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Wisconsin Football Recruiting Roundup: Visitors, New Offer, More

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Wisconsin Football
Wisconsin offensive linemen Riley Mahlman (left) and Barrett Nelson complete a drill during the team's first spring practice on March 25, 2023 at the McClain Center in Madison, Wis. Uw Football Spring Practice 2 March 25 2023

It was a busy weekend for the Wisconsin football program on the recruiting front, 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 Badgers Hosted Top WR Target on Visit 

Spring has officially sprung, which means spring practice is upon us, and on-campus visits should start picking up in a big way for the Wisconsin football program. 

Everyone’s attention was understandably on the first practice session open to the media, but UW also had several notable visitors on campus worth discussing. 

The most notable one, in my eyes, was four-star wide receiver I’Marion Stewart out of Chicago, Illinois. 

It was Stewart’s first time returning to campus since UW’s junior day in January. Also worth noting is that Michigan appears to be the heavy favorite for the Bolingbrook High School standout. However, he’s still considering Tennessee, Oregon, Illinois, UW, Nebraska, and Mississippi. 

You can watch his HUDL film here.

With a young, talented room of pass catchers, Wisconsin can be pickier with their offers, and Stewart appears to be at or near the top of their board. It will be an uphill climb, but Luke Fickell and his staff are still very much on his radar. 

Wisconsin Football Hosted Fast-Rising 3-Star Safety

Another intriguing player the Wisconsin football program had on campus was three-star safety Leontre Bradford out of East Saint Louis, Illinois, who made his first trip to Madison. 

According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot, 185-pound S recorded 94 tackles, two sacks, two fumbles recoveries, and an interception as a junior. 

You can watch his HUDL film here

Bradford, the No. 56 safety in the country, holds Power 5 offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon, Purdue, Syracuse, and Wisconsin. 

“What stood out to me about Wisconsin was how historical the visit was. They seem to have a lot of tradition there,” Bradford told BadgerBlitz.com

Wisconsin Football Targeting Elite 2025 Tight End Prospect

Already holding commitments from both of its top-of-the-board tight-end prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, the Wisconsin football staff has turned the page and is now in hot pursuit of one of the top options in 2025. 

UW hosted 2025 four-star TE Eli Owens out of Alcoa, Tennesee, on his first unofficial visit to Madison this past weekend. 

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore caught 45 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns this past season on 11.1 yards per catch. 

You can watch his HUDL film here

For those who aren’t aware, Badgers TE coach Nate Letton has built a strong relationship with Owens, and the current coaching staff offered him over a year ago while they were at Cincinnati. 

Owens won’t be an easy recruiting battle, considering he already holds offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, and others. However, the Badgers staff can put on the full-court press because UW’s set in the 2024 class. 

Other Wisconsin Football Recruiting News

During an unofficial visit to Madison this past weekend, Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to 2024 three-star defensive lineman Dillan Johnson out of Joliet, Illinois. 

The 6-foot-2, 287-pound prospect, which UW wants as a nose tackle, is also a three-time state wrestling champion at DeSales High School and is being recruited by Wisconsin in both sports. 

You can watch his HUDL film here.

Johnson currently holds offers from Cal, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri, Northwestern, Tulane, Washington State, Wyoming, and several others. 

It’s become apparent that DL coach Greg Scruggs and the new defensive staff values versatility among d-lineman, and someone like Johnson, who plays with some nasty, makes a ton of sense. 


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.

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Breaking Down the Wisconsin Badgers Newest 2024 Defensive Line Commit

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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. 

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.


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Wisconsin Football Adds Australian Punter, New 2024 Commit, More

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Wisconsin Badgers Football Stadium
Sep 3, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Camp Randall Stadium prior to the game between the Illinois State Redbirds and Wisconsin Badgers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

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 Badgers news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Address Their Special Teams Need

Exiting spring practice, Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell voiced his concern about the Badgers’ punting situation.

“I’m a little bit concerned we’ve got to figure some things out probably in the punting situation,” Fickell said after the final spring practice. “I know it’s a tougher time, but we don’t get outside nearly as much to see those guys have an opportunity to punt the ball and for us to return it as well.”

Thankfully, that issue was addressed with Wisconsin landing a commitment from Atticus Bertrams, a native of Melbourne, Australia, who will be on scholarship in 2023.

Bertrams had previously committed to USC in 2021 but didn’t enroll. Instead, he spent his time training at Prokick, an academy in Australia that has produced six Ray Guy Award-winning punters.

He immediately slots in as Wisconsin’s top punter ahead of Jack Van Dyke and Gavin Meyers, who left something to be desired during spring practice. Bertrams has some big shoes to fill following the departure of Andy Vujnovich.

Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment From 3-Star Florida CB 

Following an official visit to Madison, the Wisconsin football coaching staff added their first cornerback prospect of the 2024 cycle in three-star cornerback Vernon Woodward, out of Winter Park, Florida.

According to the industry-generated composite rankings, he is the No. 74 cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 128 player in Florida.

Woodward chose UW over scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Illinois, Cincinnati, Missouri, Purdue, UCF, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and several others.

As a junior, the 6-foot-2 cornerback registered 57 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. But perhaps the most telling stat from Woodward’s junior season is that he was targeted only twice all year, which speaks volumes about his ability to blanket WRs at that level. 

You can watch his HUDL film here.

Vernon Woodward is commitment No. 9 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, and Kahmir Prescott. 

Other Wisconsin Football News

According to a report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the Wisconsin football team is adding a senior defensive analyst to the coaching staff. 

UW is adding Rhode Island defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jack Cooper as a senior defensive analyst next season after serving in his previous role since 2020. He also served as a quality control coach for Nebraska for two seasons. 

Coach Cooper helped lead Rhode Island to a top-50 defensive unit in 2021 and a 7-4 record overall, their highest win total in two decades. 

This addition is precisely the kind of coaching hire top-tier programs are making nowadays because they don’t count against the allowed amount of paid assistants. The beauty in adding an experienced coach like Jack Cooper is that you have an internal candidate you’re comfortable with should someone on your staff move on. 


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.

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Wisconsin Football Lands Commitment from 2024 Three-Star Defensive Lineman

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Sep 17, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader carries the Wisconsin flag during the game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin football program picked up another commitment from a loaded June 2nd recruiting weekend.

Three-star defensive lineman Hank Weber took to Twitter to announce his commitment to Wisconsin.

UW beat out offers from North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Purdue, and others. 

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, Weber is the No. 1070 player in the nation, the No. 99 defensive lineman, and the No. 37 player in Tennessee. 

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive lineman originally planned to commit in August. Instead, Weber opted to stay in Madison following his official visit. He will forgo his officials to Vanderbilt and North Carolina with his commitment.

Scouting report

Weber is a prototypical Wisconsin defensive lineman. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound DL has a quick burst off the line of scrimmage to pair with excellent anticipation and vision to blow up plays. 

The three-star prospect is a tenacious lineman who is often the aggressor when met with contact. He thrives as a bull rusher, but the Tennesee native’s technique is sound when using rip and swim moves. 

Weber also brings some versatility to Wisconsin. Although he typically lines up on the edge, his frame allows him to play on the interior defensive line. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where he’ll line up with Wisconsin, but Weber has the tools to be an all-around impactful lineman.

You can watch his full HUDL highlights here.

The Wisconsin football program has started June off with a bang. Three-star cornerback Vernon Woodward committed yesterday, and now Weber is on board. There’s more on the way, so be sure to stay tuned to Badger Notes.

Wisconsin now has ten commitments in the 2024 recruiting cycle.


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 Jake Maier on Twitter @JakeJMaier.

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