Wisconsin Football Wins Massive Recruiting Battle for Five-Star Edge

Luke Fickell continues to stack major wins on and off the football field. Less than a week after the Badgers took down No. 13 Penn State on the road, marking his first true signature win as the head coach of the Badgers, he lands one of the top-ranked recruits in Wisconsin football history.

One-time 5-star edge rusher Jalanie George of Desert Edge High School in Chandler, Arizona, announced his commitment live tonight on the Rivals YouTube channel, choosing the Badgers over heavy-hitting programs Washington, Auburn, and Miami (FL).

BREAKING: Elite 2028 EDGE Jalanie George has Committed to Wisconsin, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’4 250 EDGE chose the Badgers over Washington, Auburn, and Miami

He’s ranked as a Top 25 Recruit in the 2028 Rivals Industry Rankings

“AGTG Go Badgers 🦡”https://t.co/Uq2s6P5Sii pic.twitter.com/Gv7S0Nlv3y
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 2, 2026

George is now a consensus four-star, although he was once a five-star recruit ranked in the top-10 nationally. It's funny how when a non blue-blood like Wisconsin takes the lead in his recruitment, he's suddenly no-longer a five-star, but that's a story for another time.

The Badgers were relatively late to the party with George. Washington was considered a heavy favorite to land the 5-star talent, but outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell and Wisconsin made a late push and got George on campus for a visit during the Badgers' non-conference game against Eastern Michigan.

All reports of his visit were overwhelmingly positive, and suddenly the Badgers seemed to have real momentum in his recruitment, with multiple recruiting experts predicting he would land with the Badgers.

In the end, the Badgers were able to pull off the massive recruiting battle, landing a cornerstone player and a crown jewel for their 2028 class.

Aiding Wisconsin in his recruitment were some of George's high school teammates. Defensive lineman Yahzeen Zion and linebacker Nathan Jones currently play with George at Desert Edge and are committed to Wisconsin's 2027 class.

Recruiting Profile

Wisconsin football commit Jalanie George — Desert Edge defensive edge Jalanie George | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

4-star prospect
No. 27 overall prospect
No. 7 edge rusher
No. 3 player in Arizona

Needless to say, this is one of the highest-ranked prospects to commit to the Wisconsin football program. Badger247 has him as the No. 5 all-time commit, behind only Josh Oglesby, Nolan Rucci, Logan Brown, and Anttaj Hawthorne, according to his composite rating.

George is now the Badgers' third member of the 2028 class, joining linebacker Cale Britt and offensive lineman Brock Barrows. It's obviously very early, but the George commitment puts the Badgers at No. 6 in the 2028 national rankings on 247Sports and second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State.

Between their current success on the field and the sorely needed funding, Luke Fickell and the Badgers are becoming national recruiting contenders, and Jalanie George is evidence of that.

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