Wisconsin is a program that will always pride itself on in-state recruiting. It is a belief that has some concerned about the program’s class of 2024, as all of the top six in-state recruits committed elsewhere.
Yes, each situation is unique. And Luke Fickell has ample time to correct that trend entering the 2025 cycle as he continues to make his mark as head coach.
But one emerging storyline from the last five years of Wisconsin football is an expansion of the western border of the state into nearby Minnesota. The addition of 2024 four-star OL Emerson Mandell yesterday made it that Wisconsin has now landed the No. 1 player from the state of Minnesota for three of the last five years.
It’s hard to say what the careers of Mandell and the two players also listed below will ultimately hold. But at the least, it’s a positive sign that the Badgers still reign supreme in the region.
Here are the three top players Wisconsin has landed from its rival state: