Wisconsin Football Recruiting: 2023 Class In Review

With National Signing Day in the rearview mirror, Wisconsin football has put a bow on its 2023 class. With 15 high school recruits and 13 transfers, head coach Luke Fickell capped his first 70 days on the job with a Signing Day surprise. Throughout those 70 days, however, is where Fickell created the core of this class. Between Fickell’s introductory press conference and National Signing Day, it became clear that this is no longer your father’s Wisconsin football.

Wisconsin Football’s Recruiting Identity Is Changed Forever

Recruiting football players to Madison has an entirely different ethos now. Putting the quality of prospects aside, this new coaching staff has put recruiting front and center. Landing blue-chip athletes felt like an enormous challenge for the Badgers in years past. In this class, Wisconsin signed three four-star prospects out of high school and four former four-stars out of the transfer portal. To top it all off, Fickell and Longo brought Mabrey Mettauer, another four-star quarterback, into the 2024 class. 

These results do not come without putting in the work. Each commitment now comes with a carefully timed announcement. On visits, the staff woos recruits with exciting entrances to the football facilities, hype videos, and impressively edited graphics. Recruiting at Wisconsin is choreographed now in a way that was lacking in years past. While some aspects may seem flashy, those bells and whistles attract recruits. It may be a departure from the ho-hum nature Badger fans are used to; it is hard to question the results to date.

Wisconsin Football Can Go Toe-to-Toe With Anyone

Wisconsin football sought high-level talent in this class. Fickell wanted more than just taking what might have been left over. Regardless of star ratings, the level of athletes Wisconsin has recruited under Fickell is evident based on what other schools the Badgers battled on the recruiting trail.

• Amare Snowden is a cornerback from Michigan. Snowden originally committed to Cincinnati over schools, including Notre Dame, Penn State, and Wisconsin. After decommitting from Cincy, Snowden received an offer to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado before he chose to follow Fickell to UW.
• Jamel Howard is a defensive tackle from Illinois. After initially committing to Wisconsin, he re-opened his recruitment, and experts widely expected him to commit to Michigan. Howard visited Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, and Miami, but Fickell brought him back into the class on National Signing Day.
• CJ Williams is a wide receiver transferring from USC. In high school, Williams had offers from any school you could think of, including Auburn, Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.
• Tanner Mordecai will presumably be Wisconsin’s starting quarterback next season. A graduate transfer, he recorded 72 total passing touchdowns in his two seasons at SMU. Mordecai would have been a hot commodity on the open market, but he immediately committed to Wisconsin upon entering the transfer portal.

Wisconsin Football Roster: What Changes Are Still To Come?

With Wisconsin football’s incoming recruiting class, the Badgers project to have 89 players on scholarship. Teams have a scholarship cap of 85, so at least four players will be departing. The next window for players to enter the transfer portal is May 1st – 15th. After spring practice, who may choose to exit the program will be more apparent.

Fickell, impressively, kept most of the Badgers’ roster together. Only nine players transferred out following his hiring. For so many players to at least give the new regime, a chance during spring practice speaks to his ability to sell his vision for the Wisconsin football program.

There have been plenty of exciting additions to the roster for Wisconsin football. However, stay tuned to BadgerNotes over the next few months because there will be more roster turnover this spring.

Read More: Wisconsin Football Is a Destination for Mettauer, Mordecai, Top Quarterbacks

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