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Wisconsin Football Puts a Cherry on Top of the 2024 Recruiting Class

Wisconsin football made another big addition to the secondary in the 2024 recruiting class.

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Wisconsin Badgers football coaches Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (left) greets Wisconsin Badgers defensive Coordinator Mike Tressel after Fickell spoke to the media during Wisconsin Badgers football media day at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

The 2024 recruiting class for the Wisconsin football team has been all but wrapped up for a few weeks now. June was an extremely busy month for Luke Fickell, the coaching staff, and the Wisconsin recruiting department. Since June 1, the Badgers have reeled in 13 of their 20 committed payers.

Now they are wrapping up their 2024 class and putting a bow on it with the addition of Xavier Lucas, who announced his commitment to the Badgers on Friday via social media.

Lucas is a defensive back out of American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is listed as a safety on many recruiting databases but played cornerback during his junior season in high school.

According to the 247Sports Composite rating, Lucas is a 3-star prospect and the 82nd-ranked safety in the 2024 class. He is the 771st-overall prospect in the class.

What is the Wisconsin football team getting in Xavier Lucas?

As mentioned before, Lucas played cornerback in high school but it sounds like college programs project him to be a safety at the next level. Watching his junior season film on Hudl, you notice a couple of things about him.

First, is his speed. There are multiple plays in his film where an opposing back breaks free and he comes flying in from the other side of the field to make the tackle, saving a touchdown. Speed is one of those things you can’t teach and is extremely valuable, especially in a Power 5 program like Wisconsin.

Next, he’s very aggressive. Granted, with his speed he can afford to be aggressive at the high school level. As a corner, he was consistently on the line pressing the receiver. If he gets beat off the line, his speed would allow him to make that ground back up pretty quickly.

Finally, he can make open-field tackles. There are multiple plays in his film where the offense sets up a receiver screen to his side. Once, he is on the line pressing the receiver. He gets around the block and drops the receiver behind the line for a loss. The next, he is playing off but diagnoses the play and fills the alley, making a sound tackle and allowing just a short gain.

Lucas joins a talented secondary in the 2024 class

With this 3-3-5 defense that Mike Tressel is bringing to Madison, defensive back depth is necessary. They’ve been adding tons of bodies to the room. In fact, Lucas is Wisconsin’s third safety of the class, joining Khamir Prescott and Raphael Dunn. They’ve also added Omilio Agard and Jay Harper at cornerback.

With the addition of Lucas, the Badgers currently have the 23rd-ranked recruiting class in all of college football. That ranking is subject to change. Other teams behind them could add more players, raising their scores. But for now, Luke Fickell and his coaching/recruiting staff have accomplished a lot in this recruiting cycle.

It’s pretty impressive that this coaching staff could come in and put a top-25 recruiting class (for now) together in just about eight months. It’s just another reason why Wisconsin football fans are so excited about the future of this program.



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Five-Star Specialist Erik Schmidt Talks Recent Wisconsin Football Visit

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Wisconsin Badgers Football left tackle Joe Thomas Hall of Fame
Photo: Courtesy of AMF Photos

The Wisconsin football program recently hosted several 2025 prospects during the Badgers win over Georgia Southern.

One of those prospects was Erik Schmidt, a touted kicker/punter out of Milwaukee. 

“I had a really good time,” Schmidt told BadgerNotes. “The atmosphere in Madison was great, and everybody was welcoming.”

Erik Schmidt Recaps Recent Wisconsin Football Visit

Per Kohl’s Kicking, Schmidt is a five-star specialist. The Marquette University High School standout is the No. 4 ranked kicker in the nation and the No. 1 punter. 

Wisconsin was the first school to extend an offer to Schmidt and remains his sole offer. However, he has been garnering some interest from other programs.

“Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State,” Schmidt said when asked what schools he’s hearing from at the moment. 

UW coaches Spencer Rymiszewski and Matt Mitchell have been Schmidt’s main points of contact following his scholarship offer. During his visit, he was able to catch up with the coaches and build relationships. 

“I’d say I have a close relationship with the staff. I talk to them multiple times a week.” Schmidt said. “We talked about how my football season is going.” 

It’s not just coaches who have been talking with Schmidt, however. Nathanial Vakos, the Wisconsin football program’s current placekicker, took some time to chat with Schmidt during his visit as well.

“I was able to talk with (Vakos) as well,” Schmidt told BadgerNotes. “We were just catching up because we were at a camp together this past summer.”

Wisconsin is reportedly near the top of Schmidt’s list, but he’s not in any rush to make a decision. He’s still looking to make his rounds and check out some other programs that have shown interest. 

