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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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. 

📍University Of Wisconsin today 🦡🔴⚪️

— I’Marion_Stewart (@IMarion_Stewart) March 25, 2023

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. 

I had a great time at Wisconsin this weekend ! @BadgerFootball @CoachHitsch @PatLambert13 #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/KSwWjns6KM

— LeonTre “Smiley” Bradford (@estltre) March 26, 2023

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. 

Great time at Wisconsin today!! Enjoyed getting up to Madison and seeing some familiar faces in new places!! @NateLetton @_maximus347 @PatLambert13 @NCEC_Recruiting @NatlPlaymkrsAca @alcoafootball pic.twitter.com/IIzgn0I9Y8

— Eli Owens (@Eli_Owens19) March 25, 2023

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. 

On a snowy day in Madison I got an offer to earn a degree play football and can wrestle!! Thank you @WisFBRecruiting 💪🏾🏅🏅🏅💪🏾@HilltoppersFB @JCAwrestling @BadgerWrestling @AllenTrieu @Rivals_Clint @nexgenscouting @EDGYTIM pic.twitter.com/phioeIoJO1

— Dillan M Johnson (@DillanMJohnson1) March 25, 2023

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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Wisconsin football extended a scholarship offer to Da’Saahn Brame on Friday. The class of 2025 tight end prospect’s recruitment has heated up in the last couple of months. Although he has not yet received a rating from any of the major recruiting outlets, Brame’s athletic build suggests he will be a talented player at the next level.

Blessed to have received an offer from the University Of Wisconsin!!@NateLetton @DerbyRecruit #AGTG #GoBadgers pic.twitter.com/OJsaFPFCFv

— DaSaahn Brame (@dasaahn) March 17, 2023

Da’Saahn Brame Recruiting Profile

Brame, just a sophomore in high school, measures-in at six-foot-six-inches and 225 pounds. His long build gives him the ability to outstretch defenders with his extended catch radius. Although his blocking ability is still a work in progress from a technical aspect, Brame possesses the strength to outmatch many defenders.

The Derby, Kansas native has deep ties to the Kansas State Wildcats. His father, Da’Von, played defensive end for the Wildcats in 1996-2000. His mother, Nicky Ramage-Brame, played basketball at Kansas State during this same timeframe. In her senior year of high school, Nicky was Miss Kansas Basketball.

Da’Saahn Brame Highlight Reel

Brame has received ten FBS scholarship offers since January. All but one are from Power 5 schools. Brame’s other scholarship offers are from Michigan, Houston, Penn State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and UAB. Brame has an unofficial visit to Oklahoma scheduled for March 25th.

Wisconsin Football Recruiting: State of the 2025 Class

Wisconsin football has yet to secure a commitment in its 2025 recruiting class. The Badgers have extended scholarship offers to nine tight end prospects in the class.

RELATED: Wisconsin Football Is a Destination for Mettauer, Mordecai, Top QBs

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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 Kedrick Stumbris on Twitter @KedrickStumbris.

Join the Badger Notes watch party! Stream Wisconsin Badgers games and chat with fans by following this link.