Wisconsin Football Junior Days Yielding Promising Results

The Wisconsin Badgers football program is off to a hot start in the 2025 recruiting class. 

As it stands, UW holds seven commitments in the cycle, which currently lands them at No. 9 in the country. Of course, it’s very early on, so there will be plenty of movement. However, the early returns have been encouraging for the second full recruiting cycle under Luke Fickell and company. 

One of the main reasons for Wisconsin’s early success in the cycle has been the program’s junior days. After three rounds of visits, these recruiting events have yielded some promising results. 

Wisconsin Football Junior Days Yielding Promising Results

The Badgers hosted a handful of big-time prospects in Wisconsin’s first junior day event on January 13th. Headliners for the weekend were four-star in-state offensive lineman Owen Strebig, five-star specialist Erik Schmidt, and four-star DB Jaimier Scott, among several others. 

Luke Fickell and company were able to shut down multiple recruitments after the first round, as the Badgers picked up commitments from Jaimier Scott, Cody Haddad, and Brenden Anes off the heels of their visits. 

UW kept the momentum going after two junior days on February 4th and 5th. While they did not secure any commitments after the visits, the Badgers seemingly moved the needle for a couple of prospects. 

Three-star in-state DL Torin Pettaway has seen his recruitment pick up steam as of late, but the Badgers are in a great spot for the Middleton High School standout. Pettaway was offered during his visit, and multiple Crystal Ball predictions were cast for UW to land his services shortly after. The three-star prospect has made it clear that he has a desire to play for his hometown team, and the UW staff could be nearing a commitment after a successful visit. 

The Badgers also picked up a Crystal Ball prediction for Samuel Lateju, a three-star OLB, off the heels of his visit. Despite initially being recruited by former safeties coach Colin Hitschler, UW has kept itself well-positioned for the rising junior out of New Jersey. 

Final Thoughts

Luke Fickell and company have only been in Madison since the beginning of 2023, but they’ve already made a massive impact on the recruiting trail. In the 2024 recruiting cycle, the new regime made program history by reaching the coveted 50% blue-chip ratio after signing 11 four-star prospects. As the staff has turned the page to the next recruiting class, early returns have been promising. 

It should be noted that Wisconsin was able to secure commitments and Crystal Ball predictions for players who were primarily recruited by Colin Hitschler, who left the Wisconsin football program for a job at Alabama. Losing one of your best recruiters can be troublesome for any program, especially one with the prowess of Hitschler. Regardless, the Badgers have been able to lock down or put themselves in a great position in several recruitments. 

Wisconsin has invested a lot into their junior days, and it has already paid off. Should the Crystal Ball predictions hold true, UW will have earned commitments from five prospects off the backs of their visits. 

It’s early in the cycle, but it’s hard not to be impressed with how the Wisconsin Badgers staff has continued to make waves on the recruiting trail.

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