his top 11 destinations on Monday. The class of 2024 athlete is narrowing down his options and Wisconsin has certainly garnered his consideration.

Davis-Swain spent the greater part of the 2022 calendar year committed to Notre Dame, but he actually withdrew his commitment after he received an offer from the Badgers in early December. Since Dec. 11, he has received offers from Auburn, Colorado and Purdue, all of whom are in his final 11.

With Luke Fickell taking over at head coach and Mike Tressel joining him as defensive coordinator, both of which coming from Cincinnati, the Badgers have become a more enticing all-around team. Fickell and Tressel have produced NFL talent in recent years, most notably cornerback Sauce Gardner, the 2023 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Wisconsin offers three-star defensive lineman from Tennessee

The Badgers offered Hank Weber, a three-star class of 2024 defensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee on Monday.

The Badgers offered Hank Weber, a three-star defensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 230 pound athlete still has one more year of high school football at Brentwood Academy before he’d make the jump to the college level as a part of the class of 2024.

Weber has now received 12 Division 1 offers, including Michigan State and Purdue within the Big Ten. With new head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel joining the team this offseason, the Badgers have become an even more attractive location for recruits.

So far for the class of 2024, Wisconsin has yet to reel in a commitment from a defensive player. They have however secured four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) and three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]