Wisconsin Football Recruiting: Top 100 Recruit “Loved” Visit to UW

Wisconsin football hosted a number of recruits on its first day of spring practice. Tops among them was a 2025 prospect out of Tennessee. The current high school sophomore’s recruitment is quickly heating up. Fortunately for Wisconsin, head coach Luke Fickell got a head start.

Eli Owens “Loved” Visit with Wisconsin Football

Eli Owens is a four-star recruit in the 2024 class and is the 71st-ranked recruit in the country, according to 247Sports Composite. His visit to Madison was his fourth visit to various schools last week. In just five days, Owens visited Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. A stretch he described as “a long week – great week too.”

When asked what he thought about his visit to UW, Owens excitedly said he “loved it!” The Alcoa, Tennessee native added that he appreciated “getting to see around Madison and around the facility.”

RELATED: Wisconsin Football Recruiting – Badgers Offer Trending 2025 Tight End

After his visits across the midwest last week, I asked Owens what stood out about Wisconsin. Clearly, the injection of energy Badger fans have had outside of the program is running parallel to the energy within the program itself. The tight end prospect said, “everybody in the program wants Wisconsin to be great again, and nothing is going to stop them from being [a] title contender.”

One of Wisconsin’s advantages in a recruiting battle for Owens will be Fickell’s longstanding relationship with him. While Fickell was at Cincinnati, the Bearcats extended a scholarship offer to Owens in April of 2022. Owens made two visits to UC, and they clearly impressed him. With that staff coming to Wisconsin, Owens mentioned that “it was cool getting to see some of the people [he] loved at Cincy.” Building on the relationship the staff built in Cincinnati, Owens said he was able to get “a real feel of what the [Badgers’] program stands for and the changes Coach Fick can make.”

Eli Owens Recruiting Profile

The Alcoa High School sophomore has an incredible athletic profile at six-foot-two inches and 226 pounds. Owens is listed as an athlete at 247Sports, but other recruiting sites (Rivals and On3) list him as a tight end. Owens played tight end and defensive end in his most recent season.

Sophomore year highlights!!!
501 yards.
45 receptions.
6 touchdowns.
11.1 yards per catch.
⁦@NCEC_Recruiting⁩
⁦@NatlPlaymkrsAca⁩ ⁦@scoop1914⁩ ⁦@alcoafootball⁩ https://t.co/zXO1vdwlRq

— Eli Owens (@Eli_Owens19) December 5, 2022

Most of the plays in Owens’ highlight tape are snaps taken at tight end. In the passing game, he uses his impressive size and speed to beat defenders anywhere on the field. When lined up on the outside, Owens outmuscles defensive backs in the secondary. When he is targeted over the middle, Owens is a matchup nightmare who can outrace linebackers.

Along with his impressive strength comes Owens’ impeccable ability as a run-blocker. He often pushes defensive ends away from the play all the way to the sideline. Aside from his talent, it is always appreciated for a recruit to showcase their ability to do that gritty work.

Wisconsin Football Recruiting Battle for Eli Owens

Although his relationship with Fickell and his staff at Cincinnati is an advantage for the Badgers, Wisconsin has a tough battle on its hands to secure a commitment from Owens. He currently holds 14 scholarship offers, including offers from 10 Power 5 schools. His Power 5 offers include Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Michigan, Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Alabama.

Michigan, Wisconsin, and Tennessee appear to be the current front runners to land a commitment from Owens. Between Cincinnati and Wisconsin, he has visited with Fickell and his staff three times. Owens’ visit to Michigan this past week was his second to Ann Arbor. He has also visited with the Volunteers in Knoxville, just 20 minutes from his hometown, on four occasions.

Wisconsin Football Recruiting: State of the 2025 Class

The Badgers have yet to secure a commitment in the 2025 recruiting class. UW has extended scholarship offers to 10 tight end prospects in the class.

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