Wisconsin football recruiting: Visits, offers April 14-20

Elliott Schaper, who plays for Austin Westlake in Texas, took a recent multi-day unofficial visit to Wisconsin and flew home with an offer to play for the Badgers. He will now be back for an official visit the weekend of June 7-9.

“I had a really good time with the coaches and the staff and seeing the facility and the campus,” Schaper said. “Got to hang out with my parents and go to a few dinners, so that was nice.”

Schaper and his family utilized part of the week to visit Wisconsin and another Big Ten program. They flew to Minnesota on April 10 to check out the Gophers the following day, then flew down to Madison on April 12.

After Schaper and family arrived in Madison, they traveled directly to check out Wisconsin’s facilities. He also spoke with coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Mike Tressel, and stayed to watch the team’s seventh spring practice the next day.

The Badgers already have one inside linebacker commit for its 2025 class, three-star, in-state standout Cooper Catalano (Germantown). They’re recruiting Schaper, whose frame fits what Wisconsin looks for in linebackers at a listed 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, to play in the same position group.

“They like my length and my speed, and they think I fit in their scheme and program, which is a huge honor,” Schaper said.

Tressel presented the offer during a defensive meeting, according to Schaper. The linebacker’s Instagram page also shows Power Four offers from Arizona State, California and Duke, along with scholarship opportunities from other Group of Five schools. He took unofficial visits to Arkansas and California this spring, in addition to the recent stops at Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Duke, California and Wisconsin are the three schools Schaper feels is recruiting him the hardest. He had tweeted about set official visits to Duke (May 31-June 2) and California (June 6-9), though the Badgers have now replaced the Golden Bears for that second June weekend. He thinks he’ll reschedule the official visit to California.

Schaper’s timeline for a commitment is still to be determined, and several factors will play a role in his decision.

“I really like a school that the fans and everyone’s invested in the football team, everyone shows up to the games and is really loud,” Schaper said. “And the culture of the locker room, and also academics, which is a big factor for me.”

There is a Wisconsin connection within Schaper’s family, as his brother graduated from Wisconsin last semester with a degree in mechanical engineering. 

“He really wants me to go there,” Schaper said, “I’ll tell you that.”

Here are two other takeaways from Wisconsin’s recent recruiting efforts.

Wisconsin made a significant splash in the state of Maryland in signing three players – four-star recruits Ernest Willor Jr. and Dilin Jones, along with three-star running back Gideon Ituka – as part of its 2024 class. The state has been an emphasis early during Fickell’s tenure, and the program welcomed Baltimore Perry Hall defensive back Corey Costner last weekend.

“They definitely jumped up to one of my top schools,” Costner said. “The visit overall was just a really good visit. Their campus was beautiful. And then coach (Paul) Haynes and coach (Pat) Lambert made me feel at home, so it was a really good visit.”

On3 rates Costner the highest amongst the four recruiting outlets as a four-star recruit and No. 261 player in the 2025 class. He’s announced Power Four offers from Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others.

This spring’s been busy for Costner, who’s traveled to Penn State, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin. He’s in consistent contact with the Badgers’ staff. He said he texts with Lambert, the program’s director of recruiting, “probably every other day” and speaks with Haynes “every couple of days.”

Wisconsin currently has three defensive back commits for its 2025 class in Remington Moss (Fredericksburg Saint Michael the Archangel, Virginia), Jai’mier Scott (Cincinnati Mt. Healthy) and Grant Dean (Neenah). Costner is a versatile player who could either play in Haynes’ cornerback group or possibly at safety under the guidance of assistant Alex Grinch. 

Costner plans to make a decision after taking his official visits. None had been scheduled when he spoke to BadgerExtra on Thursday evening, as he wanted to finish his spring trips, but he thinks he will take one to Wisconsin. Academics and a program’s track record of developing will be a role in which school he commits to.

“And also I would like a school with a good culture and history … but also just a school that has a good bond with the players and the coaches,” Costner said.

It wasn’t the warm, sunny practice that Wisconsin experienced last week, but the recruiting staff welcomed another large contingent of recruits on Saturday. 

The Badgers already has June official visits in place for two 2025 running backs in four-star recruit Byron Louis (Fort Lauderdale American Heritage, Florida) and unrated Javin Gordon (Stevens County, Georgia). Jace Clarizio, a three-star recruit from East Lansing High School in Michigan, watched Wisconsin’s offense during Saturday’s practice and is among a group of backs targeted by the staff.

Among the Power Four offers Clarizio has announced include the following: Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Southern Cal and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin still does not have a tight end commit for its 2025 class, but it’s hosted plenty of recruits this spring who they project at that position. The next one in town Saturday was Tyler Kielmeyer (Westerville South, Ohio). Both On3 and 247Sports evaluate him as a three-star recruit, and he’s tweeted notable offers from Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others.

The Badgers have a handful of 2025 tight ends they’re recruiting: Kielmeyer, Nizyi Davis (Indianapolis Lawrence Central) and newly offered Jordan Vborny (Draper Corner Canyon, Utah), along with Reiman Zebert (Springfield Platteview, Nebraska) and Jayden Savoury (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep, Michigan). All five have now visited Wisconsin at some point this year.

Three-star offensive lineman Cam Clark (Dexter, Michigan) announced an offer from Wisconsin on March 11. Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky and Minnesota, among others, have also offered according to his Twitter account. 

Other 2025 recruits in town included projected defensive linemen Drayden Pavey (Cincinnati Taft) and Derrick Simmons (Frankenmuth, Michigan).

Over a half-dozen 2026 recruits were also in attendance for Saturday’s practice. That included four-star standout Jayden McGregory (Des Moines Valley, Iowa), who announced an offer from Wisconsin later in the afternoon; three-star linebacker Ja’kobe Clapper (Cincinnati St. Xavier), and outside linebackers Dominic Funke (St. Sebastian, Massachusetts) and Cam Thomas (West Chester Lakota West, Ohio).