MADISON, Wis. — During the first weekend of official visit season last June, Luke Fickell and his staff brought 10 high school prospects who hadn't yet committed to campus in an effort to get them to commit to the Wisconsin program. Over the three days, the recruits participated in meetings, player panels, photo ops, spent time relaxing on boats on Lake Mendota, ate lots of delicious food and played laser tag.
It was a very colourful ceremony and well worth the effort.
Six of the 10 uncommitted prospects ultimately signed with Wisconsin for the class of 2024. In total, 13 of the Badgers' 22 signed players committed before or after their official visit last June.
Wisconsin has another impressive roster, with official visits set to begin on Friday for the 2025 class. The Badgers have 11 commits in the class and should fill out significantly over the next month. Five of the 11 commits — safety Jamie Scott (Cincinnati), wide receiver Cameron Miller (Atco, N.J.), outside linebacker Samuel Latege (Lawrenceville, N.J.), inside linebacker Cooper Catalano (Germantown, Wis.) and offensive lineman Michael Roeske (Wautoma, Wis.) — are scheduled to take their official visits this weekend.
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Here are 10 unsigned prospects coming into this weekend, all rankings from the 247Sports Composite.
OL Nolan Davenport
6-foot-6, 268 pounds, Washington (Massillon, Ohio)
3-star, 46th offensive tackle
Davenport was offered by Wisconsin offensive line coach AJ Blazek while at Vanderbilt. Davenport has scholarship offers from more than 30 programs and has four official visits scheduled to Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State and Missouri. Davenport played tight end as a sophomore but has since put on about 50 pounds and developed into a coveted offensive line prospect. Wisconsin has already secured commitments from two players, 6-foot-7 tackle Loeske and Cam Clark (Dexter, Michigan).
Massillon tackle Nolan Davenport will take official visits to four schools: Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State and Missouri. (Kevin Whitlock/USA Today)
TE Nijii Davis
6-4, 215 pounds, Lawrence Central (Indianapolis)
Three-star, No. 36 tight end
Davis' athleticism and versatility stand out on film from his junior season, showcasing some of his basketball resume. He can line up wide or from a more traditional tight end position, and his speed and leaping ability create mismatches for defenses. In that sense, Wisconsin sees him as a Jackson McGaughan type of player. Davis is a very aggressive blocker and can put guys on his back. He plans to take official visits to Wisconsin, Louisville, Kansas and Purdue.
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OLB Jayden Loftin
6-4, 240 pounds, Somerville, New Jersey
3 Stars, No.45 Edge
Wisconsin offered Loftin a scholarship in March and secured an official visit two months later, making enough progress to edge out other programs where Loftin had previously scheduled official visits, including West Virginia and Minnesota. Loftin's official visit list includes Wisconsin, Tennessee, Nebraska and Penn State. While it's unlikely Wisconsin will land Loftin and four-star outside linebacker Jayden Woods, the Badgers would be better off getting a commitment from one of them.
DL Cade Pietrazak
6-4, 240 pounds, West Fargo (North Dakota)
4-star, 36th ranked defensive lineman
Wisconsin landed a talented defensive lineman in its most recent class. Could the Badgers do the same with Pietraszak? He released his top four picks earlier this month – Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas State. Wisconsin offered him in October, but Oklahoma is currently believed to be the front-runner to land him.
LB Mason Posa
6-3, 210 pounds, La Cueva (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
4-star, No. 33 linebacker
Posa, a three-time New Mexico state wrestling champion, may be the hottest prospect among the unsigned players Wisconsin is visiting this weekend. He was a threat last season, recording 99 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a junior. Posa visited Madison earlier this month for the team's final spring practice and has official visits scheduled to Wisconsin, Oregon and Texas A&M.
CB Tre Potito
Height: 6'1″, Weight: 175 lbs. Verona, Wisconsin
3-star, No. 44 cornerback
Poteet's father, Hank, was the cornerbacks coach at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons before the Badgers made a coaching change. Hank Poteet is now at Iowa State, while Tre is finishing up his high school career in Verona. Wisconsin's new staff has been solid in continuing to recruit Poteet, who finished his junior season with 76 tackles and three interceptions. But the focus here is on Tennessee, which secured an official visit for Poteet over the weekend of June 21 and doesn't carry the same weight as Wisconsin, given that his father's tenure ended there.
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OL Logan Powell
6-4, 280 pounds, Brophy College Prep (Phoenix)
3-star, No. 41 offensive tackle
Powell, a Badgers guard prospect, will visit Wisconsin for the first time this weekend. He has three official visits scheduled — at Wisconsin, Alabama and Arizona. Wisconsin will have to work hard to land the recruit, in part because Powell's older brother, Tyler, is a tight end at Arizona. His father, Jeremy, is the pitching coach for the Miami Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in Jacksonville, Fla.
CB Rukiem Stroud
5-foot-11, 160 pounds, Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, Fla.)
3-star, No. 35 cornerback
Stroud took an unofficial visit to Wisconsin at the end of spring practice and the Badgers appear to be in a favorable position for him. He will decide between Wisconsin and South Florida State. Stroud finished his junior season with 18 tackles, 17 interceptions and six passes.
WR Muiz Tunkara
6-4, 195 pounds, Clear Springs (League City, Texas)
3-star, No. 102 wide receiver
Wisconsin didn't offer Tunkara a scholarship until May 17, but he impressed Tunkara enough to secure an official visit. Tunkara is considered a big-framed player who could provide the Badgers with a downfield threat from the outside, and his recruiting has only started to heat up in recent months.
Tunkara is scheduled to take four official visits to Wisconsin, Kansas, Arizona and Arkansas. None of the schools had offered him until this month. Miller is the only receiver committed to Wisconsin's 2025 class and will play in the slot.
OLB Jayden Woods
6'3″, 240 lbs., Mill Valley (Shawnee, Kansas)
4 Star, No.18 Edge
Woods is an explosive stand-up edge rusher and would be a big recruiting win for Wisconsin. He visited one of Wisconsin's junior days, met with Fickell and outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell and was impressed with the program. He also toured the facility with defensive graduate assistant Tuf Borland and watched a presentation by strength and conditioning coach Brady Collins.
Woods finished his junior season with 71 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks and eight pass breakups. Wisconsin views him as a “jack” linebacker who plays on the boundary side of the field. Woods was intrigued by Wisconsin's history of sending linebackers to the NFL, citing the success of former Badgers outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. Woods plans to take official visits to Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Tennessee.
(Top photo by Luke Fickell: John Fisher/Getty Images)
