FB Recruiting

Wisconsin Football: How Luke Fickell Intends to Recruit at UW

Published

5 months ago

January 5, 2023

MADISON, Wis. – It’s been a whirlwind month and some change since Luke Fickell was introduced as the 31st head coach of the Wisconsin football program back in late November.

During his introductory press conference, coach Fickell covered a myriad of topics surrounding his vision for the program, schematics, and everyone’s favorite, recruiting.

“I do not want to be a transfer team,” Fickell told UW reporters. “I’m a high school recruiting guy that says it’s about the development of young men.”

How Does Wisconsin Football HC Luke Fickell Intend to Recruit at UW?

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and, in many ways, comes down to building relationships, trust, and a track record of helping young athletes attain their goals.

More than that, recruiting also comes down to geography and a player’s proximity to home.

“Within a 300-mile radius, that will be the core of what we do here,” Fickell said in his introductory press conference. “I have a good grasp on that; obviously, I have to learn a lot more about the 50-mile, 60-mile, 100-mile radius, but I know that as you get into Chicago and the areas where you have done an unbelievable job, there’s a lot of roots that have built there. I know that if we can kind of capture that like we did, with that 300-mile radius where the core of the program is, then we can extend to the other areas.”

While simplistic, his process for team building makes a ton of sense, especially for the Wisconsin football program. The Badgers state doesn’t churn out a plethora of four and five-star prospects, but the Badgers must keep a proverbial fence around the state to ensure their top in-state kids stay home.

“My job is to figure out what’s been real successful here,” Fickell said. “I’m still in that process, but I know that the 300-mile radius is an opportunity to make this program, this team, a championship team.”

Final thoughts

Coach Fickell has a strong track record of player development, so it’ll be important for fans to give him time to mold and construct the roster in his vision.

He had a player/s selected in every NFL draft since taking over at the University of Cincinnati, including several early-round picks – so Fickell knows what he’s doing.

Like we’ve seen from Wisconsin football over the years, he’s trying to create something sustainable. Coach Fickell deserves the time and patience required to build this program the right way – so please, don’t get hung up on recruiting rankings, because as we’ve seen in the past, they’re not the end all be all.

Wisconsin Badgers HC Luke Fickell Is a Helluva Salesman

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Wisconsin Football Lands 2024 Three-Star Interior Offensive Lineman

Published

17 hours ago

June 6, 2023

Jake Maier

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin football program has picked up its fourth commit in the last three days, with three-star offensive lineman Ryan Cory coming on board.

The news comes just an hour after four-star OT Kevin Heywood announced his commitment to Wisconsin.

Cory took to Twitter to announce his commitment.

Committed. @CoachFick @CoachBicknell @CoachPhilLongo @CaseyRabach_61 @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @BrianDohn247 @outerlim @210ths @Coach_LeDonne #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/iEuQLDQm0J

— Ryan Cory (@RyanCory15) June 7, 2023

Wisconsin beat out offers from Pitt, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Oregon, Rutgers, and many more. Cory was set to visit Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt in the coming weeks.

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Cory is the No. 778 player in the nation, the No. 50 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 24 player in Pennsylvania.

What Ryan Cory brings to the Wisconsin football program

Cory is coming off a remarkable junior season. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman received First-Team All-Conference honors and earned a state championship win.

Looking at his film, there’s a lot to like about his upside. Cory is fearless in creating contact against defenders at the second level while putting out some key blocks for his tailback. His hand speed and placement also stand out.

In pass-blocking reps, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman is a brick wall. Cory can easily contain power moves from opposing linemen with his strength. He rarely gets off balance and consistently creates leverage against defenders.

Cory will be an excellent depth piece for the offensive line while he works on his craft. If the Pennsylvania native can refine his technique a bit more, he could be an impactful lineman for Wisconsin.

Cory joins Kevin Heywood and Derek Jensen as linemen to commit to UW. The Wisconsin football program now holds 12 commitments in the 2024 cycle.

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FB Recruiting

Wisconsin Football Lands 2024 Four-Star Offensive Lineman Commit

Published

18 hours ago

June 6, 2023

Jake Maier

Wisconsin football stadium: Camp Randall

Sep 10, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger prior to the game against the Washington State Cougars at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin football program has picked up a commitment from one of the nation’s premier offensive linemen.

