MADISON, Wis. — Last June, Luke Fickell made his point clear when discussing Wisconsin's in-state recruiting efforts in his first year on the job. We have to be better. And we won't stop until we do.
At the time, the Badgers were in the midst of an unusual recruiting cycle. Within five days, they lost Mukwonago offensive lineman Nathan Roy, the state's top-ranked player, to Minnesota. He became the first 247Sports Composite No. 1 player in the state in eight years not to sign with Wisconsin. The Badgers also lost committed tight end Rob Booker II, who committed to UCLA (though he would eventually sign with the University of Wisconsin).
Considering the fact that Wisconsin missed out on offensive lineman Garrett Sexton and did not re-offer running back Corey Smith and offensive lineman Donovan Haber (all three went to Penn State). To those outside the program, the Badgers' biggest traditional advantage, which felt as if it were one, has crumbled. After all, the basic principle established by former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez was to build a wall around the state and never let it go.
Fickell understands the value of retaining in-state players and vowed to fight any breakup in the future. But he also noted that the coaching staff is new, with few connections to people in the state other than Director of Scouting Casey Laback, and that several major programs are trying to establish a foothold in the area with their coaches. He also knew that the battle would not be easy, considering that he was just starting to make it. He had a longer relationship with the prospect than Fickell.
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Nine months later, with the hiring cycle winding down and his eyes set on hiring beyond 2025, Fickell was asked last week to assess the current situation and whether he thought his staff was expanding into the state. It was done. He offered a similar refrain.
“We're not there yet,” Fickell said. “We're making progress, but we're not there yet. We can't lose kids in the state that we need to have and need to have. We have some good players in the state. It's not going to get any easier because it's acknowledged. I don't know if there are this many people in Florida, Georgia, California, or Texas. But as many as there are in most places. There are a lot of high-end guys.
“It might be three or four people. But those are the ones you have to do a very good job of. In some cases, especially around here, you start when they're a freshman or sophomore and they're It means knowing who you are. Being late or not is no excuse. You have to find a way to close.”
Fickell cannot discuss specific recruits due to NCAA rules. But the state's top two players in 2025, who have offers from the University of Wisconsin, will once again be headed elsewhere. Offensive tackle Owen Stbig and tight end James Flanigan have both committed to Notre Dame. For the first time in the era of internet recruiting rankings, Wisconsin will not be able to acquire the top two players from the state.
From Wisconsin to South Bend. #GoIrish @Jamesflanigan88 pic.twitter.com/lKe3KStyrs
— Owen Strebig (@OwenStrebig) February 14, 2024
Each recruiting cycle presents unique challenges because each prospect has a different story and reason for choosing a school. The past two years have been particularly interesting. Roy, a West Coast native, didn't commit to Wisconsin until his sophomore year, so unlike many previous in-state recruits, he didn't have particularly strong ties to the Badgers.
Flannigan's father, Jim Flannigan Jr., was a defensive lineman at Notre Dame in the early 1990s, so the decision to follow in his footsteps made sense. Despite already being committed to Notre Dame, Flannigan Jr. famously supported Alvarez by visiting campus at Alvarez's request and speaking positively about the program.
Strebig, on the other hand, had high praise for the University of Wisconsin. But that admiration began with his relationship with former Badgers offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, whom he met during his freshman year of high school. Rudolph, now Notre Dame's offensive line coach, was a big selling point for Strebig, who visited South Bend six times during his freshman year. Although Strebig kept Wisconsin as a finalist, the fact that the Badgers hired their fourth offensive line coach in as many seasons made it seem impossible to form a bond with the position coach.
Strebig praised the efforts of Labach and the new staff, including two of Fickell's recruiting directors, Pat Lambert and Max Stinecker, who were brought in from Cincinnati.
“I have nothing but respect for the staff at the University of Wisconsin,” Stbig said. “There was nothing else they could do regarding my recruitment. It's all about finding the right fit for me, and in this case it was Notre Dame.