“I’m going to visit Notre Dame and Michigan,” Schmidt said. “I’ll be back in Madison for the Ohio State game.”

That’s one of several standout prospects who will be in attendance for Wisconsin’s big primetime game against the Buckeyes. 

Luke Fickell and company are looking to have a scholarship kicker/punter in the 2025 class. If they are able to reel in one of the nation’s top kickers/punters, that will be a big win for the special teams group.

As it stands, Wisconsin football holds two commitments in the 2025 cycle from Remington Moss and Landyn Locke.


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Wisconsin Football: Badgers Expected to Land 2025 In-State Recruit

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Wisconsin Badgers football coaches Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (left) greets Wisconsin Badgers defensive Coordinator Mike Tressel after Fickell spoke to the media during Wisconsin Badgers football media day at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers Football program struggled to recruit America’s Dairyland in their first full cycle since taking over. That said, they’re hoping to change their fortunes in a deep group of 2025 in-state prospects.

Three-star linebacker Cooper Catalano from Germantown, Wisconsin, is arguably the top linebacker target on their board, and they have hosted him on several unofficial visits, most recently during the Badgers home game vs. Georgia Southern.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Catalano is ranked as the No. 470 player in the nation, the No. 43 linebacker, and the No. 6 player in Wisconsin. He currently holds offers from UW, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan State, and Minnesota.

His fit with Wisconsin football seems obvious, and after his latest trip to Madison, it appears that the recruiting insiders have a gut feeling about where he’ll call home.

Wisconsin Football is Trending for the In-State Linebacker 

Obviously, it’s still early in Cooper Catalano’s recruitment, but all signs point to the Wisconsin Badgers Football team keeping him home.

Badgers recruiting insiders Evan Flood of 247Sports and Jon McNamara of Rivals are in lockstep and have placed predictions for the 6-foot 200-pound linebacker to commit to Wisconsin.

As it stands, Wisconsin football has verbal commitments from quarterback Landyn Locke and defensive back Remington Moss, so it would be even sweeter to add an in-state product into the mix this early.

The Badgers coaching staff has injected some life into the program on the recruiting trail, and plenty of players want a seat at the table before the spots fill up.



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In-State EDGE Nicholas McCullough Recaps Wisconsin Football Visit

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Wisconsin Badgers Football helmet
Mandatory Credit: Aaron Frey-AMF Photos. Follow @amfphotos2020 on Instagram to see more.

Fresh off of a win over top-ranked Mukwonago, Muskego High School standout Nicholas McCullough made a stop at Camp Randall to take in the Wisconsin Badgers football program’s victory over Georgia Southern, where the

“Great visit overall,” McCullough told BadgerNotes. “The atmosphere was amazing per usual. It was great to see coach Scruggs in action.”

Nicholas McCullough Recaps Recent Wisconsin Football Visit

During his visit, McCullough spent some time building his relationships with the coaching staff. He’s been in touch with a pair of UW coaches thus far as they continue to monitor the Muskego native.

“I have a good relationship with the staff. Coach Spalding is an awesome dude, and it’s always good to see him. Coach Scruggs is an amazing coach, and we keep in touch whenever we can.” McCullough explained. “I saw them pregame and just talked about how my season is going so far.”

The Muskego standout has had an impressive season thus far. The undefeated Warriors just took down Mukwonago and have wins over other programs such as Verona, Oak Creek, and Waukesha West. 

His film speaks for itself, as he’s put together quite a highlight reel through five games. 

Not only is McCullough a standout on the field, but he’s an excellent student. According to his Twitter bio, McCullough currently holds a 4.0 GPA. Some schools are taking notice of his excellent academics, including some Ivy League universities.

“Duke and Ivy League (schools) such as Princeton, Penn, Columbia, and Dartmouth,” McCullough said when asked what other schools he’s hearing from. 

McCullough hasn’t picked up an offer from the Badgers yet, but he is planning on another Wisconsin football visit, among some other stops.

“I’m currently working out the details for Ivy League visits. I do plan on coming back to Madison,” McCullough explained.

McCullough has a long way to go in his recruitment, but he was impressed by Wisconsin. At the end of our talk, the junior linebacker discussed what the most important thing will be when he’s choosing a school. 

“Definitely the level of education. Wisconsin does a great job of having the best of both worlds. Great football team and a great education.”

As it stands, the Wisconsin football program holds two commitments in the 2025 class from Remington Moss and Landyn Locke


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here. Also, like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers football news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Jake Maier on Twitter @JakeJMaier.

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