Wisconsin Football to Host Top FCS Pass-Rusher on Recruiting Visit

Luke Fickell and the University of Wisconsin football program will have one of the most productive edge-rushers in the entire FCS on campus this weekend for an official recruiting visit to Madison.

William & Mary linebacker John Pius, an FCS All-American, has emerged as one of the Badgers’ top targets to beef up Wisconsin’s pass rush and is someone the coaching staff is aggressively pursuing. He confirmed the upcoming visit with BadgerNotes.com.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Pius quickly picked up scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, and UCONN.

Pius earned first-team All-Conference honors in back-to-back seasons, including being named an FCS runner-up for defensive player of the year in 2022, and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Wisconsin Football to Host FCS Transfer Portal Edge Rusher John Pius on Recruiting Visit.

The Wisconsin football program needs an influx of talent at outside linebacker, considering the Badgers pass-rush produced just 9.5 sacks as an entire unit this past season.

Darryl Peterson and Jeff Pietrowski are the top returning linebackers who played the most snaps but lack the overall explosiveness to be game-wreckers for the Badgers. Wisconsin thought they had another option in Leon Lowery Jr, but he de-committed less than 24 hours after pledging.

That brings us to John Pius, who spent the last four seasons at William & Mary before entering the transfer portal. Across 38 games in four seasons, Pius recorded 171 total tackles, 133 pressures, 40.5 tackles for loss, 24.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries.

FCS Player To Watch 📈:
John Pius, OLB, William & Mary

2022 Stats:
72 Tackles | 19 TFL | 11.5 Sacks

2022 Accolades:
• CAA DPOY
• All-CAA 1st Team
• AP FCS All-American 1st Team
• Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Finalist @john_pius8 @WMTribeFootball
pic.twitter.com/BZbj3sHTVk

— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) June 30, 2023

According to Pro Football Focus, Pius finished 2023 with a grade of 85.1 and an elite pass-rushing grade of 90.8. He’s also registered at least 39 pressures in each of the last three seasons.

Wisconsin football coaches want this one bad, according to a source. We’ll see how it shakes out after the weekend, but the Badgers getting him on campus for an official visit just days after the portal opened is undoubtedly encouraging.

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