Tag: wisconsin recruiting news

Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2023 three-star QB Cole LaCrue

Wisconsin football finally secures a verbal commitment from a QB in the 2023 recruiting class:

Madison, Wis. – After a long, drawn-out search for a signal caller in the 2023 recruiting class, Wisconsin left no stone unturned during the process and finally found their quarterback. 

On Monday, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff received a verbal commitment from 2023 three-star quarterback Cole LaCrue out of Broomfield, Colorado. 

“What stands out the most is the atmosphere, the love from the town, and Madison itself,” LaCrue told BadgersWire.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 1,714 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 99 QB in the country, and the No. 15 player in Colorado.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound dual-threat QB also held offers from Colorado, Tulane, Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, and South Dakota.

LaCrue, a standout at Broomfield High School, finished his senior season with 1,854 passing yards with 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions, according to MaxPreps. He also tacked on an additional 627 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

“The town [Madison] is nothing short of amazing, and it is seriously one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been,” LaCrue said. “What’s not to love about BIG 10 football and playing at Camp Randall? It is, without a doubt, the best stadium I have ever visited.”

The Colorado native announced his verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin on social media:

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Wisconsin offers 2024 three-star S LeonTre Bradford

Wisconsin football offers a 2024 three-star S out of Illinois:

Madison, Wis. – On Friday, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2024 three-star safety LeonTre Bradford out of East Saint Louis, Illinois. 

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 507 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 40 S in the country, and the No. 13 player in Illinois.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound S currently holds offers from Arkansas State, Illinois, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and now, Wisconsin. 

Bradford, a standout at East Saint Louis High School, finished his junior season with 86 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and a touchdown as a junior, according to MaxPreps.

You can watch his HUDL film here. 

The Illinois native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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Wisconsin offers 2024 three-star DE Deyvid Palepale

Wisconsin football offers a 2024 three-star DE out of Pennslyvania:

Madison, Wis. – On Friday, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2024 three-star defensive end Deyvid Palepale out of Landisville, Pennsylvania. 

Per 247 Sports, he’s the No. 39 DL in the country and the No. 18 player in Pennsylvania. 

The 6-foot-3, 288-pound DL currently holds offers from Penn State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Temple, Vanderbilt, and now, Wisconsin.

You can watch his HUDL film here. 

This scholarship marks the 6th known offer extended to a defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

The Pennsylvania native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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2023 three-star QB Cole LaCrue talks Wisconsin recruitment

Wisconsin football recently offered a 2023 three-star dual-threat QB out of Colorado. He gives a breakdown of his recruitment by UW:

Madison, Wis. – On Monday, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2023 three-star quarterback Cole LaCrue out of Broomfield, Colorado.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 1,714 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 99 QB in the country, and the No. 15 player in Colorado.

“My relationship with the coaching staff [UW’s] has been pretty good,” LaCrue explained. “They were a staff that wanted to push me to get better and work on things, so I went out and did the work.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound QB currently holds offers from Colorado, Tulane, Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, South Dakota, and now, Wisconsin.

He visited Madison back in October and has also taken unofficial visits to Colorado State, Utah State, and Washington State.

“What stands out the most is the atmosphere, the love from the town, and Madison itself,” LaCrue told BadgersWire. “I love having a great fanbase behind me that will support me and be there for me throughout my time in Madison. Also, the town [Madison] is nothing short of amazing, and it is seriously one of the prettiest places I’ve ever visited. Finally, what’s not to love about BIG 10 football and playing at Camp Randall? It is, without a doubt, the best stadium I have ever visited.”

LaCrue, a standout at Broomfield High School, threw for 1,854 yards with 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions in nine games as a senior, according to MaxPreps. He also added an additional 627 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

When asked to describe his game to Wisconsin fans, he had this to say:

“I’m a gamer, a gunslinger, and a playmaker. I’m going to do whatever is necessary in order for us to win a game,” he said. “I’m not your typical 7-on-7 QB who sits in the pocket and isn’t fun to watch. I’m a guy who can do that, but so much more by using my legs and my baseball background.”

In no particular order, LaCrue’s top schools are Colorado, Tulane, and Wisconsin. However, he later clarified that he’s “pretty focused” on Tulane and UW.

For Wisconsin, and more specifically, coach Leonhard, LaCrue is now the only uncommitted quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle who holds an offer from UW – making this an incredibly important recruitment to follow moving forward.

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Wisconsin offers 2024 four-star OT Brandon Baker

Wisconsin football offers a 2024 four-star OT out of California:

Madison, Wis. – Earlier this week, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2024 four-star offensive lineman Brandon Baker out of Santa Ana, California. 

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 67 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 5 OT in the country, and the No. 7 player in California.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound OT currently holds offers from Florida, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and a host of others. 

You can watch his HUDL film here. 

The California native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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2023 WR Trech Kekahuna has de-committed from Wisconsin

Wisconsin lost its first 2023 commit since the firing of Paul Chryst:

The University of Wisconsin lost its first committed recruit since the firing of Paul Chryst on Thursday night when 2023 wide receiver Trech Kekahuna announced he’d be de-committing from UW and re-opening his recruitment.

“First of I just wanna thank the Wisconsin coaching staff for giving me this BIG opportunity,” Kekahuna wrote on Twitter. “I really appreciate every single coach in the program and I appreciate all the love and support that they have game me and my family!! But, with that being said I will be opening my recruitment by decommitting from the University of Wisconsin.”

