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Wisconsin Football Getting a Visit From 5-Star DT, Aaron Witt Injury Update, More

Published

7 months ago

March 7, 2023

Wisconsin Badgers Football...Colin Hitschler

It’s been a busy couple of days for the Wisconsin football program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Getting an Official Visit from 5-Star D-Lineman

Luke Fickell and his coaching staff have been relentless on the recruiting trail since taking over the Wisconsin football program. Now they’ll get one of the nation’s top defensive players in the 2024 cycle on campus.

According to a report from Steve Wilfong, five-star defensive tackle David Stone, who plays for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, will visit Madison the second week of June.

“Their d-line coach just came from the league, their new one; he is a Super Bowl champion,” Stone told 247Sports. “I feel like he can use me the same way in their scheme to help me get into the league; that’s all I want to do.”

According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound prospect is the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 2 DL in the country, and the No. 1 player in Florida.

Stone currently holds 30+ scholarship offers, most notably from Michigan State, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.

It’s unlikely that Wisconsin football can work their way into the mix, considering he already has crystal ball projections from multiple writers for Oklahoma. However, getting him on campus for an official visit is certainly noteworthy.

Wisconsin Football Gives an Update on OLB Aaron Witt

It’s been nearly 800 days since once-promising outside linebacker Aaron Witt played for the Wisconsin Badgers in the storied Dukes Mayo Bowl.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound pass rusher appeared in five games during his true freshman season but showed serious flashes, registering three tackles, two TFLs, one sack, and a forced fumble.

Since then, he’s been dealing with a nagging right leg injury that’s kept him out since the spring of 2021, and after Wisconsin football reporters met with OLB coach Matt Mitchell on Monday, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to be an option two full years later.

Coach Mitchell stated that Aaron Witt is still battling an injury and doubts he’ll be able to take part in the spring.

#Badgers OLB coach Matt Mitchell said Aaron Witt is still battling an injury and doubts he’ll be able to take part in spring. He hasn’t played since the 2020 Mayo Bowl.

— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) March 6, 2023

This news is highly discouraging for several reasons. First, Witt is an immensely talented player who is long, strong, and physical that can rush the quarterback and set the edge — UW could undoubtedly use someone with his talents this upcoming season.

Second, it has to be incredibly difficult for someone mentally and physically to work back from injury over this long duration.

Nobody knows if he’ll ever get the chance to regain full health and get back onto the field, but he’s someone all Wisconsin football fans will be rooting for if he ever does.

Other Wisconsin Football News

One last nugget worth mentioning came from Wisconsin Badgers new tight end coach Nate Letton.

During a recent media availability, he mentioned that former fullback Riley Nowakowski is moving to tight end + Clay Cundiff might be available for non-contact drills late in the spring.

The Nowakowski move makes a ton of sense, considering Wisconsin’s unlikely to use a fullback in 2023. He filled in at tight end last season when UW had depth issues, and he was also the Badgers best-blocking fullback.

But the real news here is that Cundiff, who suffered his second-straight season-ending injury, could resume activities ahead of fall camp. If healthy, he projects as the no-brainer TE1 for Wisconsin football next season. He’s one of few options that’s a legitimate threat as a pass-catcher that can make plays up the seam.

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