Four-star OT Kevin Heywood took to Twitter to announce his commitment to Wisconsin.

Committed. @CoachFick @CoachBicknell @CoachHitsch @CoachPhilLongo @BCstrength @PatLambert13 @_maximus347 @nolanrucci @CullenLCasey @CaseyRabach_61 @MikeWakins pic.twitter.com/QuASQN786M

— Kevin Heywood (@KevHeywood52) June 6, 2023

UW beat out offers from some juggernaut programs, including Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Michigan, USC, and many more.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Heywood is the No. 266 player in the nation, the No. 25 OT, and the No. 5 player in Pennsylvania.

The four-star prospect began his official visit to Wisconsin on June 2nd. He was slated to take officials to Kentucky, Auburn, and USC in the coming weeks. Instead, Heywood decided to commit to the Wisconsin football program on the same weekend.

The Badgers missed out on multiple in-state offensive linemen to Penn State early in the 2024 cycle. Because of that, securing multiple offensive linemen quickly became a priority for UW, and they were able to poach a top player out of Pennsylvania.

What Kevin Heywood brings to the Wisconsin football program

The first thing that jumps out for Heywood is his frame. Standing at 6-foot-7, 280-pound, Heywood stands out in his class, and he uses his size well. He consistently gets his hands at pad level and is able to drive defenders off of the line of scrimmage.

The Pennsylvania native thrives in pass pro. With his size, he’s a brick wall on the offensive front who can easily stop rushers in their tracks.

Heywood is a prototypical Wisconsin offensive lineman. His skill set could make him an immediate difference-maker on UW’s offensive front.

With the commitment, the Wisconsin football program holds 11 commits in the 2024 cycle. Heywood joins in-state OT Derek Jensen as the sole offensive line commits in the 2024 cycle.

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Breaking Down the Wisconsin Badgers Newest 2024 Defensive Line Commit

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2023

Dillon Graff

Wisconsin Football defensive line commit Hank Weber

Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment From 2024 DL Hank Weber

Madison, Wis. — In need of a serious revamping of the defensive line, the Wisconsin football coaching staff knew these next couple of weekends would be huge for the future of the defense.

The first domino of that DL revamp fell on Monday when the Badgers received a verbal commitment from 2024 three-star defensive lineman Hank Weber out of Brentwood, Tennesee, following an official visit to Madison this past weekend.

Pumped to Jump Around for the next 4 years!! 🦡 #committed #OnWisconsin @BadgerFootball @CoachFick @G_Scruggs @CoachMikeTress @_maximus347 @PatLambert13 @theBAFootball pic.twitter.com/XAtFwLUKSA

— hank weber (@hankweber8) June 5, 2023

According to 247Sports, Weber is the No. 99 DL in the country and the No. 37 player in Tennessee. The three-star recruit chose Wisconsin over offers from North Carolina, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Purdue, Virginia Tech, and several others.

“Wisconsin had everything that I was looking for in a college and program,” Weber said. “The defense that coach Mike Tressel runs was appealing because of how aggressive it is. And I’ve been told that coach Fickell sometimes likes to lead the defensive line meetings. That was a huge deal for me.”

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive prospect is Greg Scruggs’ first commit in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Scouting Report

Hank Weber is, by my evaluation, a solid but unspectacular prospect. That’s not to say I’m writing him off, though.

Although his pad level and ability to get off the ball were underwhelming, his pursuit and technique after the snap stood out. There is an undeniable blend of length and power as a pass-rusher that you love to see, and he strikes me as the type of assignment-sound player that could develop into a reliable starter with some time to fill out his frame.

One thing I love about Weber is that he also plays offensive line, so he’s got a tenacity and motor about him that is a must-have in a defensive line prospect.

Overall, I think Weber was a solid get, and for a re-tooling defensive line, he’s a solid start to what should be a large class of recruits at the position. I’ll like this commit even better if he’s paired with someone that has more pass-rushing upside.

The Impact of Hank Weber Joining the Wisconsin Football Program

Vernon Woodward is commitment No. 10 for the Wisconsin football program in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Mabrey Mettauer, Grant Stec, Robert Booker, Derek Jensen, Thomas Heiberger, Landon Gauthier, Kyan Berry-Johnson, Kahmir Prescott, and Vernon Woodward.

With his addition, UW now has the No. 21 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports.

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