Per the 247Sports composite, Kekahuna is the No. 1,332 player in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 193 WR in the country, and the No. 9 player in Nevada.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound WR initially chose UW over offers from Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Incarnate Word, and Montana State but has added scholarship offers from Boise State, Texas A&M, Utah, Washington State, and Oregon.

Kekahuna, who now plays at Bishop Gorman in Nevada, took a recent visit to Oregon, which many believe is his dream school, and even has a crystal ball prediction on 247Sports insinuating things are moving quickly between the two.

The loss of Kekahuna is a bummer because UW identified an under-the-radar recruit before the sharks began circling and locked down a speedy slot/gadget-type player the program could use more of on offense.

Now, UW will have to work quickly to find a late bloomer, as it’s widely believed that they’re hoping to take two wideouts in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

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Wisconsin offers 2023 three-star QB Cole LaCrue

Wisconsin football offers a 2023 three-star QB out of Colorado:

Madison, Wis. – On Monday, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2023 three-star quarterback Cole LaCrue out of Broomfield, Colorado. 

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 1,714 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 99 QB in the country, and the No. 15 player in Colorado.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound QB currently holds offers from Colorado, Tulane, Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, South Dakota, and now, Wisconsin. 

He’s also taken unofficial visits to Colorado State, Utah State, and Washington State.

LaCrue, a standout at Broomfield High School, threw for 1,854 yards with 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions in nine games as a senior, according to MaxPreps. He also added an additional 627 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on the ground. 

You can watch his HUDL film here. 

For Wisconsin, and more specifically, Jim Leonhard, LaCrue is now the only uncommitted quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle who holds an offer from UW – making this an incredibly important recruitment to follow moving forward. 

The Colorado native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2024 three-star CB Austin Alexander

Wisconsin football secures its first verbal commitment in the 2024 recruiting class:

Madison, Wis. – On Monday, just a few weeks removed from an unofficial visit to Madison, Jim Leonhard and his coaching staff received their first verbal commitment in the 2024 recruiting cycle from three-star cornerback Austin Alexander out of Chicago Heights, Illinois.

Per the 247Sports recruiting rankings, he’s the No. 49 CB in the country and the No. 14 player in Illinois. 

For Alexander, an under-the-radar prospect, Wisconsin was his only division-one offer, although he reportedly received interest from Miami (Ohio), Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois. 

According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound defensive back totaled 49 tackles, seven interceptions, and a defensive touchdown for Marian Catholic High School in Illinois.

You can watch his HUDL film here. 

There is plenty of upside in Alexander’s game, leaving some to suggest he has yet to scratch the surface of his potential. He has good length, ball skills, and projectable size for the next level.

The Illinois native announced his verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin on social media:

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Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2024 wing Jack Robison

Coach Gard and his staff have received their first verbal commitment of the 2024 recruiting cycle:

Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard and his staff landed their first piece of the puzzle in the 2024 recruiting class – from UW’s feeder program, Lakeville North in Minnesota.

Following an official visit this past weekend, three-star wing Jack Robison verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin on Tuesday, making him the fourth Lakeville North player to commit to the Badgers in the past six years.

“I’ve always kind of known that is where I wanted to be,” Robison said. “So I was debating whether I was going to commit going into the weekend, and this weekend just reassured me with everything.”

“It was the right time for me. I couldn’t be more happy to be a Badger.”

Per the 247Sports recruiting rankings, Robison is the No. 145 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 34 SF in the country, and the No. 3 player in Minnesota.

Coach Gard offered the 6-foot-6, 175-pound wing a scholarship last August, making UW the first power-five scholarship offer for the Minnesota native – and he never took his foot off the gas pedal, continually making him a priority.

The three-star forward also held offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, South Florida, and St. Thomas.

Scouting Report

On film, the Lakeville North High School standout is a left-handed three-level scorer who is especially dangerous from the perimeter. Robison is a microwave from beyond the arc.

He’s also made noticeable strides physically and as a playmaker who can put it on the deck and get to his pull-up mid-range jumper.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the weight room this summer, and I’ve gotten a lot quicker and more explosive,” Robison explained.

Robison’s length and positional versatility obviously appeal to coach Gard, who puts a premium on players capable of defending multiple positions.

On top of the measurables, he’s another player who isn’t afraid to mix it up, take a charge, and get on the floor after a loose ball – yeah, he’s a Badger.

In short, Robison checks a ton of boxes for the program, is nowhere near his ceiling, giving him plenty of room to develop, and stylistically, is a perfect fit at Wisconsin.

The Minnesota native announced his verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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2024 four-star PG Daniel Freitag will take official visit to Wisconsin

Wisconsin MBB will have a top-100 recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle on campus for an official visit:

Madison, Wis. — Greg Gard and his coaching staff will have a significant prospect on campus for an official visit this coming weekend – 2024 four-star point guard Daniel Freitag out of Bloomington, Minnesota.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 53 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 8 PG in the country, and the No. 1 player in Minnesota.

Wisconsin was the first Power 5 program to offer 2024-point guard Daniel Freitag a scholarship after their advanced camp in June 2021. Since then, the Minnesota native has picked up offers from Baylor, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Virginia. 

“He [Coach Gard] sees me making an impact for the team immediately and believes I can lead the team at the guard position,” Freitag said in a previous interview with BadgersWire. “He seems to have a lot of trust in me, and I like that.”

Freitag, a four-star prospect, has everything you could want from a point guard. Good size, physicality, well-above-average athleticism, playmaking ability, and toughness. He can also slash, play above the rim, and shoot from beyond the arc. In short, he’s the total package. 

You can watch his highlights here. 

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