“The recruiting team of Max, Pat and Casey are some of the best people I've ever met. In-state, it's all about how the recruits feel about their hometown. ”
The question is how Fickell will convince his players that Wisconsin is home. From 2017 to 2021, former Badgers coach Paul Chryst signed 21 of the 25 top-5 ranked players in the state and signed at least three of the top five players in every class. I didn't. Sixteen of those 21 players started at least one game at Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's in-state recruiting efforts amid the pandemic include three players in the 2022 class: offensive lineman Billy Schlaus (Notre Dame), offensive lineman Carson Hinzman (Ohio State), and tight end Jerry Cross (Pennsylvania State University) was placed elsewhere and struggled. . Notre Dame and Penn State, in particular, have continued to have a presence in Wisconsin ever since.
Fickell has a history of building programs around in-state recruiting. In Cincinnati's last two full recruiting classes in 2021 and 2022, the Bearcats signed 17 scholarship players from Ohio State. Florida was next with six signatories. Fickell committed an average of 10 1/2 recruits from Ohio State in each of Cincinnati's recruiting classes from 2017 to 2022. But the state's sheer volume of FBS-level talent far exceeds anything Wisconsin has ever produced in a single recruiting class, meaning it has a promising future. ing. Shared by multiple schools. This is not the case with badgers.
Wisconsin's class was ranked 23rd in Luke Fickell's first full recruiting cycle. (Jeff Hanisch/USA Today)
Wisconsin continues to make state recruitment a key priority. The Badgers have signed three in-state prospects in 2025, one cycle after signing three players from the state in 2024. Offensive lineman Michael Roske (Wautoma), linebacker Cooper Catalano (Germantown) and defensive lineman Torin Pettaway (Middleton) are all 2025 Badgers. Roske had offers from Notre Dame and Michigan. Pettaway received offers from Nebraska, Minnesota and the University of Southern California before Wisconsin made an offer and closed recruiting.
Roske is ranked No. 3 in the state, Catalano is No. 5 and Pettaway is No. 6. Wisconsin has offered committed cornerback Tre Poteet at No. 4. Wisconsin also leaned heavily into the Chicagoland area, part of a 350-mile radius from the original campus that Fickell wanted to emphasize. Four Chicagoland players signed in the 2024 class, including three four-star prospects: running back Darrion Dupree, tight end Grant Steck and defensive lineman Dylan Johnson. It is.
But times have obviously changed, especially since the University of Wisconsin was the gateway to the Big Ten 34 years ago and Alvarez had to decide how to add momentum to his program. Wisconsin's years of success and television visibility have allowed the Badgers to become a national brand. That's what Fickell discovered in his first year in Madison. Of the 22 players signed in 2024, 14 were outside of his 350-mile radius.
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In this day and age, and the way Fickell wants to take the program, in-state recruiting doesn't necessarily mean what it once did, as long as Wisconsin finds the best players to fit its scheme. There is an argument that there is no. . Of Wisconsin's 11 four-star signees in the 2024 class (a program record in the era of internet recruiting rankings), none were from Wisconsin. That helped Wisconsin finish the cycle ranked 23rd in the country, second only to the 2021 class that finished 16th. Wisconsin has nine entries for the Class of 2025, six of which are from out-of-state. Two from Ohio.
In his first year on the job, Fickell said he is perhaps most proud of Wisconsin's out-of-state recruiting efforts, but won't be satisfied until he combines that success with more in-state accomplishments.
“Probably the only thing in the state that hasn't yet exceeded where we should be,” Fickell said. “Everything else I would really say is above and beyond what we think is necessary to be successful and do what we need to do. I think we can reach that position.”
To get there, Wisconsin will need to overcome new challenges for in-state players. For example, how early programs can identify recruits because they can be made visible through highlight videos, social media, and recruiting services. The addition of NIL incentives creates a further complication. Although Wisconsin's Varsity Collective remains close to the best financially, Coach Fickell emphasized to his players that they will receive some consideration if they join the program. Fickell was asked how well-positioned Wisconsin is for its future as a program through its NIL efforts.
“We're not where we need to be yet,” Fickell said. “But I don't know if anyone would say yes if I sat down and asked them, 'Hey, do you think you're where you should be in the NIL world?' No, that's metaphorical. Because it's always growing, whether it's Oregon or South Carolina compared to where we are.
“For us and for our program, we're not where we should be, so we have to keep moving forward. But within our program, what do we need? I don't know if there is. I think recruiting from out of state is the same in that respect. But that's not the whole story.”
(Top photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
