Connect with us

FB Recruiting

How Wisconsin Football Stacked Up in 2024 B1G Recruiting Rankings

Wisconsin football put together a solid first recruiting class.

Published

on

Wisconsin football; Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talking to the defense
Sep 2, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talks in a huddle during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bulls at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program put together an impressive haul on National Signing Day, securing a consensus top-25 recruiting class for the Badgers.

Of the 22 players who signed on the dotted line on NSD for the Wisconsin Badgers, nine were considered four-star prospects according to the industry-generated composite rankings. That marked a tie for the program’s highest amount of blue-chip recruits signed in a single cycle.

UW also had a surprise flip to bring an in-state product back into the fold.

Some of the Wisconsin Badgers headliners were 4-star defensive end Ernest Willor, offensive tackle Kevin Heywood, quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, cornerback Omillio Agard, and a pair of dynamic running backs Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree.

While the Wisconsin football program’s recruiting haul was undoubtedly impressive, this was simply the first step towards rebuilding this team from the ground up. Building a contender in the new Big Ten conference will require stacking multiple classes of this magnitude.

Let’s see how the Badgers stacked up against the rest of the 18-team Big Ten.

Wisconsin Football Finishes With No. 7 Recruiting Class in the Big Ten 

Recruiting in today’s landscape has shifted significantly. National Signing Day doesn’t carry the same significance as it once did, with most of the top recruits committing during the early signing period in December.

This condensed timeline challenges coaches to juggle roster retention, navigate the transfer portal, and finalize landing their high school recruits within a short window after the season.

To say that’s difficult would be an understatement. Thankfully, Luke Fickell brought over a pair of studs, Pat Lambert and Max Stienecker, to run the Wisconsin football recruiting department and help fill that void.

Despite these pronounced challenges, Fickell and his staff pulled off an impressive recruiting cycle. The Wisconsin Badgers currently stand at No. 23 nationally and No. 7 in the Big Ten recruiting rankings.

In the context of the new Big Ten conference, here’s where Wisconsin’s recruiting class ranks among its peers:

18. Northwestern
17. UCLA
16. Indiana
15. Michigan State
14. Illinois
13. Maryland
12. Minnesota
11. Rutgers
10. Washington
9. Iowa
8. Purdue
7. Wisconsin
6. Nebraska
5. USC
4. Michigan
3. Penn State
2. Oregon
1. Ohio State

It’s encouraging to see Wisconsin football finish in the top half, and even though it’s been a small sample size, the Badgers seem to have some pretty good relationship builders in their recruiting department who could sustain similar finishes in the future.

The real work lies ahead, and the results on the field will soon supersede the hope recruits have been sold by the new regime.

Let’s hope this helps serve as a turning point for the Wisconsin Badgers.



Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher @DillonGraff at Dillon.T.Graff@gmail.com. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!

Dillon Graff is a Substack newsletter best-selling author, publisher of AllBadgers, and the owner of BadgerNotes.com, your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Wisconsin Badgers. His work has been featured in top media publications like USA Today's BadgersWire, Athlon Sports, Bleacher Report, Verbal Commits, Bucky's 5th Quarter, and FanSided.

Trending