Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment From 3-Star In-State Linebacker

Madison, Wis. – Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program added another in-state talent to the 2024 recruiting class on Wednesday night. 

After picking up an offer from the new staff in January and taking another unofficial visit to Madison, three-star linebacker Landon Gauthier put a bow on his recruitment and announced his commitment to the Badgers. 

Home sweet home 🦡🦡 #committed pic.twitter.com/FtP4jxMfZb

— Landon Gauthier (@landon_gauthier) April 12, 2023

According to the 247Sports Composite, Gauthier is the No. 720 player in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 70 LB in the country, and the No. 8 player in Wisconsin. 

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound honorable mention all-state linebacker from Bay Port High School chose UW over offers from Minnesota, North Dakota State, Ohio, Stanford, Syracuse, and Wyoming. 

During his junior season, the Green Bay native registered 87 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception. 

Scouting Report

The first thing that stands out about Landon Gauthier is his impressive size, length, and physicality for the position. I’d classify the in-state product as more of an old-school linebacker prospect.

He’s instinctual, has an attacking mindset on defense, and has a high IQ that allows him to diagnose plays quickly. Perhaps more importantly, his motor stands out. You can turn on his tape, and rarely do you see someone giving up on any given play.

There are also moments he flashes potential as a pass rusher when he lines up on the edge, showing good bend even if he lacks traditional explosion from an outside linebacker.

Schematically, this makes a ton of sense for Wisconsin football. Mike Tressel wants to be multiple, and Gauthier strikes me as a player you could line up all over the place and use as a versatile chess piece to keep the offense guessing.

I’m not as enamored with Gauthier’s overall athleticism, but it’s important to note that he’s already far bigger than most people his age who play linebacker. So a collegiate strength and conditioning program could quickly improve his playing speed because the other tools are already there.

The word is that Wisconsin’s coaching staff is much higher on Gauthier than the consensus, so we’ll have to trust the evaluation here. I don’t think this is a reach; I just think he’ll need some time to develop.

The Impact of Landon Gauthier Joining the Wisconsin Football Program 

Landon Gauthier is commitment No. 6 for the Wisconsin football program in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Mabrey Mettauer, Grant Stec, Robert Booker, Derek Jensen, and Thomas Heiberger. 

With his addition, UW now has the No. 22 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports. 

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