With a recent visit, the University of Wisconsin football team not only secured Jaden Woods a spot at a top school, but also earned him a return trip to Madison later this year.
Woods, who plays out of Shawnee Mill Valley, Kansas, has previously made winter visits to Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin. The visit to Madison took place during the Badgers' final Junior Day event on Feb. 4, but his time with the coaches and staff influenced his decision when he announced his top 13 schools late last month. .
Wisconsin qualified along with Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
“Just the guys there were great guys,” Woods said of putting the Badgers in the top group. “Words can't describe the worst time I had there. It was a great time the entire time. Everyone was really serious. I think that's what stood out to me the most.
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“And obviously position and scheme are also important. When it comes to football, it's going to be a very good scheme for an outside linebacker to play. And you want to get the best out of all your players. He's also a really good coach.”
Woods, the No. 198 player in the nation in the 2025 class according to On3's industry rankings, said his relationship with Wisconsin outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell was “already very strong” before his Junior Day visit. Ta. Woods announced his offer from the Badgers in August, and the program envisions him starting at the outside linebacker “jack” perimeter position, but he will eventually play the outside linebacker role. He said he would learn.
“(Mitchell) says he's asking his outside linebackers to do a few different things: build an edge on the run, pass rush, coverage…and on special teams because he's the special teams coordinator. It's about playing,” Woods said. “I think being versatile is the biggest thing he tried to give me. What I really want to do in college is make more film to show to the NFL.”
The Junior Day visit also set up a round trip to Wisconsin for an official visit in late May. Woods, who is listed as 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds in the huddle, also plans to return to West Lafayette for an official visit with Purdue in June. Unofficial visits in the spring are expected to include visits to Kansas State, Michigan State, Tennessee, Florida State, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oregon State.
Woods is scheduled to join the program in the first week of July after his official visit, but relationships and growth will be key to his decision. How interested is he in Wisconsin?
“I'm very interested,” he said.
Here are the out-of-state targets the Badgers are recruiting for defense:
Wisconsin is considering several other outside linebackers.
Wisconsin is already projected to have two outside linebackers in the 2025 class in three-star recruits Brenden Anez and Samuel Latteju. Lateju, who plays at the same school as 2024 three-star defensive athlete signed Rafael Dunn, announced his decision earlier this month.
The Badgers also signed two 2024 four-star recruits, Thomas Highberger and Anel Raffaele, who are already on campus as early enrollees.
The University of Wisconsin has only six scholarship players at outside linebacker on its spring 2024 roster. There are no second- and third-year scholarship players at this position, as freshman Jordan Meyer transferred during the offseason.
Woods, Latege and Austin Alexander all visited Wisconsin during Junior Day events the same weekend. Alexander, a consensus four-star recruit out of Kentucky, continues to garner significant interest from programs across the country like Woods. Alexander visited when the Badgers hosted Ohio State in late October.
Announced offers include Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, They come from schools in Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Another name to keep an eye on is St. Joseph Prep standout Anthony Sacca. The four-star recruit was a top-five pick by Alabama, Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin in February.
Keep an eye on Wisconsin's defensive lineman recruitment
Thacker's high school teammate, Maxwell Roy, is also a target for the Badgers. The consensus four-star recruit was recently named to the program's top group, and the Badgers remain in contention with Duke, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Rutgers.
Cade Pietrzak traveled to Wisconsin for the Feb. 3 Junior Day event, but also visited Madison for last season's opener against Buffalo.
247Sports and Rivals currently rank the North Dakota State product as a three-star recruit. He has announced offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, Florida State, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Southern California, Stanford, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and more.
The University of Wisconsin came to the Cincinnati area in January and offered St. Xavier lineman Gordie Sulfstead. He also has announced offers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Miami, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford, Virginia, Washington and more.
Wisconsin welcomes three defensive linemen as part of the 2024 class: four-star recruits Ernest Wheeler Jr. and Dylan Johnson, and Tennessee native Hank Weber. New defensive line coach EJ Whitlow, replacing Greg Scruggs who left for Michigan, will need to quickly build trust with these targets. Whitlow's presence had already helped secure the commitment of 2025 defensive lineman Torin Pettaway from Middleton.
Added another potential interior linebacker to watch
Wisconsin has already verbally signed 2025 in-state standout Cooper Catalano (Germantown) at inside linebacker and 2024 early enrollee Landon Gauthier (Green). Bay Bayport). Keep an eye out for Mason Posa, who is a four-star recruit on 247Sports and On3's industry rankings.
The New Mexico native continues to garner national attention. He has announced offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, USC, Stanford, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and more.
Posa visited Wisconsin last season during homecoming week against Rutgers, and his 247Sports profile lists him taking an official visit to Madison in late May.
Wisconsin is working on its defensive backfield, but could add
Three of Wisconsin's seven players in the 2025 class are expected to play in the defensive backfield: Remington Moss, Cody Haddad and Jaimir Scott. The Badgers also signed three cornerbacks in 2024 in Omilio Agard, Jay Harper and Xavier Lucas, with Dunn initially able to play the “dollar” position on defense (a hybrid of safety and off-ball linebacker). He was named as a player.
Zadian Gentry, a cornerback prospect out of McKinney High School in Texas, is a four-star recruit from On3. He announced that he will make an official visit to Wisconsin in late May.
Mason Alexander, a four-star recruit in the ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports composite rankings, is scheduled to take an official visit to Wisconsin in June. The Badgers were named to Alexander's list of top 12 programs announced on New Year's Eve. Missouri, Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Maryland, Purdue, Tennessee, Miami and Pittsburgh also made the cut.
Alexander, an Indiana native, recently announced an offer from upcoming Big Ten opponent Oregon State.
Rags to Roses: Relive Wisconsin Football's 1993 Season
introduction
The 1993 Wisconsin Badgers football team continues to hold a special place in the program's history, which led the BadgerExtra team to create a five-part documentary series that takes fans behind the scenes 30 years later. did.
The series featured players from Alvarez and then-UW-Madison President Donna Shalala to players like quarterback Darrell Bevell, lineman Joe Panos and linebacker Yusef Burgess. Contains interviews with more than a dozen key figures.
