Nolan Winter sets an official visit date to Wisconsin

Wisconsin basketball will host one of their top remaining targets in the 2023 recruiting class for an official visit in August:

According to a report from Evan Flood of 247Sports, three-star forward Nolan Winter will take an official visit to Wisconsin beginning on August 3.

Per 247Sports, Winter is the No. 44 PF in the country and the No. 2 player in Minnesota.

The 6-foot-11, 190-pound forward currently holds offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Stanford, Xavier, Oregon State, St. Thomas, and Wake Forest.

“The staff at Wisconsin sees me in a stretch-four type of role, and they often compare me to Jon Leuer back in the day. Someone who can shoot from the outside, get into the paint, and use my size to my advantage in multiple ways,” said Winter.

Along with strong academics, the Lakeville, Minnesota native is looking for a competitive program with an established culture, winning tradition, and a great relationship with the coaching staff.

It’s easy to see Winter’s potential fit within a program like UW, given their success utilizing inside-out big men with similar skill sets.

The three-star forward has already taken official visits to Oregon State and Stanford.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

2024 PG target Daniel Freitag talks about his recruitment by Wisconsin

2024 PG target Daniel Freitag talks about his recruitment by UW:

On June 15, Greg Gard was finally able to initiate contact with incoming juniors from the 2024 recruiting class, per NCAA recruiting regulations.

This date is significant for Coach Gard, who has had a knack for identifying talent and working to maintain a close relationship with players before more prominent programs enter their recruitment.

Once contact became permissible, UW wasted little time reaching out to 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As a sophomore, he averaged 26.7 ppg (9th in the state) while leading his team to a conference title and winning the conference Player of the Year.

“June 15th consisted of me hearing from Minnesota & Baylor at midnight. Then Iowa, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Longwood,” Freitag told BadgersWire.

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 done nothing but make Coach Gard look good for his initial evaluation.

The fast-rising PG prospect has seen his recruitment take off, earning offers from Baylor, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa State.

“Baylor has been contacting me the most often out of all the universities, for sure.” Freitag will be visiting Baylor University from August 5-6.

“Communication has been pretty calm with Wisconsin; I think they take the approach of letting me enjoy my days without being in my face. When they do call, I feel like it is very enjoyable. My relationship with Coach Gard is a good balance of close while being decently distant,” Freitag said.

Freitag, a Bloomington, Minnesota native, has everything you could want from a PG prospect. Good size, physicality, well-above-average athleticism, playmaking ability, toughness, plays above the rim, and can shoot from beyond the arc. The kid loves to compete.

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

Coach Krabbenhoft is the lead recruiter for the 6-foot-3, 175-pound PGs services. “The coaching staff told me to watch how they utilize Chucky and his role for the team. So I do know they want me at the point guard – although I have hopes of myself having Johnny Davis-like impact, so I like to give him a close eye when he’s out there,” Freitag said in a previous interview with BadgersWire.

Freitag has shown the ability to win games as either a scoring threat or a facilitator. I’m confident that the Minnesota native will eventually add a slew of offers from the top programs in the country before his recruitment is closed.

Right now, Freitag is my favorite Wisconsin Badgers offer, and I firmly believe he’ll be a star wherever he winds up.

Wisconsin will be up against some elite programs for his services, but the early relationship they’ve established with the Jefferson Senior High School standout certainly doesn’t hurt their chances of staying in the mix.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin’s top OT target Joe Crocker sets commitment date

Wisconsin’s top OT target announces his commitment date:

After recently cutting his list of schools down to Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Mississippi State, 2023 four-star offensive tackle Joe Crocker will be announcing his commitment on July 18.

According to the Rivals recruiting database, Crocker is the No. 40 OT in the country and the No. 8 player in the state of Tennesee.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Franklin Road Academy standout also held offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and several other Power 5 schools.

You can watch his junior season HUDL film here.

Crocker, a native of Nashville, Tennesee, announced his commitment date via his Twitter account:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin TE target Zach Ortwerth commits to Big Ten rival

Wisconsin misses on their top remaining TE target in the 2023 recruiting class:

Wisconsin’s top remaining tight end target was 2023 three-star Zach Ortwerth, who officially committed to the University of Iowa on Monday.

Per the 247Sports Composite, Ortwerth is the No. 663 overall prospect in the 2023 class, the No. 33 TE in the country, and the No. 17 player in Missouri.

Last season, the Saint Louis University High School standout caught 20 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He also registered 76 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble while playing outside linebacker.

