Sound the horns, Luke Fickell just went into Minnesota and took the state’s best player in the class of 2024. His name is Emerson Mandell, a four-star offensive lineman from Saint Paul, Minnesota.
It’s one of the first huge recruiting wins for Fickell and his staff. After seeing the top six in-state recruits go elsewhere, taking Minnesota’s top player away from P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers is no small feat.
Related: Wisconsin was the beneficiary of one of the greatest commitment switch-ups of all time
The now-Wisconsin commit is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 294 player in the class of 2024, the No. 24 iOL and, again, the No. 1 recruit from his home state of Minnesota.
I am very happy to announce that I have committed to the university of Wisconsin @CoachFick @BadgerFootball @CoachBicknell pic.twitter.com/nqcFbTI1uR
— Emerson Mandell 4⭐️ (@_mandell) July 4, 2023
The commitment is Wisconsin’s No. 16 in a class that currently ranks No. 26 nationally. Mandell slots in as the third highest-ranked player, behind four-star OT Kevin Haywood and four-star TE Grant Stec.
Something to note: this marks the third time in the last five classes Wisconsin has taken the No. 1 player in Minnesota (Riley Mahlman in 2021, Kaden Johnson in 2020).