Nonsensical Wisconsin Badgers Recruiting Ramblings Vol. 2

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to part two of my Wisconsin football/basketball recruiting ramblings, inspired by Dillon Graff’s ramblings on the Wisconsin basketball program. 

In case you missed my first recruiting ramblings article, I will give a quick disclaimer: My points may not be coherent or flow together whatsoever. Hopefully, that won’t turn you away, so before you click off, let’s dive into the recruiting thoughts I spent more time thinking about than I probably should.

Don’t Panic About the Wisconsin Basketball 2024 Class

The Wisconsin basketball program got some disappointing news on the recruiting trail earlier this week when Jackson McAndrew committed to Creighton. UW was in the final four but fell short of landing the four-star prospect.

Following his Creighton commitment, I saw some comments saying that missing out on him could make this class get into “meh” territory. For what it’s worth, I don’t think that is the case.

For starters, Wisconsin is still heavily pursuing Kon Knueppel. Some blue bloods have gotten into the mix, but UW is not too far out in this recruiting battle. Plus, missing out on McAndrew could mean that Wisconsin will ramp up its pursuit of Kneuppel.

Also, saying that this class is approaching “meh” territory is a discredit to Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison. In Freitag, you have a guy with great athleticism and playmaking to pair with his three-level scoring ability. Robison is one of the more underrated players in the class, in my view. He just does everything at a productive level, and there’s a lot of upside in his game.

Sure, it’s disappointing to miss out on McAndrew. However, let’s not let that disappointment overshadow the players Wisconsin has coming in. UW will be just fine.

Will Wisconsin Football Land Xavier Lucas?

A lot of attention has shifted to the 2025 recruiting class, but Wisconsin is still waiting for a decision from Xavier Lucas. 

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Lucas is the No. 771 player in the nation, the No. 82 safety, and the No. 108 player in Florida.

The Florida native has drawn out his recruitment a bit, but as of now, it seems to be down to a battle between Wisconsin and Florida State. Lucas has been waiting to see if FSU will take another defensive back. If they do, UW could secure a commitment right then and there.

A crystal ball prediction was placed last week for Wisconsin to land Lucas’ services, and things are seemingly headed in the right direction. 

For what it’s worth, I’m confident UW will come out on top in this one and effectively wrap up the 2024 recruiting class. Don’t take my word as fact, but many signs indicate that Lucas could be on his way to Madison. 

Wisconsin Football Commit Darrion Dupree Offered by Alabama

Alabama offered Darrion Dupree, and the sky is falling. At least, that’s what I’ve seen from some on social media. 

Look, folks, I don’t think there’s a reason to worry about this. For starters, Wisconsin has made it clear that Dupree was a top priority from the very beginning and will be “the guy” in the cycle at running back. Although Dilin Jones is also on board, I think Dupree is comfortable with where he is.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there won’t be a better playing time situation in 2024 than there will be at Wisconsin. Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi are entering the final year on the team unless Allen decides to stay for a fourth year, which seems extremely unlikely. Behind those guys, you have Jackson Acker, Cade Yacamelli, and Nate White. Dupree will play in year one at Wisconsin, and I don’t think the same can be said for Alabama.

I’m not saying Dupree won’t look at other options. After all, he did say that he would keep the door cracked open following his commitment. However, I’m not ready to sound the alarm yet. 

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