Tag: Recruiting

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.

Four-star edge rusher Chase Linton commits to Georgia

Top edge rusher recruit pledges to Georgia, trolls Georgia Tech with his commitment

The Georgia Bulldogs are the new home for four-star edge rusher Chase Linton, who is a member of the class of 2025.

The talented edge rusher picked the Bulldogs over Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU and Rutgers. During his commitment, Linton put on a Georgia Tech shirt and hat, but he said it felt too tight and then committed to UGA.

Linton is listed at 6 feet, 4 inches and 215 pounds. He plays football at North Atlanta High in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the fourth-ranked edge rusher nationally and the seventh-ranked player in Georgia, per 247Sports. Linton is the No. 45 recruit in the country, so he is not far from being a five-star recruit.

The Bulldogs offered Linton on July 28 and were favored to land a commitment from the four-star pass rusher since his decommitment from Rutgers in August.

Coach Kirby Smart and UGA hold the nation’s top ranked recruiting class. Georgia has 26 commitments in the class of 2025 recruiting cycle. The Bulldogs are now ahead the Ohio State Buckeyes and Alabama Crimson Tide.

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BREAKING: Wisconsin flips top Michigan class of 2025 DL commit

BREAKING: Wisconsin flips Michigan top class of 2025 DL commit

Wisconsin landed a commitment from class of 2025 defensive lineman Jaylen Williams on Wednesday.

Williams had committed to Michigan in June. He flips to Wisconsin, instantly becoming one of the program’s highest-ranked commits in its class of 2025.

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

247Sports ranks the four-star defensive lineman as the No. 279 player in the class of 2025, No. 28 defensive lineman and No. 7 recruit from the state of Illinois. His extended offer sheet, now likely irrelevant, includes top programs Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.

Williams is Wisconsin’s 24th commitment in the class of 2025. The group is now approaching the nation’s top 25. It has a blue-chip percentage of 29%.

This is a much-needed positive headline for Wisconsin amid its ongoing difficulties, headlined by the recent firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Defensive line is a position the program has worked hard to address in this class. With Williams, the group has four players at the position committed.

Luke Fickell and the Badgers staff have flipped multiple highly touted recruits from Big Ten rivals. Williams joins DL Drayden Pavey (Purdue) and tight end Emmett Bork (Michigan State). He is one of what could be several finishing touches to the class. Focus will turn to uncommitted quarterback Carter Smith, who is reportedly deciding between Wisconsin and Florida State.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Four-star RB decommits from Alabama after visiting Georgia

Four-star recruit, who is the nation’s No. 8 ranked running back, is considering Georgia football

Georgia’s 31-17 win against Tennessee was not only big for the Bulldogs’ position in SEC standings and in the rankings for the College Football Playoff.

It was also a major recruiting day for the Bulldogs with the early signing period less than two weeks away. There are some recruiting battles in which the Bulldogs have a real chance to flip elite recruits.

Montgomery (Alabama) Carver four-star running back Anthony Rogers had been committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide for almost a year and a half before backing off the pledge on Sunday.

Rogers was in attendance during Georgia’s energetic win over Tennessee. Rogers is deciding between Georgia and Ohio State after decommitting from Alabama.

Rogers is the No. 8 running back in the nation and the No. 147 recruit, per 247Sports.

Ohio State is looking like the leader with the Bulldogs right behind. Rogers left Athens with more hard thinking to do after Georgia’s excellent atmosphere against Tennessee. Rogers plans to decide on Dec. 4.

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 football offers Virginia Tech commit, top class of 2026 quarterback

Wisconsin football offers Virginia Tech commit, top class of 2026 quarterback

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to top class of 2026 quarterback Peyton Falzone on Sunday.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound prospect joins three-star Ryan Hopkins as notable quarterback recruits for the class of 2026 to receive offers from Wisconsin over the past month. And, like fellow 2026 recruit Jonathan Hatton Jr., Falzone announced his collegiate decision last summer.

However, Falzone’s decision to commit to Virginia Tech appears nowhere near finalized. Despite offering his pledge in late June, the Nazareth, Pennsylvania product looks like he could flip his decision before beginning his college career in 2026.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine deems Falzone’s choice as amendable. The outlet currently projects the Penn State Nittany Lions to land the pass-thrower with over a 37.3% likelihood. Syracuse, at 32.6%, also holds a higher chance than the Hokies do at this stage of the process.

Another plus for the Badgers — only seven programs are listed on Falzone’s offer sheet. That list includes Virginia Tech, Penn State, Syracuse, Kent State, Lehigh and Bucknell, per 247Sports.

247Sports currently considers the junior as the No. 195 overall prospect, No. 16 quarterback and No. 5 recruit from his home state of Pennsylvania for the class of 2026. On3, ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all consider Falzone a four-star prospect.

Outside of Penn State, Wisconsin holds the most alluring situation for a player hungry to showcase his prowess at a Power 4 university. While the 2024 Badgers haven’t looked as powerful as they did a decade ago, the atmosphere, attention and potential to succeed rivals just one university on his offer sheet as of Nov. 19.

Falzone’s situation is one to monitor before he is tasked with officially signing down the line.

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.

2026 defensive lineman includes Tennessee in top 11 schools

2026 defensive lineman includes Tennessee in his top 11 schools.

2026 defensive lineman prospect Tajh Overton announced his top 11 schools.

Overton’s top 11 schools are Tennessee, Nebraska, Auburn, Missouri, Miami, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and UCF.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound four-star defensive lineman prospect is from Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma.

He ranks No. 204 nationally in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2026. Overton also ranks as the No. 25 defensive lineman and No. 1 prospect in Oklahoma.

The Vols offered him a scholarship on April 23.