Ortwerth, a Saint Louis, Missouri native, also held offers from Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The Badgers will need to head back to the drawing board if they’re going to add a TE in the 2023 recruiting class, considering they don’t appear to have any substantial leads at the moment.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin makes the cut for 2023 four-star LB Tackett Curtis

Wisconsin makes the top 3 for a highly decorated four-star LB:

After a series of official visits, 2023 four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis has narrowed his list of schools down to Wisconsin, Ohio State, and USC.

Per the 247sports Composite, Curtis is the No. 81 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 7 LB in the country, and the No. 7 player in Louisiana.

According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker registered 103 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery as a junior at Many High School.

UW has made Curtis their top priority in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The efforts of Coach April, more specifically, have given the Badgers a fighting chance against some of the top programs in the country.

You can watch his junior season HUDL film here.

The Louisiana native announced his top three list via his Twitter account:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin offers 2025 in-state C Kai Rogers

Wisconsin sends out another in-state offer in the 2025 recruiting class:

After showing out at Wisconsin’s advanced camp this week, Greg Gard and his coaching staff have officially offered 2025 in-state center Kai Rogers out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As a freshman, the 6-foot-10, 220-pound C averaged 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks on 69% shooting from the field for Wauwatosa West High School.

Rogers, a Milwaukee native, already holds offers from Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Ole Miss, Texas, and now UW.

Right now, the Wauwatosa West standouts bread and butter comes from finishing in the paint and playing through contact. Defensively, he has all the tools that could make him an incredibly high-upside prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.

You can watch his freshman season highlights here.

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

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin offers 2025 in-state forward Davion Hannah

Coach Gard offers his first player in the 2025 recruiting cycle:

After an impressive showing at Wisconsin’s advanced camp on Thursday, Greg Gard and his coaching staff officially offered 2025 small forward Davion Hannah out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As a freshman, the 6-foot-5, 165-pound forward averaged 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while playing for the Milwaukee Academy of Science. Hannah already holds offers from LSU, Mississippi State, and Arizona State.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native is a physical and versatile forward who can score from all three levels and play high-level defense on the perimeter.

Hannah is the first player Coach Gard has offered in the 2025 recruiting cycle and is considered one of the top prospects in a deep 2025 in-state class.

You can watch his summer league highlights here.

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

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin lands Crystal Ball Prediction for 2023 IOL Christopher Terek

Wisconsin has landed a new crystal ball projection in the 2023 recruiting class:

On Tuesday, 247Sports writer Evan Flood gave his Crystal Ball Prediction for 2023 interior offensive lineman Christopher Terek out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, to commit to the University of Wisconsin.

Per the 247Sports composite, Terek is the No. 630 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 46 IOL in the country, and the No. 15 player in Illinois. 

The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Glenbard West High School standout currently holds offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami (OH), Minnesota, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan, and several other division one schools. 

Terek would make for an impressive addition on the interior for Badgers offensive line coach Bob Bostad.

You can watch his junior season HUDL film below:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin makes the cut for 2023 four-star OT Joe Crocker

The Badgers make the top three for a 2023 four-star OT:

After several official visits this summer, 2023 four-star offensive tackle Joe Crocker has cut his list of schools down to three. Moving forward, he’ll focus on the trio of Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Mississippi State.

According to the Rivals recruiting database, Crocker is the No. 40 OT in the country and the No. 8 player in the state of Tennesee.

You can watch his junior season HUDL film here.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Franklin Road Academy standout also holds offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and several other Power 5 schools.

Coach Bostad views Crocker as a top-of-the-board OT prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle for UW.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2023 three-star DT Jamel Howard

Wisconsin gets their 12th verbal commitment in the 2023 recruiting cycle:

After an official visit to Wisconsin last weekend, Paul Chryst and his coaching staff have received a verbal commitment from 2023 three-star defensive tackle Jamel Howard out of Chicago, Illinois.

Per 247Sports, the 6-foot3, 320-pound nose tackle is the No. 100 DL in the country and the No. 26 player in Illinois.

Howard chose Wisconsin over offers from Akron, Ball State, Central Michigan, Illinois, Iowa State, Kent State, Long Island, Miami (OH), Toledo, and Western Michigan.

According to MaxPreps, the Marist High School standout registered 27 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one pass deflection as a junior.

Howard is now the 12th player to commit to Wisconsin in the 2023 recruiting class.

You can watch his HUDL film here.

The Illinois native announced his commitment to the University of Wisconsin via his Instagram account:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.